The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-09-18

Drummer and their drums are % be
eliminated from the French armyby the
reforming zeal Of General Fare. and
that the Infantry soldier viii not march
better IN C0oeeqDe1co. Of this inn0va.
ton may Be safely predicted, for any ct.
tempt be may have made hitherto to
ken step hes been mainly due to the
n =. Comparatively little import
al )WeveF. u attached In France %
4 81 Il step, though q regiment
VIZ makes any show Of it is inyari-,
ably the nnst cheered at reviews, this
being one Of the Inconsistencies preys.
lent here which il would b vain to 1T
tempt explaining. The minister of Wa1
explained before the budget committee
that his feasoa toe adopting the change
il becauee drummer are not oombatanfe.
20 be proposes to replace them By
trumpeters, who do come under that
category. Like the white leather aprons
ofthe sappers, which have disappeared
for some time, the little parchment Gov
cred cylinderS are henoeforth doomed.
! do not know whether the origin Of the
drum has ever been traced by some pa
:ient inquirer. We have been told that
it comes to 10 from tho East, and that
the Moors first brought it into Europe.
Certain 10 the fact that the most savage
races have always rGoiced in their tam.
tams, and % the pleasure OF making q
noise 10 inherent Ia human nature. per.
haps this most elective way Of creating
q din Wa invented BY Adams sons OF
grandsons. But the drum does not
appear to have been used in the French
army until toward the close of the four.
teenth century, and its introduction d
attributed 70 the English invasion under
Edward ILL.,; its general adoption BIZ
the infantry dates back to the time Of
Louis X1., when tie Swiss element Was
largely infused into the royal forces.
The drum ct that epoch was q shapeless
instrument. and served more for railying
the troops or for the conveyance Of the
word Of command than for regulating
the step, which was far from being a.
measured az it IL now. Each captain
had . drummer in his private livery,
and he employed him to carry his orders
or his instructions, as much as for beat
ing the word of command; the drum.
mer in those days appears to have been
kind Of aid-de-camp. The covering
was usually made from the hide OF some
Enthusiastically of an though If
it be true that John Zisca, sthe avenger
Of Huss, beQueathed his skin to
bis gallant companions in arms to
form the covering Of q drum
which was to summon them in case
Of danger, material more nob.e was ut
least once made to serve the purpose.
The drum was not used fol- drilling
infantry to keep step until the middle Of
the eighteenth century, and the roll
such - we now know It was only regu.
lated some hundred years ago. The
drummer's art then became more dill.
cult, and to perfect it regimental schools
were established, the master Of which
was the drum-major,. who in recent
times was still such prominent and
popular parsonage in each French regi-
ment. The period Of his greatest glory
was the first empire, when the drum
major of the Grenadiers of the Guard
had rank as q captain and wore a uni
form which cost Napoleon $500. Under
the restoration and the monarchy Of
July, drum.majors were given to the
regiments of fremen. and even to thos<
of the national guard, but of late year.
their prestige has diminished in . greal
extent, and also their stature; they IN
no longer such imposing clothes-horsee
all lace and feathers, towering above
ordinary mortals; the race has in fac,
been visibly deteriorating. Such 90 thel
are, however, they will now disappear
from the head Of French regiments Will
their drums -LondoN Fbsl.