The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-24

Individually, who sought constantly to i'm.
prove their position and standing in the
eyes of the law, but with slow success
Thus it often happened that some laughter
loving noble, after merry night of wine
! and song, would be obliged next morning
for some tTifing and generally trumped up
oHense to sit in Judgment over the very
players who the night before had been most
welcome and honored guests, and whatever
his inclination might be, the law would re-
quire him to impose ridiculous and unjust
| penalties
BARRED OUT OF THE CHURCH.
The church declared them, as a body,
"excommunicate and without ecclesiastical
! rights, !" while they were even worse treated
| by the civil authorities. Special laws were
| devised for them which were simple mock
cries Of justice. For example, if player
was wounded by respectable man." the
| law decreed that both should go to some
public place, andthe aggressor should so
stand in the sunlight that bis shadow
fell against the wall whereupon the player
was permitted to give the shadow sim
| liar blow to that he had received with a
| similar weapon, and the law was satisfied.
| This shameful custom existed in both Sax
| ony and Bavaria until well along in the
Fifteenth century, while in north Germany
| the law was even more contemptuous in
| its provisions, and if a player was muir
dered the following ridiculous farce was
gravely performed in The presence of a
multitude of people assembled in the mar
| ket place:
The murderer presented himself before
the officers of justice with a young calf
| and pair of creased gloves The latter
were put on by the next kin to the muir
dered man, and il he then were able to hold
the calf by the tail he would keep the calf;
but in any case it was considered that JUS
tice had been done and the proper atone
ment offered. In Suabia player could
not inherit property, and what he left at
his death reverted TO the state, and in 1857
all strolling musicians were expressly ex-
cluded from the general peace declared by
King Rudolph l.
During thewhole of the Fifteenth century
the following sentence occurs as part of
the formula Of baptismal certificates:
''This child was born of honorable and re-
spectacle parents, who have lived honestly
and circumspectly, and it is not the off
spring of pipefs, addlers, players, dancers,
shepherds, linen weavers OF any such
worthless vagabonds." Still later, in 1887
we find the following unique sentence in a
Saxon law book: "These pipers, fddlers
and players are in no wise to be considered
as human beings, for they have only the
outward appearance of humanity; they are
rather to be treated as dead persons"
AS partial offset to all this injustice
and maltreatment the players gradually
formed themselves into societies for the
purpose of personal intercourse, as well as
financial and artistic consolidation. In
France the Guild of Minstrels and Jug
glers" had been formed in the latter half
of the Thirteenth century, and in 1895
Philip lie Beau appointed Jean Charmillon
to be REX miniStelorum" or Roy des
Menestriers." All the different societies
in France were consolidated in 1880 under
the title, "Confrerie de St. Julien des Men
estriers," and on Nov. %, 1881, they re-
Ceived a legal charter In Germany the
earliest of these societies was the "St.
Nicolai Bruderschaft," formed in 1858 in
Vienna. These guilds and societies became
more and more important, and though, as
aforesaid, they had no ecclesiastical and
few civil rights, they were foStered and
protected by many individual princes and
mobiles. An attempt was made in 1861 to
free them from the ban of the church, but
it was not successful until 1856 when they
were officially released by the cardinal
legate of all Germany. 1t would occupy
too much space to speak at greater length
OF the societies, but it is certainly worthy
Of mention that by the beginning of the
Sixteenth century all players were obliged
to belong to them on pain of fine or other
punishment, which seems to be en- inter
estlng forerunner of the tactics pursued by
many of our modern labor organizations.
IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC RECOGNIZED.
While the players were thus endeavor-
ing TO help themselves many powerful
people We're also trying to improve their
position. 1t must be borne in mind that,
If spite OF all the contempt and abuse to
which they were subjected their services
were still more or less Indispensable.
Realizing this fact, some Of the larger
cities considered it a worthy experiment to
attempt their reform, and they sought to
effect this by selecting the best of them and
paying them a regular yearly salary for
their services in the city, which induced
the players so chosen to give up their wan
dering and dissipated habits. This plan
was to great extent successful, and by
the beginning of the Fifteenth century
nearly all the imperial cities, and many of
the free cities, had q regularly engaged
company Of "pipers and folders" (more
especially, however, lutte Players, and
their contracts compelled ths.n to play
openly, at certain times and places, for the
amusement Of the public. Thus we see
the great antiquity of the system of sub
sldlzlng musical institutions in Germany;
500 years ago the state realized the impor-
lance Of providing artistic amusement and
instruction for the benefit of its citizens
This was the beginning of a systematic
pursuit and protection of instrumental
music, and early in the Fifteenth century
the custom spread from the cities TO the
courts Of the higher nobility OF both church
and state. One of the chronicles relates
that there came to the council Of Con
stance (l4l4) ''trombonlstS. trumpeters. pip
erS, singers aud fiddlers, in short, sll man
ner OF players, IN all about 50o;' and it ap-
pears that the grester part Of these were in
attendance upon different cardinals, bish-
ops, princes, counts aud harons. and regu-
Iarly attached to their courts Little by
little their various claims were recognized
and granted and thei- general position i'm
proved, and by the rli3iie Of the Sixteenth
century 1t may be broadly stated that their
Importance rs artists WAS fUliy acknowi-
edged and their profes >ion regarded as hon
orahle.-Bosron Herald
Tea Cakes
Nix two pounds OF siissG -four. ono an5