Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-25
The Pride and Glory Of the Boys Who
Blow:
1HE FIRST TUNE, TIE FIRST MARCH
What a Monument of Himself is
the Snare Drummer!
OH, But IT'S JOLLY FUN
From the Boz Herald.

From the Bog.5n Herald.
There never was, in the knowledge of
the writer. but one country band. He was
a member of 1t. He plsyed-well, no mat
ter sufficient to say he was a member.
1t YVES known as the Swantown Cornet
Band. That was not the name of it, but
that will answer well any in telling
this story. The town did not cut half the
figure the band did-in the opinion of the
members. Some, however. who were prone
to sneer at all attempts to step from the
ruts established by their fathers and grand
fathers thought otherwise, and they would
sometime say: No town. no band" while
the big bass drum. with information like
a lake frog, would echo back it's boom,
BOOM as if it would say: mo band, no
town.
Ard this band ard this drum advertised
the town. In memory the big surface of
the abnormal drum can now be seen, and
across its face were painted in golden let
ters these words: "Swantown Cornet Band.
This Swantown Cornet Band was an or
ranization fearfully and wonderfully made.
1t had members black and white, tall and
short. rich and poor, Irish, Yankee, Dutch
and others.
Whatever called it into existence has al
ways been a mystery, but it came, saw
and conquered. 1T was organized one win
ter's night quarter century or more ago,
ami ii proSpered.
When it was voted that such thing
should exist within the precincts of that
mountain hamlet, and the instruments
bought. possibly not more than three out
of the eigt teen who were enrolled as must
clans had ever seen a band instrument.
Some did not know an E-hat cornet from
stove hook. Possibly they could have
picked cut The stove hook, but would not
have known what the other thing was.
Haiiing Columbia.
How gingerly they handled those shin
ing pieces of brass. Those unknown, silent.
crooked machines, with numberless pipes.
valves and slides. But everything has
beginning. so did this aggregation start
i'm 10 learn The uses of those instruments.
The first six months We're devoted strict
" to indoor practice. This was necessary.
Not remarkably rapid progress was made,
hut after awhile, when some of the scales
had been mastered. the organization was
given its first selection 1t was hail Co
lumbia-" 1t some time before 1t was
considered success. The leader was GER
tainly earning his salary-he wasn't get
ting anything that year-and he thought II
time to take q stride forward. The stride
was taken. The people hailed Columbia
with open arms-a welcome relief after six
months of scales-but they were just as
ready to elcome Home, Sweet Home,
" hich follow ed.
\ change in the leadership seemed 10
iEfuse new life into the members, and
two easy marches" followed in surprising
rapidity.
\ band stand had been erected while the
Tnembyrs were preparing to take the town
by storm. but the summer passed. and 1t
was not occupied. In the fall flock of
turkeys Tre-enptied it. and it was not until
the following spring that this great com
bination dared show itself in wholly
public exhibition.
Uniforms. of Course.
A uniform had been procured. Not new
enc. for which each member had been
measured. Nothing of the sort 1t was
selected from lot of fifty cast off by a
militia company during the war. The coats
were blue-and long-and buttoned down in
front in single-breasted style. There were
no trousers hence the members We're
ohliged to wear whatever they possessed.
And here a conflict of colors ensued. But
tht members were clothed. They did not
wear light. jaunty caps Here was where
The defunct military got in its deadly work
again The members of this band inherited
bearskins-big bearskin hats, foot or more
fall. such were seen in pictures repre-
senting the battle of Bunker Hill.
Well, the band progressed, gave a few
oLt-of-door concerts. serenaded the minis
ter and other village dignitaries. and
ceived an invitation to head the procession
Memorial day-"Decoration day. No one
seemed to know in what order the band
Should be made up-except the leader. He
knew. and he lined the members up in the
band room one evening.
And such a line up The BASES were In
the front rank. On the right was tall,
soldierly man. six feet in height. He was
a model, but he was the only model in the
ranks. His side partner. the one who
played the second E-fat bass. was not over
five feet. but what he lacked in height he
paade up in circumference. Then came the
pan who played the G trombone-the only
Instrument of the kind ever made. 1t was
valve trombone, and extended about four
feet in front and in rear of the player, and
It's monstrous bell looked like the air pipes
of an ocean liner.
shape once He hadn't then. Neither did
he have teeth. but his muscular develop
ment was immense. AT times he would let
GO a crash note that would set the Win
COWS rafting in their easements, and
piano passages had more effect on him
than so much water.
Big G and Tuba.
He was the third man in the front rank
He was stoop-shouldered, but his pig bear
skin always upright. and If he ever
straightened-which he did occasionally by
actident-the bearskin would cant OFF to
the north. at an angle of about 45 degrees
Others were placed according to the instru-
ments played, and after each had been as
signed a position, notice given that on
a certain night the band would go out for
Grill
II did. Before that. however. it had elect
Go drum major. and he carried a sword
In place of baton. The place selected for
=
outskirts of the village. The members were
due at o'clock They were there on time,
and went through a series of straight
marching that was pleasing to the instruc-
tor Occasionally some one would step on
loose stone and bump into his neighbor
SKIP Few notes. lose his place and say
things under his breath. but on the whole
1t was pretty good work.
After an hour of practice the drum ma
Jor SAID: Now We will try a counter
march. When 1 about face and hold up
nay sword, the two right files turn to the
right and march to the rear, and the two
left files turn to the left"
That sounded first-ratc to hear 1t once
but the execution of 1t was different The
band moved forward playing a spirited
march. when all at once the major whirJ-
ed about and threw up his sword The
Two outside files turned all right but the
TWO inside did the opposite. They had for
gotten the combination When the crash
came the four-foot extension of the big G.
troaibe ne struck the short, fat tuba player
In the solar plexus. while the latter I'M
Willingly retaiiated by hitting the man