The Southern herald., 1898-04-01
sAePlPEs AND BURR.
A PiPe='s HerOism BOoms Windbaxs
and BroEue.

and Brogue.
Fifteen months and more ago there
was recounted in these columns the
genesis and growth Of a threatened
bagpipe boom. For a time the craze
l.uriShed and promised TO do much;
then it languished, and the Young Ia
dies and gentlemen who had bought
such beautiful sets Of bagpipes forsook
their hobby and disposed of their instru-
ments at a loss, or laid them in the gar
ret along with the cid spinnet and the
Unee-fashionable banjo.
But now, prestol Something has hap
Pened. 1t mas happened a long way off
out in India, in fact-but it has given
such FLIP to the popularity Of the
bagpipes that at this moment of writ
ing their fame is greater-infinitely
greater-than at any time since the
"bonny skirl O. The Cock o the North
swept proudly Ger the bloody plain of
Waterloo"
Who cares whether the story Of the
gallant piper at the recent charge of
Dargai is true2 Who dares TO say il is
net? Are there not at 800 music halls
in London and the provinces twice 500
pipers nightly enaeting the scene as it
was deeribed by Reuters correspondent
to the intense enthusiasm of the au-
d,ences and Of all Englishmen-we beg
Pardon-Great BSitons and Irishmen
throughout the civilized world?
When shall the glory of the bIgpipes
die? Nearly every side street-not
only in the great metropolis, but in Liv-
eIpool, Glasgow, Manchester and Bir-
mangham-has its piper at some hour Of
tie day, They have come to Carmelte
street early in the evening to fret the
souls Of the long-dead friars and to set
beating the pulses of the scribes-Cale-
dOnian and otherwise-w whose ears are
tlogged by the raucous wall. Indeed.
many Of the most trenchant columns of
the Daily Mail have been conceived and
writ to the tune of "Annie Laurie" or
the Girl | Left Behind Me-" Our
sporting editor has found in Scots Wha
llae" most fecund inspirations; and
our leading article was yesterday COM
posed to the air Of when Jamie Gangs
Ava"
But il takes two pipers TO do the
thing properly. One of them marches
up and down playing the instrument
ior is ii machine y. while another ae-
companies him, handling n sheathed
sword. The bearing of both perform
ers is proud and martial and Scotch
Anybody could tell they were Scotch
even Saxon infant in arms. One old
gentleman in Finsbury circus was so
pleased by the aspect Of one Of these
bagpipe couples day or two since that
he gave them each siXpence, saying;
"Eh, mon, do ye prefer playing the
music O. the bonny hame land in musty
Lunnon streets to marching across the
heather wi the wind in your teeth?'
The first Scotchman looked at him in
surprise. The second was taken sud-
denly with engrossing pains in the pit
Of his stomach.
"Whatcher talkiu' abart. goy'nor?
Me an my mite buyed this ere arm or
gin an this ere rig cut down tn Ditch
when the bagpipc boom come in. It's
a lot better'n shown bloomin' barrer
tryin' to sell oranges when the people
has got too many of EN- at home al
ready. Oh, the business amt so bad.
'cept for the cLilblames you gets on
Your knees, and when the kids don't
stick pins in the b'ilcr O. the engin'. Me
an my mite, we do wish, though, when
people give us coin, they wouldn't go
jawin' of us in n bloomn' furrin Ian
gwidge."
"But, good heavens, how did you
learn? How did you manage to play ?''
" 'Ow? Easy enough. Nobody amt
complained yet. Yer just squeezes the
old balloon an lets 'er squcal herself
sick. An, Lor' bless you, the sicker she
squea's herself the more people seems
90 like it, Blimey, there amt no ac-
countn' for tastes, but me an my mite
makes a quid dye, an that's all we