The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-04-09
GLORY OF THE BRASS BAND
Graphic Picture of National
Institution in the Country
Town.

> Graphic Picture of a Nationa
Institution in the Countr.
/, Town.
, Harvey Sutherland thus describes i
Ainslee's Magazine tho glories an
possibilities OF the village brass band
"Oh, listen to the bandi
Oh, amt it something grand2"
"How it may be in Europe can
!, not pretend to say, but in this countr,
town without brass band of il owl
must be poor thing, shamefully lack
ing IN local pride and public spirit,
town with no sgitup' 10 it at all. L d'
not know that there are such. hope
not.
"I like to think that everywhere il
my country they speak in an affeo
tlonate way of the musicians as the
band boys,' and brag about how much
better they can play than the Mt. Vic
tory band. like to think that all the
merchants and storekeepers in town
helped out when the band was organ.
lied and the fellows came around so.
Letting subscriptions for the first pay
ment on the instruments, and that
when The other installments fall due
everybody buys tickets to the home
talent minstrel shows got up to raise
the money, not only because there will
be more fun than little, but also be-
cause they wish them good luck. And
how proud we al are of them when
'the boys turn out for the first time in
their new uniformsl Talk about Solo
mon in all his glory, l have seen
bandsmen that would make him look
as if he had overalls on. And the
drum majorl If could be a drum
major for living, and look the part
and dress up like him and walk in front
of the band, tossing up my silver
knobbed baton and catching it again
the way he does, wouldn't bother my
head about being president of the
United States. Not for minute. /
can just see the bandstand on Main
street, or perhaps in the courthouse
yard, where on Saturday nights the
band gives concerts by torchlight and
plays On Duty March, and sHelter-
Shelter Galop,' and maybe mo. % in
the Black Book while the farmers
listen, we'll paid for the long drive in
,.,.u ,i.e epaatry 10 or 15 miles. Fair
time, poii.i,>., E@isi.s, hveIon's tourna-
.nCnta, bail games, Decoration days,
Hou.th Of July, caii see tho boys
swagger along in the middle of the
street and hear the drums roll, Prrrrrr-
rompomF before the tune strikes up.
When they brought home Col. Clay
burns body and led his ,iderless horse
behind the hearse, it was the band
playing Webster's Funeral March with
a handkerchief stuffed between the
snares of the tenor drum to muflle its
sharp note that made all seem so
solemn, and who can forget how Lone
some sounded the melody of staps' on
one single cornet just before the grave
was filled in?
Inseparable from all our civlc'fu
tions, the band has in the country
town nearer and more neighborly as
sociations. For example, when Squire
Morgan and his wife celebrated their
silver wedding anniversary. Every
body thought the world and all of the
old Squire and Aunt Margaret, and 80,
for a surprise, when it got dark, the
band boys slipped quietly into the front
yard and began TO play, when You
and Were Young, Maggie 1t Is a
sweet old tune, and we all stopped our
chatter to listen. AS it floated in or
the warm June air scented with honey.
suckles, something clutched at our
throats and made them ache.
But now we are aged and gray, Maggie,
The trials of life nearly done:
Let us sing of the days that are gone, Mag
When you and were young
The two old people stood listening.
Their lips trembled, and the tears stole
into their eyes. Their hands sought
and clasped each the others. When
the notes ceased and the old esquire
went out on the front porch to thank
the boys his voice broke and he could
only beckon to them. And then they
came trocping in. Charley Rodehaver,
Frank and Will Pettigrew and Len
Dysart and Henry Myrlce and Cliff
Howard Gold Jim Howard's boy; he's
out in Kansas now,) and the whole
posse of them, all laughing and wish
ing many happy returns of the day.
And how those fellows did make the
ice. cream and cake vanishl You would
have thought they were hollow to their
heels. Regular cut-ups, all of them,
and Minnie de Wees put Cliffs helmet
OIL and tried to blow on the tuba. Such
q tlmei
"I like TO think that in every town
in the land tonight somebody is prac-
ticing on his 'tooby' out in the barn
with a lantern--a tuba makes such q
noise in the house-and going 'PoomI
--poomp--pOomp oompooompoomp,
and that out on the Milvllle road the
tenor horn is slapping his foot on the
floor for the accented beats and footing
on the off beats: sHoof-ta, hoof-ta
hoof-tatty-ta-ta;" that the alto horr
has his book on the kitchen table
propped against the coffee pot, and HIT
blowing. IT at q a--Ah.ta-ta,' ant
that the soprano cornet is working a
his part with his chest raised and {
surprised and swelled-up look on hit
face. Each of them from time to tim,
wipes his mouthpiece and then hi
puffed lips and says to himself, DAD
blame It'll Why can't 1 get that thint
right2'
"I like to think of that regular prac
tice night TUESDAY, think it is) ii
tue upstairs of Hook and Ladder No