The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-07-20
oaaERvATIoNs 81 a rRAvELER.
The Musical c~ourier's staff Cores
pendent at Salisbury Cathedral.

&hNRSS Gha
In the adventures of Don Keynote
with other events worthy Of mention,
a mighty interesting feature in The
Musical Courier last week, Don Key
note, very cieverly tells Of his visit to
Salisbury cathedral England. and of
his chat with one of the venerable
vergers of the cathedral. Don keynote
evidently well informed himself of the
historical associations in connection
with the ancient sacred edif1ce, partic-
ularly along musical lines SO that he
could put to test those from whom he
sought information as to their accu-
racy Of people and he delighted In
puzzIing them by asking questions re-
latlng to celebrities as far back as
1925.
During Don's walk through the his
toric pile the following is part OF the
conversation he had with the verger:
Have you ever heard OF William
and Henry Lawes, long associated
with Salisbury q
"Lawes, sir2 No; I don't think I
have. Salisbury musicians, sir?'
Sir said the knight waxing eIo-
quent, t h whole musical world Is
indebted to Henry Lawes, if 1t is true,
as we are told on good authority, that
he was the first to employ bars in his
music to mark the place OF accent and
he hythmical division of his melody
as all musicians do today. You've
heard Of Milton. / presume?'
Milton. sir. 0 yes; our greatest
poet after Shakespeare"
Very true" replied Don KEYNOTE,
but do you know that Milton and
Lawes wrote and composed Comus
for the Earl of Bridgewater In 1634?'
Milton and Lawes
"Iawes was not only the
but also the writer OF the letter to the
earl in which letter Lawes says the
poem is so lovely that it has brought
him to the necessity of producing 1t
to the public view. This composer
brought the poem to the notice of the
public, and the public straightway
forgot the composer, and remembered
only Milton"
"Only MiIton?"
That's all. And that is as it should
be; for Lawes was but a musician of
the day, and Milton is a poet for all
time" said the knight, putting on his
hat and leaving the hotel.
When he entered the ancient gate
way and first set foot upon the vast
lawn Of green velvet in which the ca
thedral stood, nesting among the
aged trees at it's base. he turned to a
verger and remarked that IF we had
such a vacant lot as this in America
we should improve it."
Improve it'll" exclaimed the vergar,
who took the knights comment sert-
ously. Improve It'll How could you
improve it? This lawn a been Inn
proved for 500 years. You could not
make a lawn like this in the few years
you have been a nation" said the old
verger with that inimitable scorn
which belongs particularly to ancient
cathedral towns.
Sir said the knight with a pro-
found bow, nothing could be more
perfect than the thick. soft, silken
carpet of living emerald in which you
take such pride. But there is no
money in 1t. Cut down these trees,
pillow up this land, put up b~oardings
covered with whiskey and corset adj
vertisements and scatter a few tin
ans here and there. Oh, you must 60
to America to learn how to make your
land pay. just think Of it-not one
single, solitary advertisement In all
this wasted spacel"
"Sir,' said the verger, losing his ac-
customed dignity, Il feel 1t incumbent
on me to inform you that you are a