New-York tribune., 1919-02-08
Sailor-Organist
Brings Home Bride
As rize Of War
And While Men OH Trans
port Just I'm Tell About
Romance Mr.. and Mrs.
Biggs Journey to Brooklyn

The Muses. smiled on high Olympus
yesterday when the French liner
Espagne reached it's pier in New York
with Richard X. Biggs and his bride
aboard. For Polymnia, patroness Of sa-
cred music, had worsted warlike Ares,
.conniving with the Fates. But Mr.. and
Mrs Biggs;, ignoring in their bliss
prynl2,sa plympian chuckles' took the subway to
Mr.. Biggs used to be organist at st.
.Luke's Episcopal Church, Brooklyn.
When spring and war came hand in
hand, nearly two years ago, an unrest
seized the young musician which put a
martial vigor in the professional and
taxed the nimble voices of the choir.
The nation had not been many weeks
at war when another sat before the or
gan in st. Luke's.
His predecessor was in the navy and
soon was sent overseas. All unsus-
picious that he was Polymnia's pro-
should be assigned to Base Hospital
No in the ancient city of Anglers, in
Anjou, instead of wallowing about with
che destroyers on convoy duty.
But Angers had its compensations,
as he discovered. It's twin lowered
Cathedral of st. Maurice dated from
the thirteenth century, and the organ
and time-mellowed stained glass there
in were marvels of tone and color.
The place fascinated the young Ameri-
can seaman. He could stand within it
by the hour watching the plodding
brown figures of the monks who were
it's sole guardians since the rector, his
assistants and the organists donned
the horizon blue of France.
The buttressed Gothic structure now
was place of hallowed si!ences in
which the sun wrought miracles of
light and shadow with the tinted hand
work of a craft that was dead. Then,
one day, into the dim rainbow silence
Of the cathedral fitted being of light
and life.
Seaman Biggs was gazing longingly
at the vast organ and did not see her
at first But she was Mile. Lucienne,
the granddaughter Of M. Gourdon, q
former Mayor of Anglers, and the sight
of an American sailor, tanned and fit,
standing in rapt contemplation of the
cathedral organ, aroused curiosity
which she proceeded to satisfy with a
directness possible only for a grand
daughter of an ex-Mayor.
When she learned that the American
sailor was an organist she insisted that
he play the nluse polyhymnia prompt
ing her. He played, first Verdi's Re-
QUEEN, which rolled sonofously from
the manifold throat of the great instru-
ment, just for Mile. Lucienne and the
organist and silent monk or two.
But the voice of the cathedral organ,
50 long mute, reached others, too. The
peasants in the market place dropped
their baskets, the workers returning
from the converted spinning mills has
tened their steps, and such as still re-
manned to weave stockings Joined
them, all moving wonderingly in the
level rays of the setting sun to the
cathedral SO suddenly vocal.
The organist turned to Rossini's Sta
bat Mater all unwilling of the wonder
ing couples and groups that were si-
lently entering the building and drop
ping to their knees in prayer Not un-
til dusk had crcpt to his bench did he
cease. AS silently as they had come
the peasants and the townspeoplc de-
parted and Seaman Biggs and Mile
Gourdon walked out together.
1t was the first of many concerts and
the first Of many strolls. Last August
they were married. Now they are
going to live in Brooklyn.