USA > Wisconsin > Buffalo County > History of Buffalo County, Wisconsin > Part 42
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The West Wisconsin and Minnesota Schuetzenbund.
This union of societies was founded on the 17th day of Febru- ary 1878 by a convention of delegates from the societies of Alma, Fountain City, Winona Germania, and La Crosse. G. G. Oppliger was elected President and Christ. Florin, Secretary of said con- vention. After working out a constitution and rules for practice and tournaments the convention passed the following resolutions:
1. That until differently resolved the shooting tournaments or festivals should be held by the original societies in turn and by no others;
2. That Alma should be the first head-center of this new union, and the first festival should be held at that place;
3. That the societies having now joined, should pay their initiary fee of $3.00 each forthwith, the amount of 10 cents per member, however, not before the meeting of the next diet.
Further resolutions were, to have the constitution printed in 250 copies, also rules of practice 100 copies on cardboard for post- ing up in the shooting halls; also that no members of societies not in the union should be admitted, and the customary vote of thanks to the Fountain City society and its president.
The object of this union is defined as follows:
To improve the members of the union in the use of firearms, and to effect a greater harmony in regard to rules and arrange- ments; also to advance the interests of social intercourse and friendly relations among the members of the different societies.
Everything was promising well and there was the most cor-
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dial intercourse among the members, especially as long as the four original societies were the only ones. But at the tournament at La Crosse the representatives of St. Paul were admitted without asking the consent of the diet and this numerous and by its representation powerful, society began to create trouble. Not that the members attending our festivals were not very cordial compan- ions, but the society itself, especially at the tournament at St. Paul exceeded the previous and reasonable expectations on which the union had been founded by admitting into it the society at Monroe, Green County, Wis. This society, rather small, was situ- ated in a distant part of the state, which could not be reached ex- cept by a circuitous and expensive voyage. The union had been founded by four societies so located, that cach could be reached by short and cheap transportation. The accession of St. Paul did not materially change this condition, since that place could at least be reached by all with convenience, though a visit to this capital of Minnesota was rather a heavy tax upon the less opulent members.
Nevertheless there was a considerable attendance from this place, as also from all other societies at the festival at St. Paul. The St. Paul attendance at Winona was by no means very satis- factory, but at the next festival the attendance of St. Paul at Alma consisted of no more than three men out of a membership of 115-120, and only one of these was a genuine member of the St. Paul society, although the two others, one an American, the other a Swede, had to be admitted upon the assurance that they were members. The excuse of the former frequenters of the festivals was that the game season had opened and that they preferred to go hunting. This prejudiced the Buffalo County members against those from the larger places, and it was remarked that these festi- vals had lost their ancient character as popular enjoyments, and that this could only be restored by returning to the old Buffalo County Association, in which a neighborly regard could be ex- tended to any members of societies from Winona or La Crosse if these societies would reciprocate the favor. This put an end to this West Wisconsin and Minnesota arrangement, which might yet well continue, if it had for ever been confined to the five -- or rather four-societies, since the fifth, that of Wabasha never actually ac- eeded to the union, although it had sent a written application, and paid the initiary fee for entering into the confederation,
·
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The former harmony between the societies of Fountain City and Alma still continues, and the festivals afford an annual oppor- tunity for a convivial meeting of old friends and comrades, not only of those who have so often met in the friendly contest of arms, but also of a number of others, who have either never joined in, or have for various reasons abandoned the sport. There are at these festivals usually some friends from La Crosse and Winona, and they are always cordially welcome, but others are not seriously missed.
Rifle clubs have been at odd times started at other places, but did never continue long enough to acquire any particular history.
We now come to the
SINGING SOCIETIES.
They do not depend upon any weapon for their practice or amusement, and do not waste any powder and lead. The cultiva- tion of one of the most precious gifts of nature and civilization to mankind, the gift of song, is the objeet of their association and of their meetings. That the members are jovial fellows and know how to enjoy life reasonably, and are always ready to contribute to the enjoyment of others, goes without saying. That they are almost exclusively Germans or Swiss by . birth or descent is equ- ally true, and that in their songs they are often prone to cherish the memory of their fatherland, will not detract from their char- acter of good, loyal and useful citizens of this country. We have a German rhyme, a piece of a whilom popular song which says:
"Where they sing you may tarry long, Bad men never love a song."
But they need neither apology nor recommendation from me.
Singing societies have a history of more than twenty-five years in this county. I would bespeak the one connected with the Buffalo City Turngemeinde, organized in 1859 as the first, but I think there was one at Fountain City at or before that date, pro- bably connected with the Turner society in the same way. All these societies have their ups and downs, for human enthusiasmus does not last forever, and there is a longing after variety in every human breast. One of the difficulties in this case is to find a suitable leader, somebody ambitious and patient, with just enough capacity for the work, a modicum of self-assurance and at the same time politeness and forbearance enough to conciliate the tardy and
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unskilful. If he does not get tired, some one else will, perhaps several of the choir, and one or the other of the four voices will be crippled or enfeebled, perhaps entirely missing. What is to be done in such a case but to wait until the elements become settled again? But for all that there is so much fascination about the endeavors, especially in the admiration of a public exhibition, when every thing goes as straight as a string. And so it happens that some of these societies have managed to exist for a long period, and do exist and flourish yet. Of these I intend to give as much of a history as I am able to, from documentary evidence and re- collection.
Concordia at Alma.
There may have been attempts at founding a singing society in this place before 1863, for I could name a few enthusiastic de- votees to this noble pursuit who were citizens of the place several years previous, but in that year the teacher of the public school, a Mr. Weisshaupt, became the leader and an organization was ef- fected. Mr. Weisshaupt was a Swiss and if I am not mistaken, came from a stock, that had already given evidence of particular fitness for the task he undertook. I am not informed of the num- ber of singers or active, nor of that of passive members, who did not sing. After Mr. Weisshaupt's departure I remember but one leader, who was also the teacher of the public school, Mr. Bubeck. Whatever may have been his faults, he was certainly an accom- plished musician, and fully qualified for his position in the Con- cordia. After him Hon. John A. Tester assumed the leadership, which he has held with a few intermissions ever since. The choir consisted of male voices only for a long time, but in after years, when the young ladies of the place had grown up, and some of them had acquired considerable skill and taste in music a so-called mixcd choir was organized, consisting of soprano and alto, which are female, and tenor and bass, which are male voices. The lea- dership of this choir was for some time divided between Mr. Tester and Dr. George Seiler, who also is a great enthusiast. In 1877 the Concordia underwent a total reorganization. A formal act of asso- ciation was entered into September 14th, and recorded in Vol. I of Corporations pages 35 and 36. Forthwith the building of a hall was undertaken, which was finished the same season and formally dedicated on the 2d day of December. It was a small unpreten-
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tious structure, which after a few years was considered insufficient and inconvenient, but the members of the society of that time will remember with pleasure, if not with regret, the good nature and sociable disposition of the entertainments held in it. But ambi- tion is never satisfied, and so a new hall was built, the little house sold to the schooldistrict for a Kindergarten, or rather a primary department. After it had been found too small and otherwise un- fit for that purpose, and after the building of the new schoolhouse was finished, it was sold to John Buehler, sr., and a basement story added thereto, and is now inhabited by Theodore Buehler, Esq.
During the winter of 1881-82 some members began to agitate for the building of a larger hall, which also meant an extension of the operations of the society in the direction of dramatical per- formances and other exhibitions, a consolidation with the Turner society, (though no such existed) and probably with the Shooting Society. As usual Mr. Chas. Schaettle, senior, was the moving spirit in the matter, and his views were extensive and liberal. It must be confessed that he was always liberal enough in the sup- port of this and almost every other society of the kind. Yet it can not be denied, that his calculations were always woefully short of actual expenses, and realization about as much short of his ex- pectations. Admitting the several defects of the old hall, the ques- tion is even now pertinent, whether it would not have been wiser to endure them a few years longer, than to go over head and heels into debt. The pretense of fostering German national customs and sociability by transplanting them into larger quarters has not by any means been realized. The financial condition of the so- cicty may be its own private affair, but to destroy the harmony among the members of a well organized and contented society by taking away its accustomed place of meeting, and offering a splen- did receptacle, in which no one feels at home, may still be open to advertence by those who were inembers before that event and might still be willing to do their share towards the pretended ob- ject of the society, if the old conditions had prevailed. The so- ciety was never intended to be a money-making institution, and as much as we admire the splendid financial talents of some men, we can not suppress a candid wish that they might be employed in some other enterprise, in which we wish them the most gratify- ing success. But to come back from reflection to facts and history
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it must be remembered that the extension of the quarters brought with them an extension of views and an elaboration of a new con- stitution. The building was raised in due time and dedicated during the month of December. There was a large attendance of citizens and visitors among the latter former members of the so- ciety. Everything was yet rather unfinished and it required still considerable sums for fitting up a suitable stage and rendering the lower story of the building habitable. The hall itself is actually a large one, and the several dependencies as bar-rooms, cloakroom, galleries, are convenient enough, and quite a crowd can be accom- modated and entertained. The stage is ample and acoustically well placed, which means that words spoken upon it can dis- tinctly be heard in any part of the hall. The objects of the society have been already referred to, and it is to be conceded that they are in general carried out as far as singing, instrumental music, theatricals and kindred performances are concerned. The male choir still exists, as also the mixed one, and their performances are always creditable, and sometimes exceptionally good. I am con- versant enough with the general workings of such institutions to appreciate thoroughly the manifold difficulties that have to be overcome by the director and instructor of the choirs, and the sac- rifices of time and comfort required of him and the other members . of the choirs, and those who are occasionally called upon for as- sistance. Their exertions are so much more disinterested, as they have to pay a monthly assessment of twenty-five cents, and at all performances in which they do not take any special part, have also to pay for admission. Of the financial success I can not say anything beyond what has been above indicated, as I am not a member of this society. At present there is a janitor with his family living in the lower story, and one of the large rooms has been fitted up as a supper room for the occasion of balls and festivals held by other societies in the building. The upper part, under the roof, which formerly served as a supper room is now fitted up as lodge rooms and occupied for meetings of the Knights of Pythias and the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic. The number of actual members is stated at 33, of which some are of the passive denomination. To give a list of the members of this society would require to do the same for every other society, which, requiring too much space, is out of the question; to name
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some and omit others might seem partial. Besides these consid- erations it must be remembered that absolute correctness is not very easily obtained, as I know now from experience. In the above sketch it was impossible to go into all the details and to record occurrences, which may have had a transient or individual inter- est, but which did not materially influence the general course of events. The next society in point of time and proximity of loca- tion is the
Arion, of Beef River Valley.
Its original organization may fall into nearly the same period as that of the Concordia, although I think that some of the older members of the Arion were at first, and at odd times members of the Concordia. It was at the time when I became a member of it in 1870, a numerous society, the members of which resided in the towns of Alma, Nelson and Belvidere, and some of them at the village of Alma. Its first recorded meeting was held in 1868.
The central point of interest was in Mill Creek, where the mectings for practice in singing were held every Sunday, if the weather permitted the assembling of a complete choir. The: locality of the meetings was sometimes the schoolhouse of Dis- trict No. 2 of the Town of Alma, sometimes the house of Jacob Wald, and sometimes in the open air in the neighborhood. These meetings were notable for the cordiality of intercourse among the members, and a general spirit of conviviality distinguished especi- ally the monthly meetings which were at that time held at the house of some member who had invited the society to a visit. This latter practice was after a while abandoned, but otherwise there were no preceptible changes in the meetings. At present the society is remarkable for the advanced age of some of the members, of whom J. Thomas Lanigga is 74, Jacob Leonhardy 74, and Jacob Wald over 61 years of age. A number of other members are over fifty and others very near to the half century station. There is also a number of younger members, who seems to enjoy the company of their seniors quite well. The old veterans named are still active members, and as enthusiastic as ever, and very frequently forget the failings of old age in their enthusiasm. The society is also remarkable for its adherence to popular songs, and its abstinence from attempts of producing more artificial pieces, thus avoiding those stilted performances, which are very
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seldom satisfactory, but are always a source of useless squander- ing of time, and often of dissatisfaction among the members. In a measure the society is compelled to this course, because of the comparatively small number of members and of meetings.
Another commendable feature of this society is the chance of the members to get good books from its library, which, however is not very extensive, and ought to be replenished. Considering that the members are all farmers, laborers and mechanics, for whom the only leisure time occurs on Sunday, it is truly surpris- ing that the society could so long exist and prosper. The singing is under the direction of Mr. Gottfried Huber since 1870 or before that time, and a very efficient and judicious director he is, beloved and respected by the members of the society. The number of members is 35, of whom twelve are active or singing members, though the choir sometimes inusters more than that many. What- ever inay be the cause, the very appearance of the choir of this · society has never failed to produce attention, and their perform- ance has always elicited the merited applause.
Somewhat similar in its tendency, but of a very much later and entirely different origin was the
Frohsinn Singing Society of Alma.
The members, of whom I certainly know every one personally and perhaps intimately were largely seceders from the Concordia, and it surprised me that the leading spirits were usually of those, who did not appear to be refractory, when in that society. There seems to have been no very close association, and when one of the leading members, Mr. Lutzi Meili was called by circumstances to other parts of the country, the society dissolved, probably in a formal way, and the books, musical in thier contents, were turned over to the Arion, the society next preceding. During its existence it was devoted to vocal and instrumental music, affording oppor- tunity of instruction to some, especially the younger, members.
Germania Society of Fountain City.
This society is a combination of the Turners, Sharpshooters and Singers of the place into one body, the principle of sociability underlying the combination. Reference to the Turners and Sharp- shooters will be found in the preceding parts of this chapter. The part to be treated of would then be the "Singing Society," or rather "Singing Section " of the Germania. But a few words about
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the origin and practical convenience of the combination are not out of place. As in other places, there existed the societies named above, each separate, but members of one were frequently mem- ber of one or both of the others, either active or passive. This was a somewhat embarassing position in some cases, and at any rate cost more than necessary, and it was easy enough to convince any one that by uniting expenses might be lessened and results made more satisfactory. Hence the three societies united, and, consisting almost entirely of Germans, naturally adopted the name of Ger- mania. This was done on the 26th day of May 1872, the 14th anniversary of the founding of the Turner Society. The society was incorporated September 14th, 1872.
It consists at present of 50 members, and Christ. Florin is the president, Chas. R. Bechmann Treasurer of it, the post of Secre- tary being temporarily vacant. I am not informed as to the do- ings of the Singing Section at present, but during the first ten years it seems to have been quite active.
Harmonia Singing Society of Fountain City.
What causes led to the founding of this organization in Nov- ember 1882, I am not informed of, but being acquainted with most of the members, and aware that they are still members of the Germania, it would seem that some dissatisfaction at either the conduct, or the neglect of the singing in the latter society was at the bottom of the new departure. I think that the 15 members of this new society are all enthusiastic devotees of the noble art, and know that they have made very creditable progress in it. Christ. Florin is the President and Henry Roettiger, jr., the Secre- tary of this society, which meets for practice about twice a week usually in Feigl's hall. J. L. Utermoehl was the instructor during his stay at Fountain City.
Harmonie, of Waumandee.
This society was organized aniong the Germans of the Wau- mandee Valley as early as 1861. It is supposed to be chartered, or to have been so, when Hon. C. Moser, jr., was a member of the Legislature, which was in 1868 and '69, but there seems to be some doubt about it. It holds meetings every first Sunday of each month. The purpose of this society is the entertainment and general mental improvement of the members, discussion of im- portant topics of local, political and general importance and
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interest. Those inclined to do so form a singing club, for their own amusement and for social purposes. It has a library of 321 volumes, containing works of most of the prominent German authors, especially of the past, a very commendable feature of any similar society. There are at present 20 menibers, but I think that formerly there were more. President is Charles Hohmann, Treasurer JohnFarner, Secretary and Librarian, Charles Kirchner. It is to be wished that similar societies were formed in every locality which affords an opportunity for it. They are not only of benefit for the present, but also for the rising generation, both by afford- ing a chance for instruction and by creating habits of reflection and mental recreation.
Frohsinn, of Lincoln.
This society was organized somewhat after the model of the next preceding one in 1877 and incorporated in 1878. A majority of the older members used to belong to the Harmonie, but as they all resided in the Little Waumandee Valley and could come to the meetings of that society only by traveling a distance of eight miles or more, they found it more advantageous to have a society of their own. They named it Frohsinn, which means merriment, hilarity, or good humor, things which never fail to be duly cultivated among the members, at their meetings. It must not, however, be supposed that they did not make preparations for serious things, as they have a small library containing some good books. At the time when Mr. Julius Otto resided in Little Waumandee the society contained a considerable singing club of which he was the director, so that during that time it might be considered a singing society. Since his removal to Alma this has changed, and a terni of languishing seems to have overcome the society. It contains at present 20 members. Franz Schieche is Secretary and Librarian.
Howard Library Association of Gilmanton.
Of this society I took occasion to speak in the chapter on Education, but have since sending that chapter to the printer received further or at least fuller information which is given as follows:
The founder of the association was Mr. Sidney Howard. It organized in 1866, has prosperously continued ever since, and counts 164 members, with a library of 1630 volumes. These are mostly standard works of science, travel and fiction, The condi-
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tions of membership are an age of at least 16 years and a recom- mendation from som other members. Points of management are: Quarterly meetings, and sale of the reading for ensuing quarter, and annual election of officers, who do not receive any compensa- tion for their services. For this information I am indebted to Mr. Alexander Lees, who has been for years, and is at present, the secretary and librarian of the association. Necessary repetition in this notice of what was said before will be pardoned.
PIONEER SOCIETIES.
They are sometimes called "Old Settlers' Clubs." It is very natural that those, who have born the hardships and deprivations of the original settlement, should feel kindly inclined towards each other, and like old soldiers, should feel a desire to fight over the battles in remembrance. Almost every neighborhood in our western country contains people of that sort, who in these better times remember those obstacles, which had to be, and are now, overcome, and also remember the neighborly feelings, which ex- isted when mutual dependence was more forcibly felt than now. It is for them a regular treat to gather those still surviving at a festival for the rehearsing of old time experiences, and to renew the old ties so often formed under circumstances of trial and ad- versity. Then, too, the ranks are sadly thinned and soon there will be none left of the old pioneers, who found a wilderness with- out roads and bridges, and to whose perseverance and indomit- able industry more than to anything else we owe the improve- ments of which we are apt to be proud, and which go so far to make our lives so easy and comfortable. Not that every thing is now perfect, but what a contrast to how it was thirty years ago!
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