Clum, E. H.

CLUM

Posted By: Mary H. Cochrane, Volunteer
Date: 6/29/2019 at 07:50:22

E. H. CLUM

Musical interest has been synonymous with the development of Lamoni, and musical activity was at high tide with the turn of the century. There was little to do here in those days in the way of entertainment. Outside of an occasional lyceum number or a traveling stock company holding forth in the local “opera hall,” about the only thing in the way of entertainment was provided by home talent. And here the musically minded found outlet for their abilities, much to their own enjoyment as well as doing a large share of the entertaining of the populace as a whole.

When we think of the musical activities of that period, no name stands out more prominently than that of E. H. Clum. Most everyone called him Elgie, but many of the fellows his own age made it shorter than that – with them he was simply “Foot.” He was small of stature, slender and but little over five feet tall, wore a small dark mustache, parted his hair in the middle and was a snappy dresser – always looking immaculate and well groomed as though he had just stepped out of the proverbial bandbox.

He played in the orchestra, was leader of the band and mandolin club and held a prominent place in all the musical activities of the community. He was a tailor by trade but a musician at heart, and in his love for music it was easy for him to drop his needle and thread most any moment of the day if he could participate in some form of musical activity or talk music to some aspiring youngster desirous of beginning a musical career. It was in such an atmosphere that he and I had our first contacts.

I will never forget that day when with the five-dollar mandolin tucked under my arm I marched up the stairs and into his tailor shop to take my first music lesson. During this lesson and those which subsequently followed I was impressed by his musical knowledge and ability, and also by the intense interest he exhibited in my advancement. And there I resolved that I would be a musician – like Elgie Clum. Customers who came to the shop seeking solutions to their tailoring problems while he was employed in giving music lessons received courteous, though brief, attention, and if some of the regular gang who made his shop a loafing place put in appearance, they were immediately ejected and the door securely locked to prevent further interruption. It would seem that this sort of attitude would be detrimental to his tailoring business, but evidently his customers seemed to understand the situation and made the necessary allowances, for his services as a tailor were in demand. He turned out many suits of clothes and most of the best dressed men in Lamoni of those days wore clothes made by E. H. Clum.

I had been taking lessons but a short time when he organized a group of youngsters of about my age into a mandolin club, and with the passing of a few months we began making public appearances.

Our regular schedule of practice called for one rehearsal a week, but it was nothing unusual for a few members to congregate in the tailorshop most any time of day or evening, and at such times instruments were brought out from corners, under tables, or from the tops of cupboards, and “jam” sessions were almost perpetual.

This did not seem to be in the least displeasing to our instructor and often he would lay aside his work and join us in these spontaneous rehearsals, correcting our mistakes and helping us to obtain a better knowledge of the things we were trying to accomplish. For all this and other instruction and direction he gave us as a group, he received not one cent by way of remuneration – did not to my knowledge intimate that there should b any, in fact he seemed to get as much enjoyment out of it as any of us, and that seemed to be all he desired.

Under such leadership and intensive practice the mandolin club made rapid progress and soon became one of the town's most active musical organizations, appearing upon numerous local programs and creating quite a favorable impression at home and also in some of the surrounding towns. It was about this time that our director arranged to take the group to our county seat to furnish music for one of the outstanding festivities given in Leon that season.

The railroad train was the preferred method of transportation at that time for a trip of that distance, and to travel in that manner necessitated remaining there over night. The musical activities engaged in were highly successful, but attempting to manage about a dozen youngsters lodged in adjoining rooms in a hotel was altogether another proposition, and this one night's housing of this mischievous group was probably more damaging to rooms and fixtures than many nights of occupation by the traveling public. The manager of the hotel was very nice about it all, however, and the cost was not so excessive but that most of the fellows could laugh it off.

In spite of this little difficulty, however, this was an outstanding trip for many of us. Here some of the group had their first experience with indoor toilets – those old-style ones, with the tanks located high up toward the ceiling, that sounded like the rush of Niagra when they were flushed. I think there are plenty of youngsters today who would be frightened if they flushed one of them, so what of a youngster who had no knowledge even of the function of such a contraption and who happened to pull the chain only through accident? It was on this trip, too, that we saw our first automobile. After running a block or more we obtained only a fleeting glimpse of it as it turned the corner – a small red contraption that made a noise similar to a badly worn mowing machine and which stirred up a cloud of dust and smoke heavily laden with the fumes of burning oil and gasoline.

Business and other interest took E. H. Clum from Lamoni a short time later, but the musical influence he exerted over this community has never departed. All the old timers remember him, and many of them treasure the memories of his friendship and the valuable musical instruction he imparted to them, nor will they forget the musical heritage he bequeathed this community. Many of the youngsters of this generation who probably never heard his name are unconsciously sharing in the heritage through training and inspiration that has been handed down through others who gained their knowledge from this source.

If there are such things as guardian spirits, then you may be sure the spirit of Elgie Clum is still hovering close to the musical activities of Lamoni – he would ask no greater privilege. It is a distinct honor and pleasure for me, one of his pupils, to bring you this brief glimpse of one so unassuming and generous, who gave so freely of his talent in the development of an activity that through the years has meant so much to the community and has played so prominent a part in Lamoni's passing parade.