DRUIDS, ORDERS OF, various social and benevolent organizations on the masonic plan, widely distributed in England, Australia, and the United States. The first order was formed in London, 1781; the first lodge in New York was organized 1833. In this country, o degrees have been added to the entrance degree; degrees have been instituted in England also. There are probably 125,000 members in all the world, of which more than 50,000 are in England, and perhaps 20,000 in the United States. In this country there were, 1870, about 150 " groves,' of which number about two thirds were mainly of German membership.
DRUM (druim), a Celtic word meaning the back, and applied to a ridge of hills, enters into the composition of many places, especially in Ireland, as Drum condra, Drumglass, Drumsheugh.
DRUM (Gr. trommel; Fr. modification of tabour; timbrel and tambourine are other forms of the word tabour or tambour), a hollow cylinder of wood or metal, having skin (parchment) stretched across one or both ends, upon which the drummer beats with an instrument of wood or metal called a drumstick. The drum is used as an
instrument of music along with other instruments in bands, and particularly for mili tary purposes. The military drum serves for giving various signals as well as for music. There are three kinds of drum—the side drum, the big or base drum, and the kettle drum. Since 1858, the British infantry are supplied with brass side drums, 3 lbs. lighter than those formerly in use, and tuned with screws instead of straps and ropes. The cavalry drum is a copper or brass hemisphere, thus resembling a kettle, with a parchment lid. The big drum has both ends covered with parchment. The ancient Romans used small hand-drums—some resembling tambourines, others kettle-drums—in their religious dances; and the Parthians are said to have used them in war to give signals. They are believed to have been first brought into western Europe by the crusaders.