Mrs. Butler's generous gift of a clock and chimes for the tower of Edmund Hayes Hall adds the crowning touch to that stately building. But it does something more. It creates a new environment for the University, and for all who dwell near its Campus. Bells speak a language more immediate and more forcible than words. No one can resist their appeal which is direst to our deepest emotions.
Bells are and always have been peculiarly associated with the life of universities.
They contribute the most pervasive and the most characteristic element of the university atmosphere. They color the lives and thoughts of the students while they are students. Afterwards the most cherished memories of youth are linked with their sound. They come to symbolize the university not only to students and alumni, but to all who live within hearing. No gift that the university could receive would add more to the quality and significance of its spiritual life.