The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-07-20
THE NINE O'CLOCK BELL.

THE NINE O'CLOCK BELL.
Ii is beautiful custom which prevails, In
many towns and villages in New England.
this ringing of the church bells ut the good
wholesome hour of nine o'clock in the eve
ming. Ii is an observance, too, sanctioned
by time honorcd uslgs,-handed down to us
by our puritan iathers,-redolent OF antiqui-
ty, and of those good old days when people
went TO rest betimes, slept soundly and sweet
ly upon hard beds, and arose with the sun,
or the larks, ifyou please.
There is to us something inexprcssibly
pleasant in this ringing of the bell at nine
o'clock, and we never pass night in strange
village, but we ieel moro mt homo in it-nOre
tranquil and fitted for repose, IL We chance
to hear Mt the usual time some faithful s.nti-
mel in u. ncishboring stccplc. sending forth
its evening chino. There is more than We
think in the power Of carly associations We
never forgot the mellow tones of the church
bell which graccd the bclfry Of the village
church i'm our native hamlet. Its cadences
will ever and anon sound in our ears all our
lives long, though many drcary miles of land
or sea make gulf between us and our early
home.
Who has not some particular bell in his
memory, which to his bOyish eyes seemed the
largest bell upon earth? What an interest
it had in his eyes! How he watched with
cagerness for its ringing, and with what a
feeling of curiosity, mingled with awe, he
mounted for the first time, the rickety stair
case, wound his way up through the uniur.
nished garrct, and stood face to face with the
object of his admiration; or looked down
from tho dizzy height upon mother earth far
below, and the blue hills in the distance,
standing up like armed sentinels against the
sky. What variety Of cadences the old
bell possessed! On gala.days 1t rang mcr-
~ peal, and the child's heart lcapcd with joy.
On the Sabbath its tones were more solemn
and majestic, according well with the solem.
nity of the day, and seeming to say to oil
within the sound of its voitc, F" this Is none
other than the house Of -prsycs, the very gate
of heayen;" but when 1t tolled the knell OF
departed soul, the tones were sad and
mourniul, dying away upon the air with q
tremulous sound, like mourner's sob.
We have read that the travellers in for.
eign lands with the broad ocean rolling be-
tween them and home, have sometimes awak-
ened at night, and seemed to hear the church
bells ringing in their homes beyond the sea,
and so real did 1t seem to them, that it was
difficult to dispel the illusion, If such 1t be.
May it not be possible that in certain pecu-
liar states Of the mind-that wonderful crea-
ton of divine hand the faculties become
so acute, 30 intensified, the delicate nerves Of
sensation so enhanced in power, that time
and space are annihilated, and We are borne
OH the wings Of the wind as 1t were, very
ncar our home and friends. II was not all
an illusion, when the heroine Of that most
delightful novel-Jane Eyre-seemed to hear
the voice Of Rochester calling to her in the
darkness. Who has not in his own expert
ence known instances similar to this, Of those
who heard voices in the night-watches, and
gained courage thereby?
" Touched Gods right hand in that darkness,
And were lifted up and strengthened"
One need not 90 to the city for sweet-ton-
ed, musical bells. In many Of the rural viii
lagos Of the north country, we may hear as
rich, full tones,-as harmonious cadenccs as
ever fell upon the listening mir of evening
from cathedral dome or lofty church-spirc.
Ii is after all the associations, the memories
awakened, that render the tones of even u
diminutivc bell more majestic and soul.mor-
in. than organ music to our cars.
We recolect one bell in an obscure coun-
try village who's, mellow tones will live for
ever in our heart. In the clear evenings of
midsummer, as the shadows deepcncd along
the landscape, and the stars peeped out one
by one in the infinite meadows OF heaven"
its clear. slvery tones might be heard echo
ing among the hills, proclaimins the hour
of nine o'clock, and saying not inaudibly to
all the dwellcrs round about, I" The night
comcth; sleep on now and take your rest,
for all is well'!" 1t is impossible to describe
the tranquilizing influence its tones exerted,
-thc happy recollcctions II awakened in the
hearts Of those who nightly listened to its
welcome music. At such time. under the
clear sky Of midsummer night,
The friendships old and the early loves
Come back with Sabbath sound rs Of doves
In quiet neighborhoods."
Let us cherish with feeling akin to yene-
ration anything that tends to occasionally
separate us from the busy toll Of life's bat
tle-sooth and calm our troubled spirits, and
6t us for repose! Long may It DO before the
time hallowed customs die out In New Eng
land, which sets the church bells a ringing
at the good hour of nine o'clock, for with 1t
would vanish one Of the most valued associ-
ations of childhood.
"we may build more splendid habitations,
Fill our rooms with paintings and with sculp-
turvs, but We cannot
Buy with gold the old associations"