Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-12-27
THE BELLS OF MOSCOW.
The Holy Ciiy-The Great Bell
The Ivan Tower.


Kremlin Of Moscow, supported by 4
pedestal of stone, is the largest bell in
the world, and probably the largest that !
ever was in the world. A piece IS broken
out of its side, and the fragment is "
ing near. The breadth Of the bell IS so /
great-it is twenty feet aeross-that the
cavity underneath has been used as a
chapel, where MS many people can stand I
as in a circle sixty feet around.
In Russia the bell is an instrument OF
music for the worship of God as truly
and really as the organ III any other
country This fact is not mentioned IN
the accounts We have of the wonderful,
enormous, and almost incredibly heavy
bells that have been cast in Moscow, but
it is the key to what would otherwise be
difficult to explain. 1t appears absurd
TO cast bells so large as to be next to
impossible for convenient use, in danger
always of falling and dragging others TO
ruin in their fall But when the bell IS
medium of communication with the
Infinite, and the worship of people and
an empire finds expression in the majes-
tic tones of a bell, it ceases to be won
der that a bell should have tongue
which requires twenty -four men to move,
and whose music should send thrill OF
praise into every house in the city and
float away beyond the river into the
plains afar.
Moscow is the holy city Of the Greek
Church. Pilgrims come hither from
thousands of miles off; and on foot, and
sometimes without shoes. l have seen
them. with slaves in their hand, and
their trayel-worn feet wound up in
cloths. vending their way to the sacred
hill. And when they draw nigh unto
the city. and on the evening air the
music Of these holy bells is first borne
to their ears, they fall on their faces,
PROSTATE. and Worship God. If they
conld 90 no further, they would be
content to die there, for they have heard
the bells of Moeow, and on their majss-
tic tones their buls have been taken up
to heaven This is the sentiment of the
superstitious piasant, and it is a beautl-
fui sentiment, ideal indeed, but all the
more delicate and exalted.
As long IS five hundred years ago,
tbis casting of bells was an art IN Russia.
1t Is one Of the finest arts now, Perhaps
our great bell founders, the Meneelys,
will not admit that the founders there
have any more skill in their manuiae'
ture than we have, and l am not sure
that their bells have any tone more ex-
ouisite than ours would have if we would
mt as much silver and gold into our
| bell-metal as they do. But SO long as
those precious metals are at the present
premium little or none of them will find
| It's way into our church bells. We have
not the mistaken idea of the Russian as
to the use of bdl. We use 1t to call
the people to the house OF worship.
They use the bell for worship. Our
| hell: sneak to Is. Their bells praise
| God. They cast their silver and their
cold into the molten mass, and 1t be-
comes an offering, as on an altar, to linn
who is worshipped with every silver note
and golden tone of the holy bell.
This one g-eat bell is the growth o.
centuries In 1858 it was cast, and
weighed only $4,000 pounds. It fell II
a FIRE and was recast in 16J4, being IN
creased to theastonishing weightot Zss,
600 noupds. This was too vast a weight t
be taken up to the top-Of the tower, anC
il was sustained by frame at the foo
of IL In 1906 it fell in another fire an'
was broken into fragments, which la.
there on the ground about thirty years
II was recast IN 1873, and four year
afterwards piece was Knocked out 0
the side of it, and it has been stanoIn:
here on the ground more than century
: II weighs 4l4,O00 pounds IN tn
! thickest part it is two feet through.
!, has relief pictures on it of the Emper,o
and Empress. of the Savior and tn
Virgin Mary, and the Evangelists
Ascending the Ivan tower, we I'M
: three successive stories, bells to thenum
her of thirty-four. Some of these al
) of a size to fill one with astonlshmel
{ had he not seen the giant below. ~
LARGEST is on the first story above ii
g chapel and weighs more than sixty ton
:, = 1t swings freely and is easily rnng.
. smote it With the palm of my hand Ful
= posing that such blow could not-Pr
?, duce the slightest vibration IN such
=, miohty mass of iron, but it rung out
clear and startling as if a spirit with
80 had responded to my knock wlthou
= Two bells are of solid silver and the
:. y tones are exquisitely soft, liquid az
af pure. It was exciting to 60 from one.
- - another and strike them with the
y ie tongues. or with your hand, and ca''
10 the variety and richness Of thei7 srSoi
ve melodies.
IS. The chapel below is dedicated 10 I
patrm saint of all ladies about to
pnarr;cd and it may be readily beliey
tbat she bell that gives expression
+ tIeir prayers will have, at least to th'
ears, the sweetest tone of all the bells
A Moscow.
on had come down from the Kremlin
ly nv lodgings at Billots, and, wear
Sc with the wanderings Of the day, v
er living ON the bed and looking out on
Sc c;tv It's lust before sunset, and
lst day has been 0ppressively warm.
les delicious glow from the gorgeous west
le- bathing all the domes and roofs "
to snlepdid colors, and silence is steall
rat IN with the setting sun upon the GROVE
~ town. 1t is the eve of one of their m
ses holy festivals Of the church. One V
le- church edifce is directly in view Of
m window and but a short way off A
are lie musing, from this church at ha
xi- comes the softest, sweetest tone OF
M evening bell. Another tone respor
an A third is heard. The Ivan tower
les the height of the. Kremlin utters
3D. tremendous voice, like the voice Of nj
waters. And all the. churches
i've towers over the whole city, four hund
US bells. and more, in concert, in. harmo
to with notes almost divine" lift up Il
the voices in an anthem of praise, such
des never thought to hear with mortal e'
yho waves Of melody, an ocean of mu
her deep. rolling, heaving, changing, sw
fire. ING sinking, rising, sounding, o
and whelming, exalting | had heard
itch great organs Of Europe, but they '
,ere tame and trihing compared with I
half The anthem Of Nature at Niagara
It familiar to my ear, but its thunde
In one great monontone. The music
ion Moscows bells is above and hey