Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-12-31
From the N, Y. Observer.
The Bells of Moscow.


At the foot ofthe Ivan tower, ir
the Kremlin of Moscow, supported
by 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 lying near
The breadth Of the bell is so great
lit is twenty feet across-that the
cavity underneath has been used as
chapel, where as many people can
; stand as i'll a circle sixty feet
around. (
In Russia the bell is an instru-
ment of music for the worship of
God as truly and really as the organ
in 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 9th
erwise be difficult to explain. 1t
appears absurd to cast bells so large
as to be next to impossible for con-
venient use, in danger always of
falling and dragging Others to ruin
in their fall, But when the bell is
a medium of communication with
the Infinite, and the worship of a
people and an empire finds express
sion in the majestic tones of bell,
it ceases to be a wonder that a bell
should have a tonguewhich requires
twenty-four men to move, and
whose music should senda thrill of
praise into every house in the city,
and float away beyond the river in
to the plains afar.
Moscow is the holy city of the
Greek Church. Pilgrims come
hither ftom thousands of miles off,
and on foot, and sometimes without
shoes. 1 have seen them, with
slaves in their hands, and their
travel-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
upon their faces, PROSTATE, and
worship God. If they could go no
further, they would be content to
die there, for they have heard the
bells of Moscow, and on their ma
jestic tones their souls have been
taken up to heaven This is the
sentiment of the superstitious peas
ant, and it is beautiful sentiment,
ideal indeed, but all the more deli
cate and exalted.
Aslong as five hundred years ago
this casting Of bells wasaan ART in
Russia. 1t is one Of the fine arts
now, Perhaps our great bell foun-
ders, the Meneelys, will not admit
that the founders there have any
more skillin their manufacture than
we have and l am not sure that their
bells have any tones more exquisite
than ours aooald have if we would |
put as much silver and gold into
cur bell. metal as they do. But, SO
long as these precious metals are
at the present premium little or
none of them VII find its way INTO
our church bells we have nstthe
mistaken idea OF the Russian as to
the use Of q bell we use IT TO ealI
the people to the house Of worship
rTiL -. ~. = Al, lolI R,,,, ,,.1, NJ II, o. 1E,,.
They use the PEI pellll for worship yS p : tVl|qqr Vqqr
bells bells speak TO US. Sins llhelIr Y pens spFaisse
SGD, They cast their silver and
gold into the molten mass,,GSandit +
becomes an offering, as on an I.7 a7lttsar, ltts
to Him Him VINO 1t'ii ls Worshlpped WIN " ne eY
ory silyery note l1 and t,gl golden dLelFe tone of
the boly bell. g a'aofyo ., 99i 10 ,'. .. b,
" This one great bell. is the growth
of centuries. In 1858 it was cast
and weighed only $4,000 pounds
1t fell in a fire and Wasreacast In