The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-01-21
The Bclls OF MOSCOW.

AoA n Vooctes' nus tue tAOiioWtbS aricie on
''The Bellsof Moscow"
At the footof the Ivan Tower, in the Krem-
lin OF Moscow, supported by the pedestal
OF stone, is the largest bell in the world,
and probably the largest that ever was in the
the fragment is lying near. The breadth of
the bell is 80 great-it is twenty feet across
that the cavity underneath has been used
as chapel, where as many people can stand
as In n circle sixty feet around.
In Russia the bell is m instrument Of
music for the worship Of God MS truly and
really as the organ in any other country.
This fact is not mentioned i'll the accounts
we have ct 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 to be stupid to cast bells so large
as to be next to impossible for convenient
use, in danger always of falling and drag
ging others to ruin in their fall. But when
the bell is q medium of communication with
the Infinite, and the worship of a people
and an empire finds expression in the ma
jestic tones of bell, it ceases to be won
der that bell should have tongue which
requires twenty-four men to move. and
whose music should send q thrill of
praise into every house in the city and float
away OoJOuu Guo luCO GuS plhlu$ dIuT.
Moscow is the holy city of the Greek
Church. Pilgrims come hither from thou
sands of miles of, and on foot, and some
times without shoes. I have seen them,
with slaves in their hands, and their travel
worn afeet wound up in cloths, vending
their way to the sacred hill And when
they draw nigh unto the city, and on the
evening air music of these holy bells is first
borne to their ears, they fall upon their
faces, prostrate, 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 maj sstic tones
their souls have been taken up to Heaven!
This is the sentiment of the superstitious
peasant, and it is beautiful sentiment,
ideal indeed, but all the more delicate and
exalted.
AS long as 500 years ago this casting of
bells was au art in Rnssin 1t is one of the
fine arts now. Perhaps our grent bell
founders. the Mencelys, will not admit that
the founders there have any more skill in
their manufacture than we have, and I am
not sure that their bells have any tones
more exquisite than ours would have if we
would put rs much silver and gold into our
bell metal they do. But SO long as
these precious metals are at the present pre-
MUM, little or none of them will find its
way into our church bells. We have not
the mistaken idea of the Russians as to the
use OF bell. We use it to call the people
to the house of worship. They use the
bell for worship. Our bells speak to u.s.
Their bells praise God. They cast their
silver and their gold into the molten mass,
and it becomes Al offering, as on an altar
to Him, who is worshipped with every sill
This one great bell is the growth of cen
turies. In 1858 it was cast, and weighed
only $4,000 pounds. It fell in O fire, and
was re-cast in 1864. being increased to the
weight of 2S8, 900 pounds. This
was too vast a weight to be taken up to the
top of the tower, and it was sustained by a
frame at the foot of it. In 17O6, it fell in
another fire, and was broken into fragments
which lay there on the ground about thirty
years. 1t was re-cast in 1735, and four
years afterward piece was knocked out of
the side of it, and it has been standing here
on the ground more than century. It
weighs 444, 900 pounds! In the thickest part
it is two feet through. It has relief pictures
on it of the Emperor and Empress; of the
Saviour and the Virgin Mary, and the Evan
gelists.
Ascending the Ivan tower, we find on
three successive stories, bells to the number
of thirty-four. Some of these are of a size
to fill one with astonishment, had he not
seen the giant below. The largest is on the
first story above the chapel, and weighs
more than sixty tons. It swings freely and
is easily rung. 1 smote it with the palm of
my hand, supposing that such blow could
pot produce the slightest vibration in such
q mighty mass of iron. but it rung out as
clear and startling as if a spirit within had
responded to my knock without. Two bells
are of solid silver, and their tones are ex-
quisitely soft, liquid and.pure. 1t was excit-
ing to go from one to another and strike
them with their tongues, or with your
hand, and catch the variety and richness of
their several melodies.
The chapel below is dedicated to the