, 1869-02-07
TIE BELLS OF MOSCOW.
The Holy C1sy-Tne Grsar BeI1-Tn,
Ivan 2ower-muslc Of the Nslis. cts

the foot Of the Ivan Tower, In the Errmlin ri
MOSCOW. supported By pedestal Of stoue, Is
| The li!gest that ever was in The world. q
Piece Is broken out Of It's aide and The fras-
ts 70 great-lt is twenty feet acroa5-ihat The
CAVITY underneath has been used Is a chapel.
wherc as many people c4n stand as in a cir.
Gle sixty feet around.
In Russia the bell Is an Instrument Of music
1or the rstlp OF God rs truly and really "a
the organ In auY o.tc1 country. This lact i
rot mentioned In the accounts We have Of the
wonderful, ecormous, and almost Incredibly
heivy oElls that have bern cast in Mosco +.
but i IS the ksy to what It would otherxisc
be difficult 10 explain It 4ppea1s bound 10
csst bells so large a. to be next to impossible
FIR conycn!tnt use, In danger always Of is,l-
ing and dla -giug Others to ruln in their fall.
But when the bells I. 4 means-of coulmuntca-
tiou with the Infinite, and the worship Of a
people and an empire ands expires sion il the
majestic tones Of bell, 1t ceases 10 be Won
der that lreu should Lare tongue which
requires tWeuty.four men to move, aud whose
music should stnd thrill Of praise into every
house IN the city and 1oat AWAY beyoud the
dycr into the plains alar.
Moscow 5 the holy city Of the Greek
Church: Pilgrims came Aliher from thou
sands Of miles OF, and on foot, and s3mo-
times without snots. I have seen them, With
slaves 10 their hnnds aud travel worn feet
wound up u: cloths, vending tLeir way to
me sacred hills. And VIXEN they draw nigh
uato Q, the st I'D on the evening air tue au
they iall upon tacr faces, PROSTATE and woT.
shtp God. If they could 20 no iursher. they
would be content to die there, tor they Lave
heard the bells OF Moscow, and on thelr ma.
les1lc tones Their souls have been taken up 10
heaven! This Is the sentiment OF the super
sttlous peas mt, aud Il is beautiful eaati.
ment-ldeal Indeed. but all the more dclicate
and exalted.
As long a Ave hundred years ago, this
casting Of bells was an art In KussIa. II is
one u the inc arts now. Perhaps our great
hell founders, the AeaeelYs, will not admit
that the foundera ,hr1e have any uorc skijl
IN thelf MAuufncsuEo than We hare, and au
not tu,e that their bells have any tones moro
exquisite than ours woulh haze u va would
put Us much silver and gold inta our bell
metal u, as thcy do. But 50 long as the pre-.
u.tlc or none Of them viii 6od it, wsy into
our church bells. We have not the mistaken
Idea OF the Russians IS 10 the use Of bell.
we use It 10 call the people to the house Of
Eorahlp: They use the bell for worship.
Cus bells speak TO us. Their bells praise
God. Thcy cast their silver and their gold
Into the mo.teu mass, and It become; an
Offering, y on an altar. to Him who Is Eor-
shipped With every slvery note and golden
tone Of the holy bell.
This one great bell is the growth Of ceptu-
ries: rle M In l5E Il was cast, and weighed only
1864, beng increased 10 the astonishing
weight Of eS9 90 pounds. Thls wus too vast
weight to be taken up to the top OF the
tower, aud i was sustained by frame at the
foot oft. In 1900 1t feel In another fro tud
on the ground about thirty years, It whs H.
cast In 1!3S, md four years afterwards a
piece was knocked ont Of the side Of 1t. and
4 has been standing hero on the ground more
than half century. It weighs HI, l,ooo
pounds r. the tniekest part 1t is two feet
Emperor and Empress, Of the Savior aud the
Virgin Mary, aud the ESauveslsts.
Ascending the Ivan ToTee, we find on three
successive stories bells to the number of
thhty-iour:: Some Of these are of size to
oil one with a4toni.hmcnt had he not seen
the gisnt below. Thc largest Is on the ffst
story above the chapel, aud weighs more
than sixty tens. Ii eElnes freely aud il
easily swuuc. smote It With the palm OF
mT hand. suppostne that such blow could
not produce the slightest vibration In such
mighty ma Of lran, but It Eung out rs ctcar
aud startling as II spirit within had re-.
sponded to my knock without. Two belts
are Of solid silver, and their tones arc Il.
quis1tely soft, liquid ana pure. It was ex-
citing 10 70 from one to another and strike
theM With their toogues or with your hand,
nna eaten me variety and richness Of their
The chapel below Ia dedicated to tho patron
saint Of all ladies' about to be married, and il
may be readily believed that tho bell tuat
gives expression to their prayers will have,
A. A. .ss s,s 70 .hs = =sar the sweetest tones ali
had TO come down from the Ercmlin to nv
lods lnEs at BEloit's, and, wea1icd with the
wandertDge Of tho day, Was lyfog on the bed
and looking ont on the city. It,s Just before
sunset, and The day has been oppressfrciY
west Is bathing oil the domes ana roofs with
splendid colors, and silence Is stealing in
with the setting sun upon the crowded town.
II Il the erco one Of their most holy festivals
81 the Church. One vast church edlicc is
directly IN view Of ny w1ndow aud bat q
church al hand comes the sostest, swectest
tone responds. a third Is heard.
The 1ran Tower On the height OF the Krcm-
lin utters Ills tremendous voice, like tho
yoice Of many Waters. And al the churches
cred bells, aud more, In concert, Ia ha1monr
with notes almost dlvine,n lift up Their
Voices In IN anthem OF praise, such A. never
thoueht 10 hear With mortal ears waves Of
melody, ~ ocean Of music, deep, rolling,
soundlng;T overwhelming; txaltlng. i bad
hearaE1hc great ortQaaa or Europe, but they
were tame and I1ininS compared With this.
lhe anthem Of nature at Niagara Is familiar
10 my car, hut !ts thunder Is one great mon
otonc. THO musfc Of Moscow's bells Is above
and beyond them al. It is the roIce Of the
people. It uttezs tho emotions Of millions OF
loving. beating, longing hearts, not culIqht-
eued, perhaps, like yours; but ill crying ont
to The Great Father, in these solemn and Iu-
spIing tones, as L these tongues had voices
TO cry: "aolT, holy, Holy Lord God Al
mighty, Heaven AID Earth are lnli Of INV
glory"