The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-02-22
Bell.Making and BeIl.RInrine.


In twelve centuries Of bell-maxing It.
is natural that some bells of moment
should have been cast. Moscow pos
sesses the heaviest bell In the world, the
tMonarch," weighing 1913 tons and
worth simply for bell metal $3.50, 200. 1t
has never rung 9 stroke, having been
cracked In the casting, and now forms
the dome of small chapel built be-
meath it. Another in st. Ivau's Church
(Moscow) has weight of fifty-seven
tons. There Is bell in Pekin, China,
weighing fifty-three tons. The great
The bell of st. Paul's, London, has quite
o history. 1t was originally cast in the
reign OF Edward l., and hung at West
minister Abbey to give the hour to the
judges. william fI. gave it to St.
Paul's, and on New Years Day, 1899, it
sounded its first peal from that venera-
bic pile. 1t has since been twice recast
with additional metal. This bell tolls
only on the death of some member of
the royal family, or of the Bishop of
London, the Dean of st. Paul's, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, and the
lord Mayor of London.
Great Tom, of Oxford, is another
notable bell. IL was cast for the great
monastery of Oseney in the suburbs of
Oxford. About the year 1850 Robert
King, the last Abbott of Oseney, be-
slowed it on Oxford. 1t was hung over
the gateway of Christ Church, and gives
101 strokes daily at p. m. in honor of
the 101 gentlemen who have bestowed
scholarships on the institution. OF all
MEDIEVAL institutions bells alone seem
to retain their hold on modern times.
In the thousand rural parishes of Eng
land at the present day the bell is as
necessary and as much venerated as the
church itself. It marks the fight of the
hours, rings in the new year, speeds the
old, announces the heir to the great es-
tate, graces marriage, feast, and festi-
val, knells the dead tolls for fast and
funeral, and becomes part of the life
of the people. When the old parish
peal becomes cracked, however, there is
short shrift for it; an order is at once
sent up to4London for a new peal. Then
the wardens and vestrymen explore the
old ivy covered tower, undisturbed for
q century, perhaps, clear out the dust
and rubbish, and make sure that its
timbers are sound and able to bear the
weight of the new monsters. When the
bells are announced as being at the sta
ton, perhaps.two. OF three miles away,
the wardens are deputed to escort them
to town, and grand reception Is deter
mined on. Ao English clergyman,
writing generation ago, thus describes
the custom observed: "Two wagons,
each decorated with evergreens and
drawn by teams of gray horses bedecked
with ribbons, set out for the bells, re-
turning with them in the afternoon.
Shouts of the multitude greet their ar
rival, and at the ancient public house on
the green the procession comes Ia q
stand. Then commences the profane
christening. In the largest bell, inverted
for the purpose, mine host mixes a mot
ley compound of beer, rum, and the
like, which isliberally distributed among
the good-humored company. In the
treble the ben founders representative
has o more delicate mixture from which
to offer libation to more distinguished
guests. In this way the festival proceeds
with much good humor and merry
making, and when the bells are empty
they ascend to their lofty settlement
with the hearty aid and good wishes of
the people"
Bell-ringing, little cultivated in
America, has become one of the fine arts
in England aud on the Continent.
Belgium and the Low Countries lead in
the science. Nearly every church tower
there is furnished with carlton of
from thirty to sixty bells. The carlton
Is played by means of keys (something
Ike those Of pianoforte, but larger)
and pedals, which are attached to the
bell-clappers by bands or rods. The
bells carry complete series or scales
of tones or semi-tones, and in playing,
both the hands and feet of the perfor M
er are employed. The music is very
sweet and sprightly, and floating down
from the towers salutes the traveller at
every hour of the day with concord of
sweet sounds. In England, a genera
ton ago, the peal was almost the only
form of bell-ringing practiced. Eight
bells form a perfect peal, although
twelve are frequently employed Each
bell is 50 pitched, beginning with the
largest and tenor bell, that the tones
follow one another in diatonic success
sion. Each bell had its ringer, usually
stout lusty young man, who had not
only to give his bell firm and distinct
utterance, but must ring in harmony
with his fellows. Ringing the changes
on eight bells was regarded as the acme
of the profession. BY transposing q
tone, at each revolution of the peal, it
Is evident that an infinite variety of
changes can be rung on peal of bells.
Three bells, for instance, would give US
six changes; four bells, four times
as many, or twenty-four; five bells, one
hundred and twenty; and twelve bells,
479, ,001 ,600.. 1t has been estimated
that ninety-one years would be required
to ring all the changes on a peal of
twelve bells, allowing two strokes per
second. The modern chime is much
like the ancient peal, except that the
bells are struck by mea>ure of keys
commencing with the clapper as in the
carillon.-Cor. ~. Y. EUening Post.