Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-09-04
Is TIE BELL a aUIsANoE 2

An Eastern man, with means at COM
mand, proposes 20 inangurate legal war
fare upon the ringing of church bells in
crowded cities as unusual hours. That he
may succeed the majority OF people will
sincerely hope. There ia a good deal of
the poetry and romance Of tradition still
olipgipg about the tonea from the lofty
belfry 4 vast deal Of song and story, Of
holy recital and of stirring anecdote of war,
and of coursge snd of maTtYrdom, is re-
lated to the bell, snd the church tower
where It swings. Bat in this day, with
the passing away Of the necessity for bells
as calls to prayer or the ringing backward
of the chimes SIS sIarms in tirues of peril
from foes, the reason for the use of the
tower bell has ceased. Ia one State OF the
Union a high Court has already held that
the ringing Of large church bell to cali
fifty OF more 60 prayer. which disturbs the
needed slumbars OF thousands, is nui.
sance In that case it was clearly estsb.
hshed that lives Of tie sick had been Sac
rifcsd to the custom of bell.ringing, and
that ia thickly.settled communities the
clang Of deep. toned or shrill.voiced bells
from towers of churches or halls, had re-
tarded the recovery Of invalidp, rendered
the well i'll, and deprecated the value of
property for residence purposes. This can
be shown In about every case where the
effort is made. There is no indefeasible
right to have a church bell sounded.
The ringing Of bell in q tower is
not part of public worship, and a
deprivation of tire privilege is not an
abridgement of sny right TO worship with.
out restraint, because it is not, and never
was, an article Of faith nor an indispsnss-
BILE form. In fsos, the majority Of churches
do not have bells. 0nt Of fifteen church
structures in this city, but three have bells,
and but one Of these is rung on secular
days. This city hes 81 absurd ordinance
requiring fre.beil, located in the heart of
the town, to be struck loadly at 9 P. M.
portion ;of the year. and s P, NJ, another
portion. There is probably no one who
has attended divine service, the theater,
lecture, concert, or other like gathering,
who has not hsd his pleasure sadly marred
by the clsngor of that bell breaking rudely
into the middle of song, pathetic scene,
an eloquent passage, or into the flushed 81
Ience Of vast audience hanging upon the
soft low notes of some exquisite melody.
That bell Is positive nuisance. The pur-
pose for which it was ordered to be rung
has lopg ceased 10 be effective, and the
regulation requiring youths to be housed
at that hour can be SO well enforced with.
out as with the warning, and, in fact, it
has not been enforced even with the aid of
the bell. With the Introduction Of mod.
ern appliances for denOting the passage of
time, the reason for Che ringing of bell
from church tower has entirely ceased.
The Romans used the bell to announce the
bathing hour, and St. Paulinus, in A. d.
400, introduced it as part of the church
furniture for the purpose of notifying
tie faithful when worship should be
engaged in. In the United States there
are few great bells, and their use has been
gradually going Out, as it is commonly
apreed that except for fog, fire end boat
signals, etc.,, there is no necessity for their
employment. That the ringing OF heavy
bell in the midst of crowded quarter is
nuisance, decidedly detrimental to the
health of the delicate, dangerous to the
sick, injurious to those who need repose,
snd fatal to those whose lives depend upon
quiet, Is not now cOntravened' All that
remains is the question Of Che right of the
church, factory or hall managers to ring