New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-03
CHURCH BELL-RINGING.
Is 1T A NUISANCE I
Mr.. SCHULTZ SAYS II Is-MR SULLIVAN SAYS
1T Is NOT.

1T Is NOT.
More than half q century ago a boy OF sixteen
wears helped TO ring st. Georges Church Oell Wren
the building stood at Cliff and Beekman ste. The
downtown site was abandoned and the present
building was erected in Rutherford-paee, LOOKING
out on Stuyvesaut Square, and the Ola oeil was re-
placed by a new one, which III turn is becoming
old. The boy living under the shadow OF tile ora
church building and assisting the sexton as NC
called "the faithful" to worship grew 10 man,
hood married and settled near the swamp sun
within sound of the old church bell, ana lor
several years with his family he attended the Fer
vices which the untirng bell announced week aIlel
week. Later on the man became prominent III m ,
ncipal affairs. and was tho hrst presldent OF VIC
Board of Health which was Dreamed nze ak ~
slaughter houses in two wards MEOW
Fourteenth-st., oyster and clam shells were burned
the Inhabited parts OF the c,ty Stree senu .o
shouted their wares in defiance of all protest the
DAYS of the volunteer firemen were not forgotten
wien the watchmen ran through the streets shout
ing Firel Turn out! TO the ANNOYANCE ana ulscoili
fort of all persons not immediately In danger OF
the FIRE In those days the church bells also served
toincrease the din when an alarm OF hre was gwen
In a spacious paror III Fast Seventeenth-st.'
facing Siuyvesant Square. reporter OF HE lRiB-
UNE sat yesterday and converSed WIN JACKSON .;
Schultz who the first president OF the Board Oh
Heath. and who again lives under the SHADOW Oh
ST. Georges and again listens TO the pealng or Its
bell although he does not now assist In caliing
together the worshlppers, nor does he respond as
npop the matter with less of kindness
than Of determination 10 stop the ringing ~ tho
bell. While talking with the reporter tne pen oo
gan to ring Mr.. Schultz ceased talking ana began
10 count the strokes of the bell. When 1t stopped
with the sixteenth stroke Mr. Schultz sald that Oh
Sunday of last week it struck flty-two times, -,
"This is remnant OF the teudal system sara
Mr. Schultz resuming his conversation. when ex-
listed in this city forty years ago: Then the chnIoh
bells served some purpose as they P Fsns iO Is hreS
that the bells are necessary to call CHRISTIANS 10
worship. If that were true-but 1t 10 not. no
theatres concerts balls. oircuses ana sonools 90
of collecting
Aud thus only eight or ten churches IN the elty'
am informed. cOntnuc the ancient custom OF ring
ing the bells and These are to be stopped Vi that
have no doubt" go ca
What is being done now with regard to st.
line question is being agtated, and anidayits
are being secured to be presented to the Board of
Health later in tao tall. You see l wrote
TO the Board asking that there
might be conference between those who WISHED ,Sa
church thought t1en there would be friendly
conference, but the vcstry sent prominent lawyer,
Charles Tracy. who was the Boards counsel when
was its president He asked me where nv atiida-
Wits were | had only come for conference. but
said All right. Mr.. Tracy, I'll bring the aihda'
vits.'"
DO You find much encouragementin your efforts
from your neIghbOrs !" 49,
:" A great deal Why, / am getting letters all the
tune assuring me of support when the writer's re-
turn from their summer home. But If were the
only person aggrieyed the Board Of Health would
act upon my complaint. 1t is bound 10 do so, and
pardiug the specification of "a nuisance. Whatever
is detrimental 10 health or dangerous TO life Is a
nuisance, and the Board is the Judge 90 every maI-
ter submitted to it, IL 10 shall declare church bell
ringing nuisance and order it suppressed. probably
the vestrs will carry the matter to the courts
What brought the question OF stopping the
ringing up nov l. 80.
Ill never was ruDg so frequently as now until
the new rector came last winter. and through Lent
il was ringing practically every nUu E ~ 'ne Gay
time and / shall obtain her physicians afidaVlt
that her recovery was much retarded oY the sound
of that bell Two or three other persons IN TINS VI
cnity we're also Ill then and their request to the
rector to have the bell stopped met with cold re-
plv He Is AN evangelist, believe. and wants the
cell to do part of the work. Now. we can't stop the
Elrv ated traius. nor the street cars nor the milk;
men for all OF these arc necessary To our being, and
we en1uIe their noise; but the chuIch Dell Is not
necessity, and IL must go"
he Rev " : Ralnsford, rector OF ST. Georges,
is in Europe but the assistant minister VINO con-
ducted the services in the chapel yesterday. made
no allns,on to the BE- II. The reporter called on Dr.
r. f. Miles at 81. Georges Clergy House, IN East
Seyenteeutt-el., and asked medical opinion Oh the
ringing OF the bell. DIR. Miles said that there had
been no complaint fron any OF his patients III he
tw.rty-sx Years of his city Practice, arising from
church bells Eleven wears O1 thaL Time ne nae
beeu in this CITY, He added that lew persons had
been found who favored Nh. Schultz. The bell
rang he said, as many times yesterday as usu Il,
aud as long each time Mr., Sclultz's statement TO
the contrary. $ Higgins OF East EiehLeen' h-st.
that he feared that his nelghbor was little
croichety." as he himself had never been at all
In The First Presbyterian Church. at Fifth-ave.
ana 1wefth-St., the bell is rung every Sunday for
Sunday-school at a. No., and before the publlc:ser
yIcestat 1890 a. m. aud alp. IN, Wishngi ascertain
the feeling OF the community ilv-
ing near this church. the reporter called IN The after
noon on AlgeruOn >. Sullivan, VINO Ives at No ~
West Eleventh-st, nearly opposite the Church.
The rear of his house looks upon the Protestant
Episcopal Church of the Ascension, which has no
bell When asked whether there mad ever tccn any
,I.C 4 Ina rim M IA he IITAf
Cburch bell Mir. Sullivan said That in a few cases
where people living near the church had been III.
requests had been sent to the pastor asking thAt
tLe ringing might be omitted foi one or TWO GUN
davs and in every this request had bccn
granted. One or two PERSONS he said, bad also
come to him and asked him 10 use his influence In
having the bell sIenced permanently, but he had
told them that 1t was not unpleasant 10 him, but,
ON the contrary he enjoyed hearing 1t rug. Re-
gardng the controversy over 81 ueoIsfS nei, pr.
compliant made that the ringing OF church bells III
The city was a nuisance ald should Ne stopped by
order OF the Board Of Heath.
:" Ia Won share in that oplnionp he was asked.
IL do not" he replied " and 90 not think that
Oh fair consideration OF the subject, such view
will Obtain think that this, like all other acts IN
a crowded com Wunity, may be within the purylew
of police regulation, on the principle governing
such matters. namely: My rights must end where
yours Degin and yours do not begin until mine end.
The purpose of church bell may well be insisted
on as a tact pertinent even when discussing the
police aspects OF the question; and that without
going the length OF saying the case - IKE that
Where noise is inseparaDle from the
condnct of necessary business. a sound that Is
wantony and willullv annoying, may be welcome
tue next moment If made win dlnefent ara kindly
intent Tins you see In call TO you on tho
street Public worship is a part OF every religion.
Ii is regarded as duty to assemble and unite IN
worship. Tor reason, as declaTa-
tiop and testimony by believers And
that which reasonably well serves TO regulate the
recurring hours for these church ordinances Is most
useful. A strong cas- should be made out even TO
correct misuse or abuse, or rather TO establish
that there is a misuse OF church summons" 80
NAV there not be an excess IN this matterT
"Of course there may be in this AS IN everything.
have never known a case where In neighborhood
a person was i'll and requested the suspension OF
bell-rngiug that the pastor do not cheeriulIy
comply know instances whore this was done by
Roman Catholic. Protestant Episcopaian and Pres