The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-12

A History OF the Casting that Proclaimed
Liberty Throughout the Land.

A History OF the Casting that Proclaimed
Liberty Throughout the Land.
The Philadelphia News gives some inter
esting particulars of the history of the indie
peHdence Bell that is 70 be sent to the
Worlds Exposition az New Orleans as q fes-
ture of the Philadelphia exhibit.
The order for the bell was given in 175l
The State House of Pennsylvania IN Phila-
6elphia, work on which had been suspended
for a number of years. was then approaching
completion. The lower floors were already
occupied by the Gupreme Court In the cham
Der, while in the other assembled
the Freemen of the Province Of
Pennsylvania, then consisting of
ore body. a committee was appointed
by the Freemen, with Peter Norris as Chair.
man, and empowered 20 have a new bell cast
for the building. The commission for the
bell vas IN the same year awarded to Robert
Charles, OF London, the specification being
that the bell should weigh about 9, 900 pounds
and cost 9l00 sterling. Ii was 10 be a by
the best woTkmen, TO be examines carefully
before being shipped, and 10 contain, in
well-shsped letters around it, the inscrip.
ton: by order of the Province OF Penn
~sylvania, fer the State House in the City of
Philadelphia, 1852" An order was given TO
place underneath this the Hateful aud pro.
phstic words from Levitic1s, XIV, 10: "Pro.
claim liberty throughout the land, and to
all the inhabitants thereof"
Inc reason IOI the SeleCtOQ OF LDlS L6AL
has been s subject OF much conjecture, bat
the true reason is apparent when the full
text is read. 1t Is as follows: And ye
shall hallow the fftieth year and proclaim
liberty throughout the and and to all the
Inhabitants thereof" In selecting the text
the good Quakers had in memory the arrival
OF William Penn and their foreiathers mors
than half a century before.
In August, 1852, the bell arrived, but
though in apparent good order. it was
cracked by q stroke of the clapper while be-
ing tested. Ii could not be sent back, as the
captain OF the vessel who had brought it over
could not take il on board. Two skillful
woIkmen undertook forecast the bell, which,
on being opened, revealed a bell which
pleased very much. But il was also found
to be defective. The original bell was con-.
sideTed too high, and q quantity of copper
was added TO the composition, but too much
copper was added. There were q great many
witicisms on account of the second failure,
and the ingenious workmen undertook to
recast the bell, which they successfully did,
and it was placed ia condition in June, 1853.
On Monday, the Sth OF July mot the 4th)
at noon, true to its motto, it rang out the
memorable message of Liberty throughout
the land and to ali the inhabitants thereof"
For fifty years the bell continued to be
ruDg on every festival and anniversary IN
til it eventually cracked.
An Intellectual attempt was made to cause
it to continue serviceable by enlarging the
cause OF its dissonance and chipping the
edges. 1t was removed from it's position ia
the tower to a lower story, and only used on
occasions of public eorrow, such as the
deaths of ex-Presidents and statesmen. Sab.
sequentlY, it was placed on the original
timbers in the vestibule of the State House,
and in 1878 il was suspended in a prominent
position Immediately beneath where a larger
bell presented to the city in 1876 now pro-
claims the passing hours.