The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-04-22

among the various branches of the church
These included, for instance, private noti-
ficatiOn, the strident vOCiferatiOn of the
town crier, the striking of a hammer on "a
piece of metal, the beating of gOngs or
cymbals, or the blasts of the trumpet after
the ancient fashion of the Greeks, the
Israelites and the Egyptians,
Necessarily Paulinus had 10 have manu-
factured for the business in hand bell OF
much greater dimensions than the little
sinkIer which did duty in the monastery
But this was easily accomplished The
next problem that vexed the worthy prel-
ate's mind was where to place his new
contrivance, so that it's voice could be
heard from afar.
There was, however, on the roof Of the
basilica of st. Felix a sort of cupola known
as a lantern. 1t was open on all sides, its
principal purpose being, as its name i'm
plies, 10 give light to the interior of the
structuFe on which it rested, 1t was in
this lantern that the bishop of NOla yoked
the first church bell.
Most probably it was of the miter class
and looked for all the world like a good
sized metal bowl with II clapper inside.
Nor was it a large affair. The fifteenth
century was well advanced hctore bells OF
any considerable dimensions we're fash
ioned.
At any rate the worthy bishops bell
was set up in It's place, aud right royalty
did 1t serve its purpose. One can easily
imagine the tlutter of excitement it caused
among the good people Of NOla In those
placid times and fancy the congregation
of st. Felix, in picturesque garb and san
daled feet, vending their way to Their
church, guided by the changing reyerba
tions of that wondrOus bell, which rang
out its Easter roundelay on the plains Of
Campania nearly 900 years ago In thosC
days 1t must have seemed as marvellous tC
them as the telephone did to us.
Truly that was momentous Easter
and the excellent prelates new departure
was destined TO have farreaching conse
quences, OF which his sincere and single
minded soul could never have had the re
motest conception. without specially in
tending it he had developed the best meth
cd yet discovered fol signaling by sount
for long distances, discovery that cOulC
be applied TO all manner Of uses in the
practical affairs Of life. From Nola thu
use of church bells soon spread over Chris
tendon, and at the beginning Of the sew
enth century Pope Sabinius, by some or
roneously supposed to have been the in
ventor thereof, did all he could TO encour
age their adoption.
1t was probably not great while there
after that the custom Of baptzing churcl
bells originated. This process, according
TO a high authority, includes manning
amounting, sprnkling, rohing sponsoria
engagements and every initiative accom-
paniment which marks the admission o
rational beings into the gospel Not tina
bells, say the advocates of this system, ar
baptized for the remission Of sins, but tina
they receive power to act as preseryative
against thunder and lightning, and hal
and wind, and storms of every kind, ant
that they may drive away evil spirits, "
Other important innovations In churol
affairs were also effected by Paulinus' frs
church bell. II changed the sntire char
acter Of Church architecture. That tn