Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-10
tFrOm a PhOtOgrapn.)

Q'rOm a Photography
fame rests not so much upon it's notes,
though these are high-pitched soft. anu
clear. nor upon its size, for there are
other bells In Spain much larger, buI
upon its personality.
1.-THE Bells Of the Tower" have been
noted for centuries as having power OF
their own. ring out, wild bells" means
that the bells have it within them to zen
they-can speak for JOY. The bell-ringer
does the best he can for them, but u IS
true the bells add a force Of their own.
The Nillela is a Spanish bell that for
years has f0retold any impending trouble
10 the nation. When the father of little
AlphOnsO died the Nilela began tolling
I'm the night and tOlled until morning
light. In the ten-years' Cl-Dan war the
bell struck awful tones on the nights or
defeats; And when great fires have
touched the castle and sickness or insur-
rectlOn threatened the Throne, the Nillela
has lifted up its voice IN sudden, loud
warning.
Last week the Villela tOlled again. IL
was one short. quick stroke. only few
heard IL, but they ran 10 tell the dreadful
tidings. DID II mean more disaster ~
, Cuba? Was The war 10 drain the royal
vaults beyond pcnury debty Nllleld
would not tell, but it sent out its warn
Ing note
Russia has a coronation bell. tt is the
largest in the world, and weighs half a
million pounds. It's sound has never been
bounded, and, II Is said. like the En-
peror's voice. 10 reach 10 Heaven. IL
hangs I'm the Kremln. II is the En-
perors bell, and is rung only In honor Of
him. At the coronation It pealed forth
as the Emperor entered the church. and
its voice announced the conclusion of the
ceremony TO the whole Of Russia The
coronation bell Is rung by bell-ringer
blessed by the Emperor. the head Of the
Church. The bell-ringer does no other
work, and Is always on duty 10 tell the
important events in the family of the
Emperor
He is pensoned. OF late he has been
busy polishing up the bell for special
happenings. He rings when his Majesty
goes TO church, and I'm case OF the death
Of a Russian monarch the Kremlin bell
tolls constantly between the death and
the time of the funeral
Since Russia is the home of bells, Il IS
not wonderful that IL should hold the
largest unrung bell I'm the world. This
bell now makes a building IN the krem-
lin. IL was cast two centuries ago, but
was found too heavy to remove from the
pit.
The Russian monarchs, one after an
other, tried 10 have it lifted. and hum
dreds of lives were sacrificed in the
shifting pit of sand. Finally. fate inter-
vened. A raging fire broke out and heated
the bell I'm its pit a quantity OF cold
water flowed in around il, and a great
piece the size Of door, was broken out.
II lifted 10 pedestal. and set within the
Kremlin, where IL is sometimes used as
temple Its walls are feet thick and II
is p feet high.
The dearest bells" in France are the
Angelus, made famous by Millet, and the
bells of Notre Dame Milets son still
lives in the little home overlooking the
stone church. where the Angelus bell
hear IL toll. while the peasants bow their
heads and say prayers. The bells OF Notre
Dame are the largest bells Of sweetness
I'm the world. One of them weighs 35On1
U01lnIg
never disclose the secret Of its loud, sweet
tone.
The japanese have the largest bells. bur
the crudest SO unsNiled are they that
many of them will not ring, and so they
are obliterated from the list Of bells. The
best bells are mixture Of copper and tir,
with a hammer one-tWentieth the weight
Of the bell. The japanese bells, even ir
cast correctly, have too small hammers;
or they are cast 10 sound like tin, and the
hammer does not strike roundly. one or
these. the Little Giant, has never been
weighed. 1t is said to weigh comparative
~ little. being of some light Japanese
metal; but 1t is 80 feet across. II IS used
to announce births and deaths In the
royal family. It's clapper is a smaH, eiqn, /
sound, and the Little Giant IS easily re-
cOgnized when heard.
The bell of Notre Dame I'm Montreal IS
the largest bell in America, but not me
sweetest This attribute is claimed by
the biggest bell of Trinity's chime in New
York, which Is so surprising In It's deli |
cacy and so penetrating In It's pureness /
that rich and poor alike stand all night /
I'm all weather, to hear IL ring I'm the new
year. The most inclement weather never /
keeps them away, and so demonstratYe /
do they sometimes become at It's SOUND /
that Trinity's rector has once or twice !
forbidden the chime to ring at midnight |
Ii is cast In F. fiat.
The countries Of Turkey Greece italy |
and Egypt have not many famous bells.
Bells are not I'm good repute there, from
the fact that criminals wear them around \
the neck and lepers are strung with them. !
In the temples the high priests decorate |
their robes with small, jangling PENS, ana l
this Is another reason why cells cannot 1
become common. In Turkey they are con-
spicuously unpopular. and that country /
is the only one that positively foroids the !
ringing in Of the new year with DeilS
The first New Years chimes were ruls /
I'm England I'm 1900 and so quickly dld tne
news OF them travel that soon every CAPT
tai OF Europe had chimes. America mas
the most chimes OF any country IN the |
world and few cities of the United states
but have their Ginning bells.
The voice Of the bells has since the IN, /
PRODUCTION OF the church bell nrst plessea /
in SEQ been the means or announcing Tue ,
new year. They hang between the spires, 4
as high toward Heaven as towers can De
built and are supposed 10 be capapie vi /
telling TO the universe what can De toid ,
by no other medium, the dawning or !
new year.