Middletown transcript., 1898-04-02


writes of "The Bell-Towers of Italy" {"
Mr.. Ward says of the most famous Of
them all:
Pisa seems like sleeping city as she
lies SO quietly and silently along the two
borders of the river Arno. She fell
asleep several hundred years ago, after
she had Struggled valiantly her for lin
dependence and had won renown
during the fierce contests between the
Guelphs (partisans Of the Pope) and the
Ghibsllines (partisans of the Emperor)
Though Pisa has long since forgotten
the days Of her greatness, the world
cannot forget them when 1t looks upon
that wonderously beautiful group of
four marble-white buildings standing
apart in fhe sacred corner; the Cathed-
raj, the Baptistery, the Campo Santo
Tor Burial-ground), and what interests
US most Of all the remarkable Campan-
lie, SO well known as the Leading
Tower" This famous tower was
built in liza. Its construction is Pc
culiar: there is in the center a hollow
brick tube or cylinder; around this
plain round tower the architects built
eigh stories of open galleries, with beau
tiful. slender columns of white marble
supporting semicircular arches. The
general effect is one Of great deIicacy
and lightness. fair-like tower of won
derful grace. The summit is 179 feet
from the ground. As you all know the
tower leans thirteen feet out of the
perpendicular, and looks as if it would
surely fall over at any moment; but, as
the center of gravity is still within its
base, it Is as safe as il it were erect.
The foundations were probably imper-
fectly built at the start, for the tower
began to lean before it was half fin
ished; and we can see where at one
point the builders tried to bring it back
as much as possible to the vertical line
by making the columns on the low side
higher than the others. The walls,
too, are strengthened with iron bars.
Fancy the CONSERVATION of the archi-
tects when they saw their beautiful
tower leaning over, and its foundations
sinking in the groundl 1t requires very
steady nerves to carry US to the top,
and we find ourselves clinging to the
wall when we are on the leaning side.
This is what Chas. Dickens says
about the tower in his "Pictures from
Italy" ''In the course of the ascent
to the top the inclination is not very
apparent; but at tine summit it it becomes
80, and gives one the sen sation Of being
in ship that has heeled over through
the action of an ebb-tide. The effect
upon the low side, SO to speak, looking
over from the gallery, and seeing the
shaft recede to its base, is very startling;
and I saw nervous traveller hold on to
the Tower involuntarily, after glanc-
ing down, as if be had some idea of
propping it up"
When wereach the summit we must
not forget that this was where the great
astronomer Galileo watched the stars,
experimental on the fall of bodies, and
studied the law Of grasitation. Her Q,
too. in the upper story, hang the six
bells. the largest of which weighs more
than $4,000 pounds. The bell-found-
ers Of Pisa had wide reputation for
casting bells of beautiful tone, sonorous
and harmonious. They lavished on them
all their art and their talent.
The Pasqusreccia (the Raschal belly,
the most famous of the Pisan bells, the
one which was tolled when criminals
were taken to execution, is ornamented
with figure Of the Virgin and the de-
vices of Pisa, and has rich, full tone.