Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1899-08-05
History OF Bells I'm Europe.

History OF Bells I'm Europe.
Bells, as distinguished from gongA.
are of comparatively modern intro
duction in Europe. They are of great
antiquity in the east and can probably
be referred to China as the first to
make use of them, a discovery to be
added to those of gunpowder and the
he had found small bells of bronze
in his excavations in Mesopotamia,
but this inference has not been borne
cut by the operations of subsequent
explorers. The So-called bells said to
have been attached to the garments
of the Jewish priests are thought to
be pieces of metal which struck to-
gether with a. tinkling effect, but not
to be actually in the shape assigned to
bells 1t seems certain from all the
previous Investigations and from the
recently published "a Book About
Bells" by the Rev. c. S. Tyack, that
small bells were known from a re-
mote antiquity in the orient, that
large bells are of comparatively mod
ern introduction everywhere in the
world and that Europe was backward
in adopting the implement in any
form.
The word itself indicates a rather
modern origin. The basin which the
Romans used to wash their feet in was
called ''pelvis" and this again is de-
rived from the two Latin words ''pes"
and ''lavere,' meaning, simply, Ito
wash the feet" Our word is taken
from the compound term. This basin
was in the beginning rather a gong
than a bell proper, as its shape indi
Gates, and its use for making an agree
able noise must have been subordin.
ate to its homelier and more domestic
use. There was nothing in the an
Gent forms of worship in Greece and
Rome to call for a use of bells and it
is not until about 400 a. d. that Chris
tianity became enough of public in
st1tution to require an instrument of
the sort. But the Buddhists had them
and there is no doubt that many bells
OF the finest tone and most perfect
manufacture can be found in imme-
mortal use in Ceylon. Siam, Burma,
Thibet, Japan and China.
The first mention of bell in Eng
land goes back no farther than $50
A. d. or therea bouts. Somewhere near
that date, SO the Venerable Bede in
forms his readers, Benedict Bishcop
brought a bell of considerable size
from Italy and hung it in the church
at Wearmouth. About that time ST.
Hi1da died at Whitby, the Saxon
Streaneshalch, and there was a bell in
the tower there upon which her pass.
ing was tolled. This makes it rea-
sonab1y certain that bells were then
better known, even well enough to be
accepted without comment, in the
south of England, which had long
been in communication with Italy.
The use of bells to mark the time
goes back to mechanical device re-
sembling the clepsydra. mentioned by
Lucian in $50 b. c. This was filled
with water, the flow of which rang a
bell at regular intervals. When first
used for this purpose in churches or
bell towers constructed especially for
them the hours were struck by hand.
In the old days the craft of bell
founding was an honorable one and
was praetieed through the country by
wandering artisans. a parish desir-
ing a bell for its church would send
for these craftsmen. collecting for
their purpose all manner of bronze,
brass, tin and copper utensils. The
artisans made their molds and the
casting took place at the fot of the
tower in which the bell was to be in
stalled, saving the trouble and ex-
pense of long carriage of the finish
ed article. There is a common legend
attaching itself to almost every bell
of more than average sweetness and
distinctiveness. accounting for its
finer qualities by the presence in it OF
a great deal of precious metal, gold
and silver, cast by the devout or the
generous in the melting pot. This is
generally untrue. the legend having
its origin in the money raised to pay
the bell-founders, who wisely put it
into their own rockets rather than
into the bell. These same workmen
were also the makers of the great
kettles or caldrons of the day, some of
which have come down to the present
with their more distinguished cousins,
as in the colleges of Oxford. Free
quently the pots were larger than the
bells; and great platters, LAYERS, NOR
tars and basins were all from the
same hands.
Many interesting ceremouials have
been brought together by Mr.. Tyack,
in use in the Roman. Greek and En-.
glish churches. A pleasant -reminis-
cence is taken from the pages of Gil
bert Whites Natural History of Sell
borne,r the writer being the rector of
the parish there. Sir Simeon Stewart
had a chime of bells cast in 1735 to
commemorate the birthday of his
daughter Mary and celebrated by
turning the treble bell upside down
festive occasion.
Kodot Dysnensia Cure thoroughly