Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-10-03
AkES COLLEGE CHIMES
Stanton Memorial Chime Shipped
From Famous Bell Foundry at
Lougbborough, Eng.
Something About the Celebrated
Firm and Foundry Cost Of the
Ames Bells.
Official Test Shows the Chime to Be
One Of the Best Ever
pecial to Times-Republican.

There has been shipped this week from
John Taylor & Co.'S bell foundry a
chime Of ten bells for the Iowa State
Agricultural College, and as the matter
lis one of some note in church musical
circles in the kingdom, some of the par
tculars may be of interest to your
readers in the states. 1t seems little
| singular that the first call upon this
historic foundry should come, from
America, from point that seems SO far I
remote as Iowa, but whoever is re-
sponsible for the selection of Taylor & /
Co. has exercised Judgment that will |
4 be universally approved in those circles
where approval must carry with it an
artistic Appreciation. In about the
seventeenth century Nottingham
land Leicester Were great English
Icenters for bell-founderng, but this ole
! firm of the Taylors, which seems to
have originated in Leicester somewhere
about 1866, established by Jhoannes de
A Stafford, then the mayor OF Leicester,
Il has inherited about all of the reputa-
tion that attaches to the modernized
art From its location at Leicester,
and down through the centuries. \
4 moved about somewhat, through the
Ieras of the Mil!ers. Newcombes,
I, Wattses, Eayres and Arnolds, until in
El7S6 Robert Taylor, whose name has
been transmitted through his sons, cast
the ring of five bells for the Bletsoe
church That was at st. Neots, but the
business was afterwards set UP at OK
ford. removed for a time to auckland
TO w
. ford, leaving in 1910, when it was re-
: moved to Loughborough. The youngest
I son of Robert Taylor died in 1855, and
i his eldest son, John William. with his
Town sons. is now carrying it on. 1t is
i now the largest establishment in Eng
: land and of worldwide reputation
Bells of the more modern and greatly
Improved manufacture are now in the
lcathedrals of ST. Paul's, London (where
hangs Great Paul'o; Worcester,
!. Newcastie-o n-Tyne. Chichester, Wells,
Lincoln and Salisbury; st. Patrick's,
= Dublin, and st. Mary's, Edinburgh; the
Imperial Institute, London, and in
: many noted town halls of England;
. also in the principal edifices of Ade-
: laide, in Bombay, in New Zealand, in
Australia and in New South Wales,
with a host of bells of lesser note the
"a world over. AS 1 said before, it seems
strange that their first peal of note
should go to one of the farthest west
ern states in America. The chief feat
~ ure of the modern, as distinguished
from the ancient, peals. is the tuning o
:, the harmonics. The perfection of thi:
: is a recent development of Taylor &
iCo., and the Ames chime, as will b.
"a seen later, reaches perfection in thi:
~ particular The firm is now pretty busy
~ re- casting some of the older chimes IL
order to secure the latest result. Th'
>, ring of ten fine bells in the parish
il Ichurch of this town has been re-cast
g land a new ring of ten for Trinity, Hull
has been fixed. There is now in hand ;
chime of ten for Whitehouse OR. c.
church. Belfast--rather larger than tn,
Ames chime; also six rings of eight
" one being for Eccleston church
al Cheshire new church which tn
rs Duke of Westminster is building: and
lin particular, a bell of 25 cwts. to KIM
IS William Down, South Africa, which i
ne INTENDED as the tenor Qarges) of fu
III tura ring of eight.
SO much for the firm and its work, o
no which 1 presume you hear very little i
M America, engrossed as you are in build
ne ing bridges and locomotives, wher
= there is, I am afraid. little chance fo
is, our competition The cost of the Anne
no chime, f. o. b. London, is eS77-l2--S-
az or, as nearly as 1 can figure it out
states money. $4,271. Mr. job
eo Taylor informed me earlier
nd the week that the test OF tn
he Ames chime had been ordere
by the American government an
be INIT
States consul at Nottingham. Later /
rst said that word had been received to tt
10 effect that the test would be conducte
he by Arthur Page, f. r. c. o., organi!
of ST Mary's. Nottingham, empioye
N by the consul. This was done.
4. would be unnecessary in England
,ck say anything of Mr.. Page, but 1 pr,
10 sumo you will be pleased to know tn;
a better authority could hardly hay
,ha been selected He was for seven yea
no a chorister in Norwich Cathedral und
ri, the celebrated DR.. Buck, and article
md to him for seven years after that as
lii professional pupil The appointment
organist at st. Mary's, one of the olde
~, churches of England and possessil
n one of the old but better know
,ne chimes, was conferred on him in Isl
Cd and he still holds the position. In is
the lby examination, he gained the diplon
INV of fellowship of the Royal College
lOrganists and later became a memb
of the council of that body. He assist
in forming the Incorporated Society
Musicians, now the most mporta
day musical body in. the kingdom; W
by elected by the musicians of the midla
in counties as treasurer, and to represe
'om them on the general council; later,
of the general council, was elected hone
900 able general treasurer for the kingdo
e OF and was the first examiner appoint,
He is also the examiner for the lot
ad- examiners for the Royal College
e. Music, of which his royal highness,
her>rPrince of Wales, is president. He h
lree been voted several honors, and
gh- compositions are not unknown
American musical circles. His rep,
ton therefore upon the Ames chime v
pie carry some weight In reporting to
consul he said:
THE bells are, in my opinion,
quite unusual excellence. The tone
firm resonant, full and mellow. Even WI
has quite close to them there is no elem
Mr.. of harshness, while from a little q
l,;c .l,a,, ara yarU y,l1ra and cyp,l