Evening star., 1900-10-06
THE CLOCK IN THE SPIRE.
MORE Church ClOciss Are Made Now
Than Ever Before

'Aore Shurch Clocks Are Made Now
Than Ever Before.
From the Church Economist
"a church splre seems to be hardly COM
piete "ithout clock Notwithstanding the
fact that watches and house clocks have
oeen SO cheapened within the past few
years as to be within the reach of every
one, even those of meager financial re
sources, 1t Is still pleasant to be able to
look up at the spire of the nearest church
and get the right time" 1t is also nlea G.
ant particularly in the country, to hear a
s"eet-toned bell striking the hours as thew
pass. There is an idea. however among
some people, that the day of the tower
CLOCK has passed. that the bell has become
nuisance instead of a pleasure and that
the modern church is clockless, at least so
far as externals are concerned
me representative of one of the largest
ttock thn. ma manufacturers in this country says
that TINS latter is an erroneous idea "As
matter of fact" says he 1--WE have sold
more clocks for towers in the past two
Years than we did in the previous ten"
mist asked him to tell it's readers some
thing about the style and cost of tower
CLOCKS such as are now being sold
Sioeks Tor church towers are invariably
hidue 10 order to meet special conditions
ana IT is almost impossible to give any gem
erai Idea of what we furnish 1t is safe to
say however that as rule tower clocks
about six feet in diameter The dials are
usually black, or some very dark color
ana the hgures and the hands are gilded
IN our opinion black dial with gilt hands
ana ngures is legibe at a greater distance
than one with any other combina ton of
colors. and the black and gold usually har-
nonlze with the colors of any building on
"hlch the dial may be placed. Sometimes
an open dial is used with the gold figures
standing out against the stone work of the
lower out TINS is not usual practice and
1t is scarcely worth mentioning
AS to the cost of tower clocks there
again 1t is hard to speak in general terms
We have made such clocks for 81 600 and
we have made them for $12. 600 The lat
ter is about the top price and I am free to
confess that we do not sell many Of that
grade. Perhaps the safest prices to name
would be from $1,000 to $4,000 Within
these limits clock can he bought for any
but the most extraordinary locations and
one would seldom have to go above the
higher price named"
There has been some agitation of late
against church bells and Chimes said the
Church Economist, "the claim being made
that these frequently annoy the people liv-
ing within reach of their tones Does this
affect your clocks? Do you furnish those
that strike the hours principally or are
they Sient?'
The majority of the tower clocks we
make are furnished with a bell on which
the hours are struck. Any agitation against
ed us. Sometimes we supply the clocks
with chimes which ring every quarter hour,
but these are naturally much more expen-
sive than the single bell which strikes the
hours and for that reason they are not so
often installed
You also make clocks for use inside
churches. do you not?"
Yes. But l will have to say that these
are not so much used they We're in for
mer times. The average minister seems to
object to having clock in the auditorium
of his church by which the congregation
can time his sermon. AT any rate, 1T is
tainly unpleasant for preacher to see one
and another of his listeners turn around
from time to time to look at the clock, and
SO, instead Of the big clock in the church,
1t is coming to be more and more the prac-
tice to have a small clock, hardly larger
than watch. set into the woodwork of
the pulpit. This gives the minister oppOr-
tunity to watch the length of his service
and answers every purpose of the large
clock which was formerly SO frequently
used. OF course. still make the big
clocks and can furnish them for from S6j
up, according to the style of case used, but
most of those we make find their way into
schools and we seldom have call for one
from church.