The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-13
THE CHURCH BELL MUST GO.

THE C4URCxf BELL MUST GO.
1t is not improbable that the crusade
which has been inaugurated against the
ringing of church bells will result in the
doing away with that form of appeal to
the faithful to attend their various places
of religious worship. The movement has
enlisted in it's behalf many individual
clergymen who do not hesitate to desig-
nate the ringing of church bells as a
nuisance On the other hand there are
many clergymen and laymen who eX-
press the purpose to oppose the move
ment as strenuously as possible.
There is nothing surprising in the diff
ference of opinion which the suggested
discontinuance OF the ringing of church
bells has aroused. Indeed the only sur
prising circumstance which the move
ment mas thus far brought out is the
large proportion of clergymen who are
willing to direct their energies toward
doing away with the church bell
There is really little room for difference
OF opinion on the subject. Centuries of
use has invested the ringing Of bells to
bring worshipers to their respective
churches with large measure of poetic
sentiment. The modern church bell bears
but slight relationship toward the
church bell whose soft and mellow chime
remains in the minds of many men and
women still living as an endearing rec
election.
'"Those evening bells, those evening bells,
How many a tale their music tells,
OF youth and home and that sweet time
When last 1 heard their soothing chime"
It is thus that Moore sings Of the
church bell The angelus chime which
touched his poetic fancy finds but little
thought of repetition in this busy, work.
a-day land of ours. Rather is the church
bell of the American city, as so many
clergymen have designated it, an unre-
deemed nuisance.
There is no inspiration to be found to-
day in the public bell. It's hard metallic
clang might better be used to call
money changers to the market places.
To the nervous and irritable it is a
oONlSC VI c5OhJs II SOllIllNulSO lis lull
share, with the other hideous sounds Of
city life-the ringing of street car bells,
the banging Of street car gongs, the
eternal and unending roar of the stone
motive, the siren voice of the factory
whistle-to the steadily increasing prev
alence of neurasthenia.
If there We're a single tradition asso-
worthy to be preserved it would be
worth while to make a fight for its
preservation. But the public bell appeals
not to the modern Imagination. Here
are some lines from Tennyson, showing
the inspiration which the bell once pos
sessed to the active fancy How weak is
the appeal which they make to the
modern mind:
Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old;
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
ring in the valiant man and free,
The eager heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be-
The Globe thinks the church bell
should goat least out of the United
States of America. If the churches, in
the large money investments which must
have been involved in the securing the
bells in use among them, had striven
to accomplish anything save to. make a
noise sufficient to stir up the tagging
thought of the unwilling church-g oer,
there might be some reason to look with
feeling of liberation on the church bell
as public institution. But as we'll might
a man stand at the church corner and
with bIare of trumpets summon the re-
ligious people to their churches as have
the average church bell break the still
ness of the Sabbath morn or eve with it's
angry, strident voice.
Every household has it's clock. Every
true Christian communicate knows the
hours set apart for religious service. He
needs no sound of warning or reminder
from abroad That which comes to him
from the adjacent church tower is usual
ly one which would distract any but the
most devout from the molly thoughts
which are inspired by divine worship.
The word Amalgamated will hereafter