The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-23

thought before il is well aware to the
sphere of the spirit.
The belfry of Cheapside is a wonder
full example of this combination. Look
at 1t in the light of the pure and brill
liant evenings of few days ago, when
the electric lamps dashing amid the
luminous pallor of the air were like
diamond upon pearl. Every feature o
Wren's steeple is thrown ont against
the cool radiance OF the evenings. 1t
becomes visibly thing of grace, so in
stinct with the rarest genius of Italy,
that to think of Il, standing in modern
Cheapside is hike seeking credit for a
miracle. The two lower stories stand
toul-sQuare, rs lalk and plain and
massey as a madiaeNal tower. But they
are no more than 4 mighty plinth for
the stage that carries the bells ttCm
their lofty base the circle of columns
springs up with indescribable grace,
With slendcrpass: op"prcss. magical
adjustment. Above them the flying but
tresses curve inward to one center, and
carry the tail and pointed pinnacle.
Such IS the winged genius of this arch
itecture that if it were to detach it.
self and float upward to the Summer
clouds it would only seem to have
reached the last phase of it's inspira-
ton. And all around the lines of this
larry creation, majestic in the serene
dignity of their repose as dream-like
IN their lightness, the telegraph wires
weave their significant mesh.
All this might he appreciated by the
Judicious eye. but there is no exterior
token to indicate that the campanile
of Bow steeple is at present a rifed
chamber. To admit of alterations in
the structure the whole peal of bells
down. The forlorn and solitary broth
er who remains amid such an unwont-
ed and curious vacancy is the MEM
Der of the tuneful family who dis
charges the routine duty of striking
the hours. The others have been I'M
shipped and stand down below, where
you may test the musical quality of
their metal by tapping them with a
Key. Londoners, as we have said, are
generally unaware of what has taken
place, and that Wren's campanile, for
the moment, has become a de-
fusion and simulacrum, no
longer the architectural taber-
nacle Of Bow Bells. But the question
is whether the removal of the princi-
pal member of the chimes has not
raised an issue of prodigious import.
The Great Bell of Bow has been cred
tied in all ages with the peculiar pow-
er of converting into true natives Of
Cockaigne all children born within the
furthest limits to which it's deep note
will travel. 1t might be argued by a.
lifting advocate of the privileges of the
Great Bell that Londoners cease to
have any legitimate claim to that title
and are metaphysically extinct when
the King of the Belfry has been tenn
porarily dethroned. But it will not
be for long, and the chimes of Cheap
side will be as jubilant for the coro-
nation of Edward VII as for any day
of festival or glory in the annals of
the empire. The remarkable thing is
that the harmonious brotherhood is for
the greater part almost exactly col
temporary with the empire itself. The
Old bells came jangling and crashing
down when the ancient steeple fell in
the Great Fire. Wren's new Gamma
nile was'endowed with music worthy of
1t, for Strype wrote in 1920 that Sure
ly for the number and melody of the
bells, Bow, since the Fire, surpasseth
former times. But seven of the
eight bells which then made up the
entire peal were recast in 1853. Two
more were added the year after the
coronation of George III. Although
the two finally required to make up
the full chorus of twelve were only
hung at a very recent date, the rest
of the chimes date from Chatham's
ministry the greatest government in
our history, and they were first rung
in the days of Quebec and Plassy and
the Seven Years War for the triumph
of British arms in every quarter of the
globe. At moment when Bow Bells
are about to renew their existence there
is good augury in the thought.