Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1906-11-22
BELLS IN CHURCHES,

BELLS IN CHURCHES,
FIRST USED BY PAuL,Nus, slsAoa
OF NoLA, ABOUT 400.
The EARLY British Christian U.al
Wooden Rsttles to Call the Pcc.sle
!, Together For Worship = Dells end
Thunder and Lightning.
Church bells are Of ancient origin.
The ancicnts had bells for both sacred
and profane purposes. Strabo says
that market time was announced hy
their sound and Pliny that the tomb
OF an ancient king of Tuscany Wis
hung round with bells. The hour oe
bathing was made known in ancient
Rome by the sound Of bell. Two
night Waterman carried one, and it
served to call up the servants in gre t
houses. Sheep had them tied about
their necks to brighten away wolves,
or, rather, by way Of amulet.
Paulinus. bishop of NOla, is general.
~ considered the first person who in.
troduced bells into ecclesiastical serv-
Ice about the year 400. Historians say
that in 610 the bishop of Orleans, being
! ut Seno, then in state of siege, fright.
ened away the besieging army by ring.
ing st. Stephens church bells, which 10
clear proof that they were not at that
time generally known In France. The
first large bells are mentioned by
Bedc in the year ESQ. Before that PEE
Rod the early British Christians made
use of wooden rattles to call the con.
gregation of the faithful together.
Hand bells probably first appeared at
religious professions and were after.
ward used by the seculars. The small
bells were not always held in the
hand. They were sometimes suspend.
ed upon stake and struck with hams
mers.
The arrival of kings and great per-
sonages was anciently greeted by ring.
Ing the church bells. Inguiohus, abbot
of Croyland, who died about 100,
speaks of them as being well known in
his time and says that "the first abbot
Of Croyland gave six bells to that mon.
Rstcry-that is to say, two great ones,
which lie named Bartholomew and Bel.
adine; two of medium size, called
Turketulium and Bettrine; two small
ones, denominatcd Pega and Bega. He
also caused the great bell to be made
called Gudla, which was tuned to TIE
other bell and produced an admirable
harmony not to be equaled in Eng.
land.'
The bells used in the monasteries
were sometimes rulg With ropes hay-
ing brass OF silver rings ut the ends
for the hand. They were anciently
rung by the priests themselves, alter
ward by the servants and sometimes
by those incapable of other duties, as
persons Who were blind.
The doctrinu of the Church of Rome
concerning bells is that they have lner-
1t and pray God for the living and the
dead; second, that they produce deyo-
ti6a in the hearts Of the faithful. The
dislike of evil spirits to Eells is well
expressed by Wynken de Worde in the
Golden Legend" The passing bell was
anciently rung for two good purposes.
one to bespeak the prayers Of all good
Christian people for soul Just depart
ing and the other to drive away tire
evil spirits who stood ut the foot of thu
bed or about the house. Such was tho
general opinion respecting the efficacy
of bells before the reformation, but
since that period sit has bean the usual
course b the Church Of England that
when any sick person lay dying a
bell should toll TO give notice to tlia
neighbors that they might pray for tie
dying party, winch was commonly
called a passing, bell, because the sicl
person was passing hence to another
world, and when his breath was exc
PRED the bell rung out that the neigh
bors might cease their prayers, for that
the party wau dead" 1t is now only
tolled after death.
The saints bell waS not SO called
from the name of the saint that was
inscribed oI it Or Of the church to
which it belonged, but because It was
always rlng out when the priest came
to that part Of the service, "Sanctus,
Sanctus, SanGels, Domino Deus Sab
baoth" purposely that those persons
who could not come to church might
know in what n solemn Office the con-
gregation were ut that instant engag-
ed and SO, even in their absence, be
once, at least, moved to lift up their
hearts to him who made them. Bella
at one time were thought an effectual
charm against lightning. The frequent
firing of abbey churches by lightning
confuted the proud motto commonly
written on their bells in the steeples.
wherein each entitled itself to six
fold efficacy--viz:
MEMS death tell by doteful kne1l:
Lightning AID thunder break asundert
On Sabbath pll to church call:
The sleepy head raise from bed:
The winds so fierce dost disperse;
Mems cruel rage do assuage.
It has aneiently been reported, ot-
served Lord Bacon, and is still re-
ceived that extreme applause and
shouting Of people assembled in multi
tudes have so rarefed and broken tho
air that birds flying over have fallen
down, the air not being able to sun.
port them, and 1t is believed BY some
that great ringing of bells in popu-
lous cities has chased away thunder
and also dissipated pestilent air.-New
York Herald.
Marine fnformatBon.
"Do you ever catch any whales, cap
tainY" asked the fair passenger on tho
ocean liner.