Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-30

| OF course, 1nQOCeQ Dy atmospheric COHul-
tons. which affected the sound Of the mass
| of metal. The excited mind Of listeners was
| prone to believe that they spoke In sym
| pathy, either appearing to rejoice or bear
| dire calamity The very fact that they had
| received holy baptism and bore Christian
| names endowed item in the popular mind
! with a life OF ;Aelr own. 1t was consid-
| cred tain that be is disliked to leave the
! church 10 whose patron saint they had
| been dedicated. ara the congregation to
whom they had spoken on all solemn occa-
sions for mary generations. 1t was diff
| fcult, therefore. to move them. At one
tine large number of horses could not
move one inch. and whe nthey at last
succeeded in starting they only reached a
swamp, into which the bell sank hopeless
ly. 1t has been even said that the mere
! mention Of removing a bell made 1t sound
dim and faint, OF silenced it altogether; and
il the bell removed against its will,
and all resistance had been overcome, the
exile rang hencecorth so piteously, or OBJ
s.inately refused to give any sound at all,
tina. it had t. be Quickly sent back to Its
former home. il 1t was not to perish OF
inconsistencies at the strange place by crack
ing to Pieces. Many such tales have been
told.
Bells i. is believed by many, have mys-
FERROUS power of ringing by their own voll-
ton, generally for the purpose of announc-
ing some public calamity or sudden death.
| and of thus warning men to prepa e their
minds. 1t was surprising how far-reaching
THIS SuDCfS-1llO., became. beliculCllHe
Dominican converts especially used to
boast, it is declared, of bells which would
unfailingly announce, by their spontaneous
ringing, the impending death OF one OF their
brethren.
The bell most frequently heard in con-
nec.on win churches is that which Is
runs in the morning The evening bell IS
by far the Oldest, may be judged by
the severity with which the curfew was en-
forced by the Norman masters of England.
who prohibited the burning Of any fire at
night attic: this bell had been rung at or
g O'Clock The same regulations prevailed
throughout. Oh, :Stendom, in order to pro-
| te.r the houses almost universally of wood,
| from being burned AID robbed by evil
| doers 1t was under Pope John xxi. in
| 1880. that the three recitals of the Ave
Maria" customary in Catholic countries,
were required during the ringing of the
evening bell. In localities where this prac-
| tice is religiously carried out the spectacle
| is an Impressive one.
~
The toling Of bells arose originally and
| in the very oldest times, from desire of
| dying persons thus to appeal to their breth-
| rem to offer prayers in their behalf. Soon
| the custom prevailed of making this ap-
| peal, not for the living, but for the de-
| parted, and special notifications were In
| PRODUCED in order to inform the nelghnor-
hood of the sex, age and condition of the
| ie.ee sed. Among Protestants this custom
| has become obsolete. But the tolling OF
! bells during a funeral is general, in spite
| of what is said to be superstitious origin.
! It was first intended to keep off evil spirits
| from the procession; and hence not only
| church bells were rung, but the mourners
| also were armed with small handbells for
| the same purpose. This is one OF the
| mos. singular cases in which Christianity
| long continued the usages of heather an
ltiouity, for the latter also employed sound
| ing brass to keep off demons at the time
| of public sacrifices and ceremonies.
Wondrous and varied are the uses to
which bells have been put. Set up at dan
eerous places in river channels, bays, seas
| and ocean, they help to keep the mariner
on his true course; as well as to assist In
! the identification and location of grazing
cattle.
since every good ear is attuned to har-
! monous sounds in ringing bells, the chimes
| have from time immemorial been close &c
The heart of all peoples. 1t is declared thai
! the people still love their bells, and the
| pastors of churches where bells are in use
will wage a warm fight before these mark
| ers of time and ecclesiastical events are
| ell in this citV.