The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-06-22
BELLS IN CHURCHES.
First Used BY Paulinus, Bishop Of
. IT., Nola, About 400. #"


red and profane purposes. Strabo
says that market time was announc-
ed by their sound and Pliny that the
tomb Of an ancient king of Tuscany
was hung round with bells. The hour
of bathing was made known in
ancient Rome by the sound of a bell.
The night watchman carried one, and
it served to call up the servants in
great houses. Sheep had them tied
about their necks to frighten away
wolves, or, rather, by way Of amulet.
Paulinus, bishop Of Nola, is gener.
ely considered the first person who
introduced bells into ecclesiastical
service about the year 400. Histor-
ians, say that in G10 the bishop of
Orleans, being at Seno, then in
state of siege, frightened away the
besieging army by ringing st. Steph-
ems church bells, which is n clear
proof that they were not at that time
generally known in France. The
first large bells are mentioned by
Bede in the year $50. Before that
period the early British Christians
made use of wooden rattles to call
the congregation of the faithful to-
gether. Hand bells probably first
appeared at religious professions and
were afterward used by the seculars.
The small bells were not always held
in the hard. They were sometimes
suspended upon a stake and struck
with hammers.
The arrival Of kings and great per-
sonages was anciently greeted bv
ringing The church bells. Inguiohus,
abbot Of Croyland, who died about
100, speakes of them as being well
known in his time and says that "the
first abbot of Coryland gave six
bells to that monastery-that is to
say, two great ones, which he named
Bartholomew and Beladine; two of
medium size, called Turketulium
and Bettrine; two small ones, denom-
mated Pega and Bega. He also
caused the great bell to be made call
ed Gudla, which was tuned to the
other bell and produced an admirable
harmony not to be equaled i'll Eng
land.'
The bells used in the monasteries
were sometimes rung with ropes hav-
ing brass or silver rings at the ends
for the hand. They were anciently
rung by the priests themselves, after
ward by the servants and sometimes
by those incapable of other duties,
as persons who were blind.
The doctrine Of the Church Of
Rome concerning bells is that they
have merit and pray God for the
living and the dead; second, that
they produce devotion in the hearts
of the faithful. The dislike of evil
spirits to bells is we'll expressed by
Wynken de Worde in the "Golden
Legend" The passing bell was
anciently rung for two good purpos-
es, one to bespeak the prayers of all
good Christian people for soul just
departing and the other to drive
away the evil spirits who stood at
the foot of the bed or about the
house. Such was the general opin-
ion respecting the efficacy of bells
before the reformation, but since
that period cit has been the usual
course in the Church of England that
when any sick person lay dying q
bell should toll to give notice to the
neighbors that they might pray for
the dying party, which was common
ly called passing bell, because the
sick person was passing hence to an
other world, and when his breath
was expired the bell rung out that
the neighbors might cease their
prayers, for that the party was
dead" 1T is now only tolled after
death.
The saints bell was not SO call
ed from the name of the saint that
was inscribed on it or Of the church
to which it belonged, but because it
was always rung out when the priest
came to that part of the service,
"Sanctus Sanctus, Sanctus, Domino
Deus Sabbaoth,' - purposely that
those persons who could not come to
church might know in what solemn
office the congregation were at that
instant engaged and so, even in
their absence, be once, at least,
moved to lift up their hearts to him
who made them. Bells at one time