The Cairo bulletin., 1908-11-05
ARMY RINGS BELLS
PRODUCING CHIMES is SACRED
MEXICAN VOCATION
TWO Thousand Men In Mexico City
Alone Are Regularly Employed
No Need to Carry Time
piece There.

1t takes great army Of men to keep
The church bells going in Mexico, "
is estimated thai in Mexico CITY alone
here are more than 1000 bell ringers.
This is the number regularly en-
ployed On DAYS Of religious celebra.
lions The humber S augmented. AS the
ringing OF tie bells must be- kept mp
almost constantly through he day and
night on such occasions One or he
most striking features Of Mexican life
10 the casual visitor is the noise OF
the church bells Every little hamlet
and many of The ranches in the coun.
try have one or more Catholic
churches. and each is equipped with
one or more bell towers The great
cathedral which stands near the Ma
tional Palace in Mexico city has rs Of
these towers
In some towns the constant ringing
Of he church bells IS prohibited by
the local authorities. The sounding Of
the bells is permitted once or twice
every hour Some churches toll the
quarter hours and others toll every
i've minutes. Most OF the churches in
Mexico City toll the quarter, halt and
hours
The profession of bell ringing is
looked on by the lower classes as he
ing honorable and distinguished The
beu ringers are reverenced as being
an adjunct OF the clergy The bell
ringers themselves are usually proud
OF their work In many cases this
place in a church is handed down from
father to son through generation after
generation
The towers of the large Catheda1ls
are spacious and are frequently fitted
with rooms which are occupied by the
bell ringers and their families. Here,
far above the noise of the traffic OF
the streets below. the faithful toilers
OF the bells live peaceful life, seem
ingly unmindful of the crashing noise
which constantly resounds about their
very heads They are away from the
other noises of the city, but are in the
midst OF the bell claugings. which 60
on all through The days and nights.
How can Won sleep. with all this
noise about you?' was recently asked
the wife Of a bell ringer in one OF the
cathedral towers.
1T is not the noise Of the bells that
mind, she replied. Il hear their
ringing without knowing it hut it IL
the changing of the street car soIGs
in the street below that disturbs my
slumbers'
All of the church bell ringing in
Mexico Is done by hand. Some OF the
bells are of ponderous size and great
weight To operate them requires the
exercise Of powerful muscles ana
much bodily strength The nse OF
clockwork or electrical machinery to
operate the many bells Ia the grea.
cathedral in Mexico City has been
considered from time TO time. but IL
preponderance OF sentiment Of the
church authorities has been against
such an innovation
The bell ringers are divided into
lay and night shifts. They are re-
quired 10 toll the hours with preci-
sion II is not necessary to carry
watch in Mexico unless one is travel
ing in the country, out Of sound of the
church bells AZ any hour, day or
night a person can learn the time by
listening 10 the tolling Of the bells
Many Of the bells which hang in the
hurch towers of Mexico were brought
from Spain in the early days of Span
ish rule Some OF them contain large
amounts of precious metals. which
give them a clear rich tone The
ben ringers take great pride iu heir
bells. and much care and attention are
given 20 keeping them well Furnished
and their parts oiled and always IN a
state Of good repair