The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-14
SERVIA is SEEKING
MISSING REGALIA

tain the great fortune bequeathed b.
the late Sir John Murray Scott to Lady
Sackville. that 1t may be worth while
reminding every one In tho New World
who has ever had occasion to use dumb
bells that Knole Park Is the place Of
their origin.
Located up in the attic IS a dumb
bell gallery. 1t is unfurnished and
empty. except that In the middle stands
curious wooden machine resembling
wlndlass used for hauling up buckets
from II draw well. But it has no
handles. ~ rope is wound round the
middle of the roller. and ut each end
are four iron arms, each with poisc,
or ball of lead. ut the end. The rope
formerly passed through n hole, which
still exists In the floor, down into the
Leicester gallery below. a person. by
pulling the rope in this gallery, would
cause the roller with the iron arms
poised with lead to revolve at the
first pull, and the impetus given would
rewind the rope again, and so CON
tinue to wind and unwind at each pull.
thus giving the same exercise as that
of ringing bell in a church tower,
except that IT was noiseless This CON
trivance which I have endeavored TO
describe dates back to Thomas Sack
Vile. first Earl of Dorset, who was
master OF knole Park from 1903 to 16OS.
7
constructed for the sake of exercise.
old memoirs tending to prove that In
the sixteenth and seventeenth CEN
turtles. bellringinE was part OF gem
tleman's education and practice" The
contrivance In the dumbbell gallery at
Knole Park was therefore designed
to keep the gentlemen of the establish
ment in proper physical training, and
to furnish them with the adequate
amount of bodily exercise.
There was nothing that kept the
muscles in such good trim as bell
ringing. That Is why n dumbbell was
rugged up, not only at Knole Park, but
| likewise in many other equally ancient
country houses OF the Elizabethan and
Jacobean eras. BY degrees everything
that was designed to develop the
muscles Of the arms received the name
OF dumbbells, and tho small iron dumb
bells which we use to-day are merely
some piece of dumbbell machinery still
in existence at Knolc Park.
When some months ago dramatic
request was made from China, by me
new republican government there for
the united prayers OF Christendom on
n special Sunday. level-headed Amer
lean and English people who had not
merely visited the far Orient, but who
had resided In China and knew the
country. were cynical enough to hazard
the guess that the request for foreign
prayer would be followed by a re-
quest for foreign loan. Tho clergy
on both sides OF the Atlantic, how
ever. declined to entertain such skep-
teal views, and, convinced that the Chi
nese government had at length come to
| tho conclusion that Christianity was
the only means to welfare both here
on earth and In the hereafter, offered
/ TO- .E..sa
ment Of the Middle Kingdom.
AS predicted In these letters the Chi
nese republic endeavored to turn to
| financial account the atmosphere OF re-
! liEious good will thus created, though
| not with the success which they had
expected. That the President of the re-
public and his associates were virtually
putting their tongue In their cheek
when they asked for Christian prayers.
Is best shown by tho somewhat startling
| proclamation which has Just boon is
sued at Picking by the President-n pro-
clamation which shows that the gov
eminent never had any intention OF
adopting or even fostering Chris
tianity.
1t revives the sacrihcial ceremony OF
Confucius In all colleges, schools and
public bodies. which means that no
| scholar can attend these educational
institutions without making the neces-
SdTy TeISlOuS ODelS3nCcS 10 the altar
to Confucius which is Il feature Of every
school and college. Christians Will not
do this, and are consequently by this
new decree excluded from these edu-
cational institutions. which arc the
sole means to official prefermcnt
| For several years past this rule OF
paying reverence to Confucius In the
schools, colleges. etc, had been ig-
nored, and on the overthrow of the
empire 1t was abolished, In order to
mphasize the fact that the rule OF the
republic meant religious freedom. But
no religious freedom can exist now that
! Confucianism has been established
officially by the proclamation Of Pres
/ ident Yuan Shi-Kai.
H Copyright, 19l 3,by the Brentwood Com
Il pany)