Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-22

On the retreat of the Russians from
Warsaw and from towns in Poland
4 and CourIand it is reported that
thew removed~bells from their churches,
and that when the bells were too large
to be removed intact they sawed them
into sections no doubt with the idea
that in q happier time they would have
them recast. 1t will be recalled by
those who have attentively read the
history of the American revolution that
when the British approached and the
continental army evacuated Ih1ladei-
phia they carried with them not only
the Liberty jReIl from the statehcuse
or Congress Hal steepie. but also sew
eral- of the church bells. depcsltins
and coucea,ins them under chuFch
in Allentown.
When bells were limited TO religious
uses they were looked on as things
sacred and y great part of the world
has not outgrown that belief in con
uectfou with church bells, and especi:i-
IL the t,cils that ring in the heiffleS
Cf IN. c..7Irches Of ones own particular
belief. SacrileEc or proiana',o" o,
hcHs WAS to the minds of d-ti!ne
Christians Il heinous offense
Traditions concerning bells are with
out number They have piayed an I'M
rortaut part ii religious ceremonies
for SO long that there is no RECORD %
when they first began To peal III tie
books of Exodus ana E.JclcSlasteS II -
written that the ornaments OF the h'@"
priests erhod Included bells so tha'
.,b.ir so,,ud ui.ht be heard whenever
h. soeth in or cometh out OF l'e san
tuarv" Their use obtains III the last
On church. t.ve..;n this day, beilS ne
inc found az they We're Of Old on the
fringe of the rriestiy garments.
In the city Of Jerusalem, when an M sat
bells were souueiuG, it IS sara tha'
sneach could not be heard IN the
streets They we've used on many oc-
casions by the me- stituIe OF temple OF
ticers y writer on TINS SNhJect mac
said that. their purpose WAS thfee1oid-
70 IN the nriests for services to sum
mon the I.ayites 20 come and sing, ana
10 apprtse persons that the uhc!ean
might be brought to the E&te nafAeu
N;canor These bells. according TO tit
Srisbn. cn1,lG be heard eighteen miles
IRON, Jerusalem when they were sound
ed at their full power.
rrbe time of the introduction OF bclls
INFO the service of the Christian church
is in dfsu,lte Strabo in his work on
the Divine Offices. speaks OF beiis as
nor having IouC been III use 1t shouid
be remembered that StraDo was It
Greek geogra pher a native OF Aiiia 1
about 50 BIC and died about % A.D-
There are authorities who ascribe the
INTRODUCTION of bells in cnurcn services
to St. Paulinus of Noia. There are
these who have argued that church
bells were introduced into the services
of the Roman Catholic Church by Pope
Sabiniau the sixty-fifth pontif. VINO
was elected in the year 60i and died
two years later.
In the matter of the solemn associa-
ton OF church bells. and the reverence
Paid them. a writer in the Ecclesias-
teal Review, u number of years ago,
said
Solemn ceremonies attend the dedi-
cation of bells for sacred purposes, &C
cording to q form prescribed In the
pontifical called the blessing of bell,
though the popular term the baptism
of n belr was used early as tic eleV-
enth century. Only Z bishop cam bless
o. baptize a bell. The OIL usedtIs the
oleum intirmorum for the outside of
the bell and the oil of chrism for the
inside. The bishop prays repeatedly
that the sound of the bell may avail to
summon the faithful, that it may excite