Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-28
THE BELLS OF THE WORLD
Some Facts Recalled by the contro.
.versy Over Our Liberty eel'--old
az the Observation-Disclosures
Is the Columbian Bell?
By GEOIsGE NOX Mccain
"DELLS! BELLS! BELLS. the whnn
i.zl.,< Ai.e i,,lls =,

wwuv "ahteu to KNOW aDout u poBuS Liberty
Nor did wilfrcd Jordan. the erudite Gus.
todian and curator of Independence Hail.
appreciate the value OF his contribution to
the literature Of the Bell when he informed
me about q second Liberty Bell having been
east
And the cracked old thing. with her music
siIcnced forevcr--profcssiona bell ringers
and ''chimcrs' always speak Of n bell as Of
tho, fem'urc gcnder-ike a CALI .Curci.
with her vocal cords paralyzed, Is once
more in the limelight.
Now along comes IN. II. D. who asks
il ! viii not write something about bells?
Not the Encyclopaedia britannica stuff,
much less write about.
The queer things about bells: big and
little. odd unusual. frcakish, legendary and
In other words, a lesson in csmpsnolosy.
All right, NJ. K. d., here goes:
PELLS were known before the Jews went
- down into Egypt.
Ard yet they're mentioned IN only four
places IN the Bble--a'l in tho. Old Tesla
men.
The first bells were uscd for religious pur.
poses.
tr medieval churches they we're used to
frighten away the evil spirits that filled them
wncn services were not in progress.
>, Many old churches in Southern Europe
I've seen them in villages Of the Medltcr-
rancan country--have small door opening
to the north.
1t 10 said that centuries ago . bail would
he rlns during services, and then the door
"Sutd .s1,i ee opened for moment TO- give
Aa,d SD1tSu .rd &c ehance p, to & take e. air.
bells were rung as u protection against
thunder and lightning.
nGD you ever hear Of the villcla?
- 1'a the prophetic bel! oe Spain. and
they tell all sorts Of spookr thiags about It.
The natives in its vicinity assert that
when III" father OF the present King Of
Spain died tho bell ,ol!cd OF its own accord.
During the Spanish American War il
tollcd for Spanish defeat, two or three
strokes long before any news had come OF
Spanish reverse.
Russia Is the home of bells, but nothing
has been heard of tho Kremlin bell since
Lcninc and rrntzky got busy.
IL IS, Bnd was the coronation bell. II
world
Known MS tho Empcrors bell. It never
rang save In the Cars honor.
The bcl.ringer had life job
r. Bei"rT the great temple. Of Buddba. in
Toxic. Japan. is one Of the largest bells,
II not the largest, In the world.
1t is greater than the great bell Of Mos
COW, which stands in one OF the public
squares and is used a. n chapel.
Inc circumference of the Toxic bell at the
rim is Us feet. and i; is Il feet high.
DERlL>PS M. r. D." hns read Of tho
l. attempts Of fappers who wear sloppy
galoshes 10 introduce nov idea in the way
.! tinT be on the saSs.ng buckles.
Athough the news paragraphers tried TO
make II appear as an innovation, 1t Is old
stun. lloary with ngc---thet Is the idea.
Thirty five years ago the girls Of Boston
tried the scheme Of wearing little bells,
miniature sleigh bells. on their shoe tops.
IhcEr made tinkling sound as they
and purchased at the jewelers..
But the fNd died out in few months.
II didn't get as far as Chicago.
nCRlNG his lfc,ime--it was IN 1897
u Pope Leo NH bought md placed in
the Museum OF the Latcran, Rome. n very
rare bell.
It was found In the territory Of the valcl
and purchased in 1885 by citizen o.
Niterbo.
From the antique lettering on il it proved
20 be one OF the Oldest Christian church
bells in the world.
il dated back TO the eighth century. and
possibly before that.
The largest bell in this country today il
said 70 be the one hanging in the belfry Of
the Church Of st. Francis dc Sslcs, IN Gin
cinnati.
1t weighs 10000 pounds.
IT is not likely that any moro equally
|, large bells will be cast in this country.
a strong prejudice has grown up against
br!l- ringing on Sundays as we'll as other
days.
They annoy invadr and wake night
workers from their necessary daylight sleep
Anyhow. the multiplicity Of clocks and
watches renders their use a declining ne
cessity.
ka
~ Bell, which was rung with such iubila-
ton in Independence Square. was found
stuck IN back yard or under shed some.
wherc--or was II IN warehouse?
Which inspires the question. What has
becom. Of the famous Columbian Liberty
Bell OF thirty years age?
1t wns cast in Troy, y. Y. and paid for
| By public contributions In 1S00-p3
Enthusiastic people sent hcirooms Of gold
and silver TO be melted up and thus give It
a ''swecter tone
On june q. 1sa3. q large meeting was
| held in Independence Hall. II was th" in-
,rodurtory ceremonies 70 the casting Of the
! bell two days later.
The bell was cast and sent to The Chicago
| Expositon-and then it vanished, as
Al least nothing has been heard Of It for
! years.
| Where ;s it?
! Perhaps that Is tho bel whnh the Call
sornia lady in hcr !ettor TO Mayor Moore
sold Was being exhibited on the Coust at 80
| much per head.
| vTyHE inscription ON our Liberty Boil.
! / "Pror,am Liberty rAroughou, the land.
! c,c.. =" was placed there IN accordance ,v,tA
! the custom nf the '!m".
! Thofe Old EngisA hcll founders ru,
! text or motto or BIZ Of poetry on every bel!
/ they cas-.
On one of the chin" bells in St. Mchacl's