HISTORY OF BELLS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 151, 24 March 1876, Page 8

HISTORY OF BELLS.

The ' Iron Age ' contains the following interesting account of the history of bells : " The superstitions, romance and poetry associated with the history of bells render them a study of much interest. As far back as their use may be traced, we find that fancy and imagination have been constantly employed to express the many emotions awakened by their tones. A remarkable antiquity is ascribed to the use of bells. In Egypt the feast of Osiris, it is said, was proclaimed by the ringing of bells, and in Cairo, at the present time, girls are accustomed to wear strings of bells about their ankles, practices similar to which have no doubt existed in that country for a long time. Among the Hebrews bells were used in the time Aaron, whose vestment was ornamented with small gold bells intermixed with pomegranates. An old writer soleinly avers then even Noah employed such an instrument to call his carpenters to work on the ark. An old painting also represents King David as playing with a hammer upon a number of bells i before him. The authors of the works, however, must have drawn heavily upon their imagination. Bells hung on the necks of horses are also mentioned in the Bible by the prophet Zacariah. The ancient kings of Persia wore bells attached to their royal vestments. Bells were used by the ancient Greeks in their religious rites, and especially by the priests of Cybele. In time of war officers at certain times during the night went from sentinel to sentinel, ringing his bell, to which every sentry was obliged to respond. Accordi ing to the statement of iEschylus bells were concealed within the I shields of Grecian heroes. The "bellman" also marched before funeral processions ; and bells were also attrched to the necks of criminals to -warn the people to avoid the spectacle of a man going to his execution. At Rome they were in constant use in domestic life, to announce the hours of bathing, business, &c. Ancient | shepherds hung bells upon the necks of their flocks, the sound of which, it was supposed, helped them to become fat. The practice of attaching a bell to the leader of a flock is a very old one indeed. Balls have also been discovered among the I remains of many extinct tribes, such as Peruvians. It is thought | that the bells that are described in ancient records were probably ■ nothing more than little tinkling pieces of metal with no uni- ! formity of shape. The introduction of bells into Christendom is j generally ascribed to Paulinus, Bishop of Nole, in Campania j although it is stated by one writer that his part in the matter wassimply the suspension of a larje brass kettle, by striking which he announced tho time of prayers. During the sixth and seventh centuries the use of bells spread throughout Christendom, and about the year 600, Pope Sabinian ordained that the bells should be used to announce the hours of devotion. During this period, also, hand bells were used extensively. The hand bell said to have | belonged to St. Patrick -was made previous to the sixth century, i and is a four-sided boll mado of thin plates of iron, fastened with 1 rivets an-l brazed. It is still preserved in Belfast. ■ Church bells were introduced slowly, and those which were first made were of very small size. By the fifteenth century the art of founding had reached such excellence that bells of lar^e dimensions were cast, as a bell cast m Paris iv 1472 weighed -b,QUQ pounds. The introduction of church towers was probably toeval with that of church bells, the Avord belfry, indeed, being a i ompound of two Saxon words, bel and /rede. The ancient bellfounders of England were an itinerant class of people, and frequently of doubtful character. There were certain ones, however, who ranked among the respectables, and even the wealthy classes of society.