stirring music. Among a hundred different observances bells are the one link that unites all Christendom into one worshipful band on the 25th of December, proclaiming for this one day at least the universal brotherhood of man.

The story of the bell is a part of the history of the church further back than the beginning of the Christian era. There are frequent mention of bells in the Old Testament. The Book of Exodus gives probably the earliest mention of bells in its allusion to six golden ones which tinkled around the vestments of Levitical High Priest. There is another reason for them in the words of the prophet Zachariah, who speaks of the harness of horses being adorned with them. Turning from sacred to profane literature, we find small bells spoken of by Euripides and by Aristophanes. Plutarch refers to them in his Life of Brutus and Virgil in his Georgics.

The researches of antiquarians have brought to light facts which indisputably prove the early use of bells. Bronze and iron bells were found by Layard in his excavations of Nimrod and very ancient examples have been met with in various places in the far East; while turning to the far West we have instances of copper bells found in ancient Peruvian tombs. Curious. ly enough there appears to be no proof that bells were used at all in Egypt.

There is no trustworthy evidence of the use of really large bells before the dawn of Christianity, and they owe their existence to Christian influences. The credit of the invention has been given to Paulinus, Bishop of Nola in Campania, who lived about 400 A. D. From about that date notices of the use of bells become frequent.

In England the Venerable Bede refers to church bells, and it is a matter of record that in 980 the Abbot of Croyland placed a peal of bells in his abbey; but it was not until after the Reformation that bells were placed in all the churches, and the custom of ringing them on all Church festivals caused England to be known as the land of bells and bell-ringers.

Bell music seems to have a particular charm for northern peoples, and the great bell countries of Europe are Russia, Belgium and England. Russia is the land of big bells. In the city of Moscow there are over four hundred bells, which join their voices in a single grand harmony on the great festivals of the Church. They range from the little two-foot bells of some of the smaller peals to the mighty bell of St. Ivan's Church, which weighs fifty-seven tons. Larger even than this, though it has long been silent, is the great bell which stands in the courtyard of the Kremlin, the largest ever cast. bell was made for the Empress Anne in

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1734. It is 21 feet high, 67 feet in circumference, and weighs 198 tons. While it was being hung it crashed to the ground, and a huge piece was cracked from one side. The bell is now used as a chapel, the broken piece doing service as a door.

America is a true daughter of England in the matter of bells, and she may well be proud of some of her iron throated minstrels. The bells at Old Christ Church, Philadelphia, have welcomed many a famous visitor. Their voices joined with that of Liberty in 1776, in proclaiming independence throughout the land. The bells of the Old North Church in Boston were hung in 1744. They are associated with the name of Paul Revere. It was from their tower that the signal flashed which sent him galloping through Medford town on the day of Lexington. They also pealed a welcome to Lafayette when the great Frenchman visited America in 1824.

Bell metal consists of a compound of copper and tin, usually three parts of copper to one of tin in small bells, and four parts of copper to one of tin in large bells. If the amount of tin be increased the bell becomes more brittle, but if the copper be in excess the bril liancy of its tone is damaged. Sometimes small quantities of zinc and iron are added. It is a popular superstitution that a bell of specially sweet tone owes its excellence to the presence of a quantity of silver in its composition, but it is asserted by experts that the employment of silver would have precisely the contrary effect on the tone of the bell to that which tradition assigns to it, silver being in its nature too closely allied to lead to permit of use in this case.

In ancient days when the art of bell casting was still retained in the hands of the ecclesiastics, the furnace and the castings were blessed, which must have been a picturesque scene. It usually takes seven or eight hours to heat the metal and it does not take as many minutes to run it into the cope even where the bell is a large one. Then follows a time of keen anxiety in the foundry, specially if the work be one of unusual size and importance. Six days are usually allowed to elapse before the metal is touched. The bell is then put in a temporary frame to undergo the ordeal of testing the tone. It is then carefully finished and tuned. If the notes struck out be too flat a portion of the edge of the bell is cut away, thus reducing the diameter. If it be too sharp, the thickness of the sound-bow is reduced. Nowadays the bell is turned in a specially designed lathe, the bell being secured to the face plate, and the requisite amount of metal can be cut away with the greatest accuracy. Where the bell is to form a part of a chime, it must be tuned so as to accord with the others.

S.B

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'ROM an elocutionary standpoint, the Chautauqua season of 1899 was comprehensive. Within a month all the changes from farce comedy to heavy tragedy were rung by professional, amateur and author readers. During the last week of July, Mr. Edward P. Elliott, of Boston, gave two readings, "Captain Captain Lettarblair," and "Christopher, Jr." An an introduction to the second reading, Mr. Elliott said that he had been asked why he had chosen to present such light, frivolous dramas, and, by way of reply, defined his motive and aim as an entertainer, saying that life, at its brightest, is all too serious, that the shadows are many and the heartaches sore, and that to furnish an hour of innocent mirth and temporarily relieve the strain of care and toil is a motive sufficiently high to satisfy his ambition and justify the presentation of comedies light as air. He came not to teach a lesson but to produce a laugh, and this he did. When humor became strained, grimaces were stretched and the laugh followed after.

Undoubtedly Mr. Elliott accomplished his mission. But a look through critical glasses revealed a man awkward in pose and gesture, whose attitude and voice were in full keeping with the wide lateral base of his feet. He was silly, rather than funny; buffoonish, rather than humorous.

On the morning following Mr. Elliott's second reading, Prof. S. H. Clark, of the University of Chicago, gave the first of a series of lectures on "The Meaning and Purpose of Tragedy," which, after the manner of Mr. Elliott, was prefaced by a few words explanatory of his fondness for tragedy. It seemed as though each man admitted himself to be so entirely an extremist that a few modest strokes in self-defense were not only justified but expected. The hour which followed was one long to be remembered as an hour of pleasure and profit. We saw a man of graceful, dignified bearing, at ease with himself and his audience to such an extent that, even through critical glasses, no trace either of embarrassment or arrogance was perceptible. We heard, through the medium of a well modulated voice, the earnest, thoughtful deductions of one who had held close intercourse with both literature and the human soul. We felt a profounder respect and admiration for the tragedy poets, and, to some degree, the spiritual uplift and encouragement which Mr. Clark would have us ascribe to them as the lofty motive of their work.

One of the things which first impresses a new-comer at Chautauqua is the multitude of serious, care-worn faces, beaming with intelligence, but stamped with the unmistakable signs of the wear and tear of life's struggle. True, one sees, now and then, a butterfly, but it seems almost out of place, for even the young people bear the worker's impress. It would be hard to find an audience better prepared to accord a sympathetic hearing to Mr. Clark's earnest lecture. Many an eye paid its tribute in tears, and in many hearts there was an echo to the words of one little woman who was enjoying a four days' vacation-"That lecture was just what I needed. It alone has paid me for the trip to Chautauqua."

Mr. Clark called attention to the fact that the world's greatest poets have chosen tragedy as the vehicle for the expression of their thoughts and feelings. By way of illustration, reference was made to the tragedies of Macbeth, Antigone, Cordelia. It was announced that Mr. Clark would read "King Lear" in the amphitheatre, on the following Monday night, and a season of keen anticipation intervened.

The hour came, a large audience assembled, the reader appeared; but what a change had taken place! Surely this is not the self-possessed man who so recently held us spell-bound in "The Hall in the Grove!" To-night he is painfully nervous, the arms seem ill at ease, and the hands vibrate from side to desk alternately and without reason. Perhaps our glasses need adjusting. We try them again and again, it is of no avail. They will not conjure up a successful illusion. They persistently reveal a failure.

An interesting feature of lectures and entertainments is the comments one hears as the audience is dispersing. Upon this occasion two things were noticeable-first, the lack of comment; second, the lack of definite point to the expressions of approval which were heard. Later on, the writer was interested in gathering and comparing impressions from many persons of varying grades of culture and, therefore, feels safe in concluding that the most vivid impressions produced by the story of Lear were the folly of the father in disposing of all his worldly goods and relying upon the mercy of his children, and the loyal friendship of Kent; not the grief of the fatber at the loss, as he supposed, of a daughter's love; and the self-sacrifice of Cordelia on the altar of filial devotion. In fact, Cordelia was so vaguely presented in this arrangement of

the play as to be scarcely worth remembering. Furthermore, some who confessed to being rusty in their Shakespeare complained that it was a difficult matter to clearly recall the plot and get the "'run of the story." What must it have been to those who could not claim to have once known the story. We hold that, at the very least, a reader on a public platform should give so clear a version of the piece of literature he presents that the plot shall be intelligible to one who hears it for the first time. In the lecture-room, among selected audiences, this is not necessary. We may here pre-suppose on the part of the hearer a familiarity with the text which can not be counted upon in a public audience-even at Chautauqua.

During the week, Mr. Clark gave, in his class-room, a series of interpretative recitals to which the lecture on "The Meaning and Purpose of Tragedy" was an introduction. The series comprised: George Eliot's "Spanish Gypsy," a tragedy of the conflict between love and duty; Sophocles' "Antigone,' a tragedy of devotion; Shakespeare's "King Lear," a tragedy of filial love; Shakespeare's 'Macbeth," a tragedy of the will.

To any student of literature these recitals could not fail to be interesting and helpful. The portions of the text were, as a rule, read hurriedly and in a somewhat introspective manner, as of one reading aloud to himself, but we were drawn, not so much to hear the reading, as the analytical interpretation. Of this we can only speak in the highest terms. Mr. Clark is one who thinks boldly, decides firmly, and states clearly his deductions. The sincerity of his convictions is no small factor in the success of his work, but it is the running commentary that charms and inspires us.

As an expounder of tragedy, Mr. Clark takes high rank; as a reader of tragedy, he falls below our standard. In scenes of deepest passion face and voice suggest the rage of a wild beast, rather than a human being and become almost repulsive. In the portrayal of pathos there is too often suggested the uncontrolled blubbering of a school boy, rather than the deeper grief and emotion of maturity. In the case of Lear this might be excused on the plea of tottering reason, but in the other readings referred to there was no excuse apparent.

Yet once again did Mr. Clark come prominently before us in a morning reading in "The Hall in the Grove." The program consisted of the following selections from Kipling's poems: "If Blood be the Price of Admiralty," "The Coastwise Lights of England," "Omer," " Tommy," "Soldier

an' Sailor too," "The Recessional," "The Song of the Banjo," "Cholera Camp," "Gunga Din," "Mandalay," "Fuzzy-Wuzzy," and "When Earth's Last Picture is Painted." A finer example of perfect harmony between author and reader could scarcely be found. Whether gay or serious, there is a peculiar swing to a Kipling poem that finds hearty response in Mr. Clark. This was strikingly observed in the ready adaptation to the tales of Tommy Atkins, a character not easy to impersonate. When, upon this occasion, Mr. Clark made his final bow to the As sembly of 1899, he left an audience which might well congratulate itself upon having heard Kipling at his best, for never, we are convinced, will he have a better interpreter than Mr. Clark.

Miss

Miss Katherine E. Oliver who has a wellearned and enviable reputation as a reader of Scotch dialect, provided two pleasant evenings by her recitals of Mrs. Burnett's story, "That Lass O' Lowrie's," and Barrie's story, The Little Minister." Each had been most excellently arranged by Miss Oliver in dramatic form. The story was clearly and forcibly told by the various characters, with fewer and shorter connecting links of explanation than in any similar work to which we have listened, and was given with entire freedom from notes. The dialect had the true flavor of the native Scotch. The characters were well conceived and distinctly drawn. There was no trace of overdoing, nor straining for effect. Oliver is a rather fragile looking little woman of modest unassuming manner, but of gentle dignity withal. She had a good story to tell, and was prepared to tell it in a simple, earnest way. The general effect was so pleasing that we almost wished we had forgotten to bring along our critical glasses, and with reluctance were they used. For one so thin the wearing of sleeves was a sign of good taste which might well have been exercised in covering the neck also. The eye would be further pleased by a fuller cultivation of the body in curved lines; and the ear, by increased flexibility and range of voice. The movements were seldom truly graceful, and the voice was often flat, lacking in resonance and carrying power.

This type of reading does not aim simply to while away an evening and give a merry time, nor does it attempt to arouse serious thinking and teach noble lessons. It has for its mission a golden mean. It brings, in pleasant manner and condensed form, a piece of worthy literature to the attention of many people too busy to read the whole story for themselves, and yet longing to keep in touch with the literary gossip of the day; and it aids others who have read to a

clearer understanding of the story and the style of its author.

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Cyrano de Bergerac" and "An Aldrich Hour" were presented by Mrs. Bertha KunzBaker. Like Miss Oliver, Mrs. Baker possesses masterly skill in arrangement. One has but to compare the scene, At the Poet's Eating House," published in WERNER'S MAGAZINE for July, with the same portion in the translation by Thomas and Guillemard, Renauld, or Hall to be convinced of the excellent taste of Mrs. Baker in her condensation of the play for the reading platform. The same skill was in evidence in several numbers of the second program which opened with "The Hazing of Valiant," by Jessie Lynch Williams, and "How Gavin Birse Put It to Mag Lownie," by J. M. Barrie; and was followed by four numbers from the pen of Thomas Bailey Aldrich: "The Lady of Castelnore," "Goliath," "In an Atelier" and "A Midnight Fantasy."

Mrs. Baker is a powerful reader whose best qualities are strength of body and keenness of intellect. Nature has endowed her with an attractive face, a fine form, a royal bearing, which impresses one as being kingly rather than queenly, as she strides across the platform with masculine swing and heavy step. There is a superabundance of vital force. The gestures, however, are abrupt and often meaningless. The favorite one is a lateral thrusting out of the arm with the hand, carried stiffly upon the wrist, showing thumb and two fingers widely extended and third and fourth fingers doubled back upon the palm. This is freely repeated even when the head is bent over the desk. It is for this very defect that elocutionists have heaped scornful criticism upon the head of the reading minister. The voice is naturally heavy, but lacks the control of cultivation. It is so magnificent both in quality and quantity that it is recklessly wasted rather than skilfully used. Mrs. Baker reads rapidly, hurriedly, impulsively. One feels continually impressed with the thought that her's is superb but untamed talent.

Two readers whom we feel safe in placing on the amateur list were Miss Marion Jean Craig, and Miss Daisy Rickenbrode, of Mayville, N. Y. The former read with orchestral accompaniment the lines of the oratorio, The Dream of Jubal," by McKenzie; and the latter recited "Lily Servosse's Ride," by Tourgee, at the opening camp-fire of the Chautauqua County Veterans Union. Miss Craig had a difficult and rather thankless task to perform. She has a fine presence, and has mastered that most difficult feat of standing still. Had

the torso and head but conformed to the law of opposition, the effect would have been very pleasing. Her voice is full and deep, but lacks the flexibility and tone-coloring so necessary to the best results with musical accompaniment. Now and then the voice seemed involuntarily to break forth in sweet accord with the spirit of the poem and the rhythm of the music, but it was rigidly forced back into a measured monotone.

Miss Rickenbrode possesses a voice of excellent carrying power which was easily heard to the very outskirts of the amphithe ater, a tribute earned by very few. She is earnest in manner, but has too literally accepted as a gesture motto, "suit the action to the word." Her audience was small and almost entirely composed of enthusiastic G. A. R. men. The recitation was near the close of the program and, at its conclusion, a man at the rear shouted forth his approval in no uncertain tones, saying: "That piece ought to be spoke to an audience of five thousand. It was the best thing of the evening."

Preceding this camp-fire Mr. John Kendrick Bangs, of New York, had given the second reading from his own writings. The first program was interspersed with music, Mr. Bangs giving three numbers: "The Idiot" discusses "Robert Elsmere" and incidentally reveals the fact that he is a poet -from "Coffee and Repartee;" "Van Bibber and His Pumps;" and the chapter "As to Saurians and Others," from HouseBoat on the Styx." The second program was arranged in two parts of three numbers each. Part First: From "The Idiot," the chapter which discusses the discovery of America by Columbus; Poem, "A Change of Ambition;" a Christmas story, "The Mystery of My Grandmother's Hair Sofa." Part Second: "An Interview with Gen. Weyler "-from a book entitled Peeps at People," written by Miss Witherup and edited by Mr. Bangs: "Some Theories Darwinian and Otherwise," from House Boat on the Styx;" and a short poem on the "Rough Riders." The brilliant little jokes, which served as introduction and connecting links throughout each program, were quite as much enjoyed as the readings themselves. In fact, viewed merely as a reader Mr. Bangs has little in his favor. The chief difficulty is indistinctness of utterance, Even within moderate range of the stage it required painfully close attention to hear all that was said. But Mr. Bangs is so genial in manner, and so clever in putting his audience in a good humor that he is, after all, what we term, in these days of slang, "taking."

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ECOND only to Mirabeau's on the role of French orators is the name of Gambetta Of Genoese Jewish extraction, although born in France, he rose to be universally recognized as one of the greatest of French lawyers, forensic orators and writers. In 1859 he was admitted to the Paris bar, and soon began to attract attention as counsel for the defense in cases of political prosecution. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1864 and became a bitter enemy of the Second Empire. The country was almost ready for a revolution. The glories of the Crimean and Italian wars had become dim, and the disastrous Mexican expedition enraged the populace against Napoleon III. Gambetta's opportunity soon occurred. Upon the death of Baudin, the deputy who had tried to shield the people from the Imperialist troops on that memorable Dec. 2, 1851, Le Reveil opened up a subscription for a monument to him. Delescluze, the editor, was at once prosecuted. Gambetta defended him. In the speech for the defense (Nov. 14, 1868), which has been characterized as "a torrent of eloquence unparalleled for impetuosity and daring since the days of Mirabeau," the orator really ignored his text and attacked the authors of "the 2nd of December." Before a perfect mob of opponents whose shouts and execrations even in the court, scarcely permitted him to be heard, he exclaimed:

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'Why talk here of plebiscites and ratifying clauses? No; you shall not, you can not have that satisfaction. For such a cause there exists no court of appeals. It has been judged already yesterday. It will be judged to-morrow, and the day after, and forever, until justice shall have received her supreme satisfaction. The cause of December 2nd, do what you may, will survive indelible in Paris, in London, in Berlin, in New York, and the verdict of the human conscience every where will be the same. But our adversaries have, besides, another accuser. Hearken! For seventeen years you have been the absolute masters of France. We would not ask what use you have made of her treasures, her blood, her honor, her glory; nor speak of her integrity jeopardized, or of what has become of the fruits of her industry; for no one needs to be told of the financial catastrophies now, at this very moment, springing as mines beneath our feet. Your most relentless accuser, because it is the attestation of your own remorse, is the fact that you have never dared to say, We will celebrate, we will add to the list of solemnities in France, the 2nd of December as a national anniversary!' Yet each successive régime in our country has so honored the day of its birth. July

14th and Aug. 1oth have had their fêtes: and the days of July 1830, and February 24th in like manner. Two anniversaries onlythe 18th Brumaire and 2nd of Decemberhave never been included among the solemnities of accession; for you know that the nation could not in conscience sanction them. Hear, then! that anniversary, which you have neglected, we will take for ourselves. We will celebrate it year after year and it shall be the anniversary of our dead, until the day when the nation, once more in possession of her sovereignty, shall visit upon you the great national expiation in the name of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity."

This was delivered with all the orator's splendid force and charm, and the effect was powerful, although Delescluze was not acquitted.

He

Es

Gambetta vigorously opposed the war with Germany, but, after hostilities had begun, he as vigorously preached guerre à l'outrance. As member of the Provisional Government for the National Defense, he signed Jules Favre's proposition declaring the Napoleonic dynasty at an end. then became Minister of the Interior. caping from Paris which was then invested by the Germans, in a balloon, he came down at Tours and at once assumed the war portfolio. This gave him almost unlimited power and he became practical dictator. The capitulation of Metz he denounced as treasonable on the part of Bazaine. In 1871 he resigned his cabinet positions. He opposed MacMahon, during the latter's presidency and demanded his resignation on the ground that he was not supported by the majority of Frenchmen. This was the occasion of his famous speech closing with the words: Il faudra se soumettre ou se demettre"-"he must quit or submit." Gambetta was several times prosecuted for his speeches. For one address he was imprisoned for three months and fined $500.

He was an opportunist in philosophy and politics. As to his views on these subjects, he once said:

"I deny the absolute in all things, so you may well imagine I will not admit it in politics. I am of a school that believes only in relation, analysis and observation, the examination of facts, the comparison and combination of ideas; a school that takes into account mediums, races, tendencies, prejudices and antagonisms. Politics are not nor can they be, always the same."

Gambetta died in 1882, at the age of 44. Our cover picture this month is from a photograph of the principal group on the base of the monument erected to him in Paris.