THE CORNELL CHIME REDEDICATION OCTOBER, 1908 THIS CHIME WAS MANUFACTURED BY Meneely & Co. ANDREW H. MENEELY, President 1535-1537 BROADWAY, WATERVLIET, N. Y., U. S. A. FORMERLY WEST TROY, N. Y. Successor to the Old Meneely Bell Foundry Business ESTABLISHED 1826 THE CORNELL CHIME ANDREW DICKSON WHITE A brief History of the Bells 4> _ ""**>* 4 me »» 9 ^ TOGETHER WITH SOME DESCRIPTION AND THE PROGRAMS OF THE CONCERTS AT THEIR REDEDICATION, OCTOBER, 1908 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/cornellchimebrieOOwhit THE BELIES ON THEIR FRAME IN THE FOUNDRY Copyright 1905, F. P. Lotz THE CORNELL UNIVERSITY BELLS Amid all the doubts and worries of the early days of Cornell University nothing inspired more hope and cheer than the gift of its chime. It came most unexpectedly. On a pleasant September morning there appeared, in the little public library which Mr. Cornell had founded in Ithaca, Miss Jennie McGraw, who, finding President White at work among the newly arrived books temporarily stored there, asked him some kindly questions and was shown some of the volumes most likely to interest her. Next day word reached the President that she was greatly pleased with what she had seen and wished to make to the new institution some gift showing this feeling. The result was a suggestion from him to the late Judge Finch that such a gift might take the form of a chime of bells, and the Judge, entering into this idea fully, conveyed it to the young lady, who instantly accepted it. One great difficulty stood in the way. Only about a fortnight remained before the formal opening of the University, at which a great concourse of men of light and leading from all parts of the union was to be present. But the order was at once given by tele- graph to the old Meneely firm at Watervliet, near Troy, and on the afternoon of the 6th of October, 1868, the bells, having been placed in a temporary wooden tower on the site of the present library, were formally rung for the first time, addresses being made by Judge Finch, Senator Andrews, Lieutenant-Governor Woodford, Mr. Weaver, state super- intendent of public instruction, Professor Agassiz and Mr. George William Curtis. The chime then consisted of nine bells in the key of G, bearing a gift inscription and the following from Tennyson's "In Memoriam," cvi : Ring out the old, ring in the new ; Ring out the faese, ring in the true. Ring out the grief that saps the mind, Ring in redress to aee mankind. Ring out a seowly dying cause, And ancient forms of party strife : Ring in the nobeer modes of eife With sweeter manners, purer eaws. Ring out false pride in peace and beood ; Ring in the common eove of good. Ring out the seander and the spite ; Ring in the eove of truth and right. Ring out the narrowing eust of goed, Ring out the thousand wars of oed. Ring out oed shapes of foue disease; Ring in the thousand years of peace. Ring in the valiant man and free. The larger heart, the kindlier hand ; Ring out the darkness of the land ; Ring in the Christ that is to be. One year later, a tenth bell, weighing nearly five thousand pounds, in the key of D, was added by the President of the University in behalf of Mrs. Mary A. White, bearing, in addition to her name, inscriptions as follows, the quatrain being written for the bell by James Russell Lowell, who was at that time one of the non-resident professors of the University. The significance of his verse and of the selection from the psalms was derived from the fact that the bell was to become the clock bell of the University on which the hours were to be struck. "TO TELL OF THY LOVING-KINDNESS EARLY IN THE MORNING And of thy truth in the night-season/' "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." I call as fly the irrevocable hours, Futile as air or strong as fate to make Your lives of sand or granite ; awful powers, Even as men choose, they either give or take. CASES AND CORES IN THE FOUNDRY Photo by F. P. Eotz THE REBUILT CHIME In June, 1908, the bells were taken down by Meneely & Co., of Watervliet, N. Y., successors to the firm that supplied the original ten bells, and were shipped back to the foundry whence they came. There the chime was reconstructed to bring the number of bells to fourteen. Each of the old bells was dropped one tone in name. That is, the largest bell, which was formerly called D, but which was D flat, international pitch, was called C, concert pitch, and the largest bell of the nine bells given by Jennie McGraw, called G, became F. These two bells were not recast and are the original bells with their dedicatory inscriptions in relief upon them. The other bells are new or recast and have their inscriptions engraved upon them. The new inscriptions, on the upper four bells are as follows : THE HUMAN MIND BEAUTY On Earth there is nothing great but Man a thing of Beauty is a Joy forever. In Man there is nothing great but Mind. KNOWLEDGE VIRTUE Whatsoever things are True, Honest, Just, Pure, Lovely, Happy is the man that findeth Wisdom of Good Report; And the man that getteth Understanding. if there be any Virtue, and Praise, think on these things. DESCRIPTION OF THE BELLS The chime is approximately in the key of C, concert pitch, as follows c D E F n G A Bb B C c# D E F I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 IO ii 12 i3 14 With this series of bells, airs may be played in the keys of C, G, D and F major, and in their relative minors. This gives the chime an exceptionally wide range. The weights of the several bells are : C 4830 lbs. G 1350 lbs. C# 554 lbs. D 3167 " A 950 " D 472 " E 2151 " Bb 799 " E 33 6 " F 1720 " B 683 " F 310 " F# 1579 " C 595 " Total 19496 " With the frame, mountings, and complete appliance, the weight aggregates over twenty- six thousand pounds. It is believed that as now reconstituted, the Cornell chime represents the ideal equip- ment for its purpose. The number and weight of the bells are such as to allow of a great variety in programs and to insure richness of tone and great carrying power. It is difficult to see how the chime could be further changed for the better. More bells or greater weight would give little advantage. With more bells the difference in quality between the small and large bells would be unpleasantly noticeable. If the bells were all larger and the general pitch lowered in consequence, the bells could be heard no farther away, and many of the most beautiful tunes would be played in too low a key. With the present set of bells, the chime in the tower of the Cornell University Library leaves little to be desired. CHIMING STAND IN CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY TOWER PROGRAMS OF INAUGURAL CONCERTS BY IT. G. BUI,!., '08, CHIMKMASTKR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1908 Ein' Feste Burg America Alma Mater Flemming 10:35 A. M. Holy, Holy, Holy Portuguese Hymn Love Divine Old Hundred Jubilate Deo The Holy City My Faith Looks up to Thee 2:55 P. M. Peace O Jesus, Thou Art Standing Face to Face MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1908 7:45 A. M. i :oo p m. Cornell Changes Morgenroth The Mermaid Spanish Cavalier Santa Lucia 5:30 p- Alma Mater Mistress Mine 1 Arise from Dreams of Thee Killarney Cornell Changes Alma Mater The Big Red Team M. All through the Night Land o' the Leal Sweet and Low Alumni Song The Evening Song Cornell Song of the Classes Crew vSong PRACTICE CHIMING STAND (At present in Goldwin Smith Hall. # # €f^ PRESS OF ANDRUS i. CHURCH ITHACA, N. Y. ;<0