570 
 35 
 D6 S5 
 
 »py 1 Ibe Masbinoton 
 Ipeace Carillon 
 
 B JSrocbure ■(f55ue^ bi^ 
 Xovcrs of tbe Bells anO 
 DeMcateD to ©tbers of 
 Hbeir ^f^in^. 'S^onc in tbe 
 Interest of a (3reater 
 masbtnoton. 
 
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 lH^iT'llF'V"'^ ■ GHENT 
 
 {Rt-engraVfd Jnm B:!s'an Towers CaL ndar 
 Courtrsv cf IVilliam Gorham Rice) 
 
 0bcnt 
 
 Whose carillon of 52 bells has given joy to many thous- 
 ands. In December, 1 8 14, these bells lang out at the sign- 
 ing of the treaty of peace between the United States and 
 Great Britain, and but for the outbreak of the great war, 
 would in 1914 have celebrated the completion of a hundred 
 years of unbroken peace between the two nations. 
 
 A%th6r 
 
A PEACE CARILLON 
 
 By 
 
 J. Marion Shull 
 
 Silent are the chnrch towers of Flanders 
 and Artois, the belfries of Donai and Brnges. 
 Tliey have been robbed of their treasures, 
 those bells that for hundreds of years have 
 pealed forth the hopes and aspirations of the 
 surrounding countryside. These bells have 
 suffered desecration, their nolile metal recast 
 for purposes of war and their erstwhile melo- 
 dious tongues constrained to speak the rau- 
 cous tones of battle in behalf of barbarian 
 hosts. But now that it is within our power 
 let us give them liack to civilization. From 
 the metal of captured enemy cannon let there 
 be cast the most wonderful carillon of bells 
 of which the world's best makers are capable, 
 and let these be duplicated in sufficient num- 
 bers that the capital city of each of the great 
 
 * Published originally in the Boston Transcript for Nov. 29, 
 1918, and subsequently appearing in many other publica- 
 tions, including the IVashington Star, Dec. 1, and the Liter- 
 arn Digsst of Dec. 14, following. 
 
4. THR WASHINGTON PEACE CARILEOJN 
 
 allied nations may be provided with a set of 
 these "peace bells." 
 
 The architects of all the world would vie 
 with one another to see that in each of these 
 cities should arise a magnificent bell tower to 
 house this carillon, a splendid example of fit- 
 ting architecture, worthy of the theme com- 
 memorated. No doubt, some modern Giotto 
 would emerge to give the world a master- 
 piece in stone, which would gather to itself 
 tradition from the past and build tradition for 
 the years to come. Incorporate within its 
 walls, perhaps, some block from shattered 
 Rheims, from Amiens and Arras ; another 
 from the ruined treasures of Louvain, and so 
 perpetuate the glory of those sacred heaps of 
 stone now tumbled in confusion by the ruth- 
 less hand of hate. Then, too, some vi lage 
 on the Marne, where first the invading hosts 
 were halted and turned back, might honor 
 thus and in its turn be honored l>y one memo- 
 rial stone in this great monument to peace. 
 
 Bells have been cast from cannon in the 
 past. More than two hundred years ago, in 
 1710, the Emperor Joseph I, of Austria, had 
 a great l)ell cast from Turkish cannon and 
 placed in the tower of St. Stephen's at Vienna. 
 This, known as the emperor bell, or some- 
 times called the Josephine bell, weighed sev- 
 enteen tons. But this, although it symbolized 
 a triumph of the Christian over the Turk, was 
 also meant to glorify the emperor's military 
 might. It spoke of insolent pride, not peace 
 and good will, and furnished an example for . 
 Emperor William in 1873. Read now the 
 arrogant inscription that winds in three en- 
 circling lines about this later emperor bell, 
 so named in honor of Emperor William, who 
 had it cast from twenty cannon taken from 
 the French in 1870, and hung in the tower of 
 
•i-:aciv c.\rii,L().\ 
 
 Cologne Cathedral. The original is in Latin, 
 l)ut is translated thus : 
 
 "William, tlie m( st illustrious Emperor of 
 Germany and King of Prussia, in pious re- 
 memhrance of the heavenly aid granted him 
 in the fortunate course and conclusion of the 
 last French war, has ordered, after the resto- 
 ration of the German empire, a bell to be cast 
 from the captured cannon, of the weight of 
 50,000 pounds, which is to be suspended in the 
 house of God, now nearly completed. In ac- 
 cordance with this pious desire of the victo- 
 rious prince, the society formed for the com- 
 pletion of the cathedral has caused it to be 
 cast, under Roman Pontifif Pius IX and the 
 Archhishop of Cologne, Paul Melchers, in the 
 year of our Lord 1874." 
 
 And underneath the (^icrman imperial coat 
 of arms occurs this ver'^e, here freely trans- 
 lated: 
 
 "Emperor" Bell I am named. 
 The Emperor's name make famed. 
 
 On holy ward I stand 
 
 For German Fatherland. 
 I pray, God grant it hence 
 Peace, welfare, and defense. 
 
 Was it with ^-omething of intuitive appre- 
 ciation of Prussian character on the part of 
 the designer of this bell that the si.\ arms that 
 form the crown are decorated with angels' 
 heads above, and end where they join the 
 bell in lions' feet? Why, a whole sermon 
 could lie preached on this alone ! The saintly, 
 sacred, outward seeming, Init, underlying all, 
 the Beast ! And did those lions' claws but 
 typify the grasping spirit of the Prussian 
 war-lord? And the bell, France, that he 
 would grasT entire and sway or strike at will? 
 
6. THF, WASHIN(;T0N PlvACF, CARILLON 
 
 Perhaps even then some Fate foresaw the 
 jangling discord of the last few j^ears and as 
 a symbol and a prophe:y caused the great bell 
 to come from the founder's hand C-sharp in- 
 stead of C, and, therefore, not in tune with 
 the other bells of the cathedral ! 
 
 Again, in 1887, no less than twenty-two 
 French guns were used to cast the "Gloricsa," 
 another great bell that was raised with much 
 ceremony to its place in Cologne Cathedral, 
 there to join the "Emperor" bell in a clan- 
 gorous derision of defeated and humiliated 
 France. 
 
 We hold Cologne, at lea-^t until the accept- 
 ance of our terms of peace liy the now de- 
 feated Germany. Why should we not exact 
 the restitution of these bells to now triumph- 
 ant France? War-lust created them, and thus 
 far they have known no other theme than 
 praise of then- creator. Let's melt them 
 down and give them back to France, recast 
 for nobler use and given tongues of peace: 
 or break them into bits and let a portion go 
 to each and every one of our Peace carillons, 
 there to proclaim throughout the world tht 
 triumph of a great and glorious cause. 
 
 Imagine, then, thc'-e carillons complete a:id 
 carried high aloft within their towers, there 
 to speak forth from year to year the nation's 
 joys and sorrows: a pasan of thanksgiving 
 now; again a vesper service soft and sweet, 
 or, when we pay our loving tril)ute to the 
 nation's dead, a solemn dirge shall waft 
 across the river and like a benediction fall 
 upon the hushed and reverent throng. On 
 every state occasion they would serve : at our 
 inaugurals, give farewell thanks to the de- 
 parting president and loyal greetings to the 
 newly chosen chief: do homage to the great 
 of foreign lands and ring glad welcome when 
 
A IM'.ACl' CARJLLON 7 
 
 thev come to us from overseas ; would cele- 
 brate the nation's birth with jubilant peal on 
 peal ; and on the anniversary of that Novem- 
 lier day that marked the final triumph of 
 Humanity, let there lie rung from all the 
 capitals a grand Tc Dciini of World Brother- 
 hood. 
 
 And so in fancy let us dedicate these 
 carillons to Peace, and say with Tennyson : 
 
 Ring out, wild liells. to the wild sky, 
 The flying cloud, the frosty light ; 
 The year is dying in the night ; 
 
 Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. 
 
 Ring out a slowly dying cause, 
 
 And ancient forms of party strife; 
 Ring in the nobler modes of life. 
 
 With sweeter manners, purer laws. 
 
 Ring out false pride in place and l)lood 
 The civic slander and the spite ; 
 Ring in the love of truth and right. 
 
 Ring in the common love of good. 
 
 Ring out old shapes of foul disease ; 
 
 Ring out the narrowing lust of gold ; 
 
 Ring out the thousand wars of old. 
 Ring in the thousand years of peace. 
 
A MEMORIAL BUILDING^WITH BELL 
 TOWER AND PEACE CARILLON. 
 
 A CONCRETE STATEMENT LOOKING TO THE PRAC- 
 TICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE IDEA PRE- 
 SENTED IN THE FOREGOING PAG.'.S : 
 
 OBJECT: ^t 's here proposed tliat in the city of 
 Washington there shall be erected a national me- 
 morial to commemorate the heroes and events of 
 the great war, seeking to keep the chief emphasis 
 on the esthetic and moral side rather than on that 
 (if physical triumph of armed force. 
 
 DESCRIPTION: A memorial building of monu- 
 
 mental architectural proportions, to include as an 
 essential embellishment a bell-tower at least 200 
 feet high to the bells and of sufficient lateral di- 
 mensions to provide a bell-chamber 25 feet square. 
 
 COST OF MEMORIAL BUILDING: it is proposed 
 
 tliat the cost .shall nui exceed fs-oo^^iOOo, lo bo 
 appropriated by an Act of Congrtss fcr such Pur- 
 pose. (If the memorial were in the form of a bell- 
 tower only, the cost should be b;tween one and 
 two million dollars.) 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF CARILLON: T">s sliould con 
 
 sist of al)out 51) perftctly tvmed bells, giving a 
 range of four octaves or thereabout, and a com- 
 plete playing mechanism for both concert and 
 automatic play. 
 
 MATERIAL FOR BELLS: t^op.er to the extent 
 
 of 60.000 pounds, sufficient for a carillon of 50 
 bells, would be derived from captured enemy war 
 materials. (In the absence of bronze cannon among 
 the American captures, this copper would be obtain- 
 able from 86,000 pounds of shell-cases, to be fur- 
 nished by the War Department at the direction of 
 Congress.) The requisite tin, some 15,000 pounds, 
 might best be supplied under terms cf coniract by 
 the bell founders 
 
 COST OF CARILLON: Such a carillon complete 
 with ]ilayiiig mechanism would be obtainable at a 
 cost not exceeding $40,000. 
 
USES: Si'x'v a memorial would alTonl anvile op- 
 portunity for every type of memorial trLa'.ment: 
 Architecture, sculpture, inscriiUion, tablet, muraT 
 painting, and the housing of relics and records, 
 etc. ; in fact possess every advantage that an arch 
 or other memorial structure could possibly give 
 and av<iid the objectionable sentiment that many 
 jicc pie feel toward the triumphal arch idea. 
 
 .Music, whether played automatically or by hand, 
 is always imder control and can be ]daycd sjft 
 or loud as the bell-master may decide. Some 
 wonderful snatch of melody would play auto- 
 matically morning and evening or during the noon 
 hour, changed from time to time for the sake of 
 variety or to suit the particular season, while on 
 one evening each week the bell-masfcr would pre- 
 sent a formal concert 
 
 LOCATION: .\ me:r.oriaI of '.his kind should b:- wll 
 in the miilst of the city, that many mi; lit tnjoy it:. 
 music by the mere opening of a window or a 
 door, and that other thousands might have ready 
 access to concerts without long journeys for thac 
 purpose. ( .\s many as 30.000 people are said to 
 have gathered for a concert of this kind at Jila- 
 lines, ]?elgium.) Preferab'y, tlio not necessarily, 
 such a building should be on elevated ground, and 
 near sufficient opeti space such as a jiark would 
 aft'ord, to accommodate large numbers of people 
 wlu) would gather for the concerts. Many have 
 suggested Sixteenth Street Park as an ideal s.t- 
 ting for it. 
 
 AS A BUSINESS ASSET: ^Vhile most people will 
 
 prefer to dwell upon its esthetic and cultural 
 values, finding in it a never ending source of in- 
 spiration, it will not be amiss to consider it as a 
 business asset as well. It is doubtful whether a 
 single additional visitor or resident would be 
 drawn to Washington by reason ot the erection 
 here of ever so fine a triumphal arch or oth r 
 similar memorial. On the other hand a memorial 
 such as is here proposed wouhi, by reason of its 
 unique character in America, and by virtue of its 
 excellence, scon become an ap;iealing object of in- 
 terest in every village and town thruout the 
 I'nited States, and be the means of drawing many 
 thousands of additional visitors to the capital and 
 holding them longer one? they were h.re. It 
 could undoubtedly be made the greatest single 
 attraction in this city of attractions. 
 
THE FIRST CONCERT 
 
 A FORECAST 
 
 By 
 
 J. Marion Shull 
 
 It is evening. Within the park are gathered 
 many thousands from the Capital. Not only 
 these Init manv b.nndreds from outside as 
 well, for on this night in May the world's 
 most famous master of the bells is to present 
 the initial concert on Washington's great 
 Carillon. 
 
 For long the unsightly mingled mass of 
 stone and steel and wood that crowned the 
 hill had given little indication of its ultimate 
 intent. From time to time processions came 
 that seemed to the onlooker like pilgrimages 
 to some sacred shrine ; Tri-color and the 
 Stars and Stripes in front, to music of the 
 
TllK FIRST COXCl'.Uf ii 
 
 Marseillaise, is brought a stone from shat- 
 tered Rheims, the gift of France, whose gift 
 of freedom to the world we thus record. 
 From the Argonne. from Chateau Thierry 
 and St. M'-hiel, come other stones esci rted by 
 our own lirave boys. These each, with fittiu'j, 
 ceremony, are builded in the wall of our me- 
 morial. Then there are other stones from 
 Arras, .\miens, and villages along the Marne 
 wl:ere broke the surging wave that all but 
 overwhelmed the world ; one from Verdun 
 in-cribed "They shall not pass"'; and Bel- 
 gium's king pays trilnite from the ruined 
 treasures of Louvain. And so in after years 
 the pilgrims at this shrine shall read, passing 
 from :-'tone to stone, an epic of heroic sacri- 
 fice that justice and the love of fellow man 
 might not be swept forever from the earth. 
 
 The cumliering tools of industrv, the cranes 
 with creaking ropes, the scaffolding, at last 
 have disappeared, and stands revealed a won- 
 drous work of art: A sturdy sculptured 
 basal edifice where lironze and marljle tell of 
 noble aspirations worthily achieved ; where 
 frieze and pediment in low relief bespeak the 
 glory of the greatest cause man ever strug- 
 gled to maintain. Within, resplendent walls 
 with iridescent colors where the artist's brush 
 takes up the tale that architect and sculptor 
 have liegun ; and rivalling these the silken 
 folds of flags, emblems of all the nations that 
 stood shoulder to shoulder in the great em- 
 prise. And from this basal structure, the 
 soaring shaft, compact of grace and lieauty, 
 lithe yet strong, firm footed on the earth yet 
 reaching heavenward, well typifies the s;urit 
 of tlie men who risked their all to save the 
 world from slavery. 
 
 The sun has set behind light b.anks of cloud 
 and hung the stage witli ruddy tapestries 
 
12. Till'; WASIIINC.TON PKACK CAUIJ.I.OM 
 
 whose gorgeous reds and golds are inter- 
 spersed with turquoise. But even while the 
 throng in wonderment looks on, change fol- 
 lows change, the gold to topaz quickly melts, 
 the roseate clouds are all empurpled, and the 
 turquoise sky gives way to grays such as de- 
 lighted Whistler in his day. Then twilight, 
 stars, and a pale young moon, to play at hide 
 and seek among the wisps of cloud whose 
 silvery sheen betrays her hiding place. 
 
 At last the hour has struck and all is 
 hushed expectancy. All eyes are lifted up 
 to where a faintly lighted window in the 
 tower gives forth the one suggestion that 
 some human agency is there. Hark ! What 
 is that? A faint sweet sound that comes from 
 out the sky as if the gates of heaven liad 
 opened and let fall ethereal voices from a 
 thousand miles, so soft, the ear is strained 
 to intercept them, and fancy is half tempted 
 to believe it all illusive and imagined melody. 
 But now it takes more shape, stands out more 
 firm and clear ; the ear becomes more confi- 
 dent, and fancy yields to fact ; it is indeed 
 the carillon's voice ; the bells have come to 
 life. No gasping natal cry is this, but rather 
 the soft stirring as of one that wakes from 
 peaceful sleep. Nearer and ever nearei, 
 wave on wave, out of infinite distance seem 
 to come those far off melodies, drifting down 
 and down as gently as drifts the snow when 
 winds are hushed, till at last the entire heavens 
 seem filled with one pulsating ecstasy of 
 sound, then fades away into the distance 
 once again, till tower, bells, musician, forgot- 
 ten one and all. the music seems to come from 
 mystic space behind yon bank of cloud that 
 lies athwart the moon. Again, a sound of 
 trampling hosts of mighty horsemen rushing 
 down the heights as if to overwhelm the lis- 
 
THE FIRST CONCERT 
 
 tening multitude, those marvellous arpeggios 
 gallopiug madly in their course, now dance 
 and prance, now rush impetuously, then lift 
 and fade to airy nothingness and silence. 
 
 A moment's pause ; some silent, unseen 
 hand has swiftly changed the scene, and now 
 there comes a harcaroUe, so sweet, so placid, 
 while the ear perceives the eye beholds, a 
 wide expanse of rippling wavelets neath shim- 
 mering moonlight of a summer night. One 
 feels upon the cheek the soft caress of sum- 
 mer airs nor knows for certainty if it he true 
 or only fancied, hut presently the winds have 
 risen and, is it felt, or is it only heard, the 
 rhythmic rocking of the boat that lulls the 
 spirit with a tender lullaby? But what was 
 that? A far away, intrusive rumbling breaks 
 the spell and many eyes are turned to scan 
 the gray horizon for sign of coming storm ; 
 but all is fair, no flash of lightning, no banks 
 of inky clouds. Instead of distant thunder 
 there is now the booming sound of waves that 
 beat themselves to spray against the rocks ; 
 and to those ears most well attuned, above 
 the deep toned bass, in higher bells is heard 
 the counterpart of that same spray, light 
 effervescence of the master's art. At length 
 the current leaps and bounds, in grand cres- 
 cendo, irresistibly, and pours itself in one 
 torrential rush of sheer descent, a veritable 
 Niagara of sound that holds the audience 
 spellbound in its grasp. Then turbulent up- 
 roar and dissonance give way to chords of 
 fullest harmony and once again is heard the 
 theme of rocking wa\'es all placid as at first. 
 
 The concert closes with the National Air, 
 as is our wont, but played as never had it 
 been played before on our own soil, the clear, 
 pure tones dropping from high aloft as shaken 
 from the verv folds of our bright emblem 
 
:<(. THE WASHINGTON PEACK CARILLUN 
 
 there, each scintilant note a star, flung off 
 in ecstasy, to bear a message to the ears of 
 men, of peace on earth, but peace with free- 
 dom still. 
 
 The last vibration dies away and in its 
 place a half reluctant murmur from the 
 throng, as if they fain would leave the spell 
 unbroken, now swells in volume and resolves 
 itself into the myriad sounds of congregated 
 life ; a babel of voices full of wonderment 
 that metals snatched from war's accouter- 
 ments could ever speak like that; full also of 
 the thought that Washington, enriched by this 
 new art, new to America tho old elsewhere, 
 is destined thereby to become the Mecca of 
 many a music-lover's pilgrimage from every 
 'look and corner of the land. 
 
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