John Weeks Moore

“ The accents of its iron tongue have a strange influence over human sympathies; or, rather, they chime in with every tone of sentiment, and make religion more venerable, grief more tender, and joy more gladsome. ”

“ The tone of a bell is thought to be greatly improved by a mixture of silver. Bell metal is composed of copper and tin, generally in the proportion of twenty-three pounds of the latter to one hundred of the former; and it is a singular fact, that not only is the compound more sonorous than either of the metals separately, but is also heavier than their aggregate weight. Bells of moderate size are moulded in the manner of large pots. In the manufacture of larger ones, pits are dug in the earth, and they are cast in a sort of plaster moulds. ”