X91'-e BELLS OF CORNELL
Edited by A.W. SMITH '78
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Jennie McG raw Who Gave the Pirsr C hime
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THE BELLS of CORNELL
··Through the Cascadilla dell, 'Neath the arches of Cornell, Float the melody and music of the bells."
BDITRD BY ALllllRT \V . S M ITH , '78
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TffB CAYUOA PRBSS JTJJACA, N EW YORK Gratefully Dedicated to the Memory of JENNIE McGRAW FISKE Whose Gift of Dells has stirred the emotions of thousands of Cornellians through sixty years of joy and sorrow and achievement I I I
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~ I - CONTENTS
How This Book Came to De Vll
Chimes . l The Original Chime 3 Presentation . 7 Additions to the Chimes 13 Description of the Bells 15 Playing Development 6 Early Chimemasters The Bells in Verse The Chimes The Hill The Fount of Youth The End of the Morning Session While Far Away The Chime Master Evening Song Cornell Hymn Bells Magic . Chime Masters of Cornell University
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'' -~ --- · _ .. __ •.~ ILLUSTRATIONS
The Library Tower, a steel engraving Cover
A portrait of Miss Jennie McGraw, donor of the original chime . frontispiece
The Bells in the Tower . facing p. 30
lX ., . •.j",J_ L. . ..: .... HOW THIS BOOK CAME TO BE
N THE summer of 1928 it was decided that I the Cornell Chimes should have two more bells, and that a modern playing stand should replace the antiquated one. This work was done in the quiet interval between summer school and the fall term. The new bells added the key of A to the player's range and made new harmonies possible; the new playing stand reduced the labor of the chime master and in creased his power of expression. J The cost of these improvements was borne by friends of Cornell intimately connected with the family of Jennie McGraw Fiske. One half was given by Mr. E. T. Turner '83, and the other half came from relatives through the enthusiasm of Mrs. Anna Gauntlett Whitcomb. A surplus above the needed amount was turned over to the University and has been used to help in issuing this book, in the hope of reawakening memories and emotions of some of those who for a time had listened with swelling hearts to the Bells of Cornell.
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CHIMES y oNG ago at the casting of a bell, people L dropped gold and silver ornaments and coins into the melting pot in order that the voice of the bell might be sweeter because of the sacrifice. Today, the bell founder has learned to com bine copper and tin that have lain silent under ground throughout the ages, and from the molten mixture to cast bells that have voices attuned to the joys and sorrows of human life : the joyous wedding pealing, the solemn tolling of sorrow, the appalling announcement of danger, the call to prayer and praise, the morn ing call to labor and the evening bell that sets the worker free, the peremptory ringing that .. hurries unwilling feet to school, and the chiming of happy holidays. One who has lived for a time in sight of Cayuga Lake and its valley and hills can never forget them. It is here, through the changing seasons of storm and sunshine, that the lives of those who listen are influenced by the Bells of
I _2. _ ___T_ H.....:.E=--=.BE= L=L=S=--O=-=--F ...:C:..::O:..:R=N.:.::.E=.L_L___ _ Cornell ringing forth clearly at morning, chiming at midday with the life of the Univer sity at its flood, }?laying gentle tunes at even tide, pealing exultant at times of victory, caroling on Christmas eve, and ringing in the New Year. This music of the bells becomes~ part of the emotional memory of Cornellians; and when they return, the first sound of the bells brings back unforgotten days .
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THE ORIGINAL CHIME (From The Cornell Chime, a brief history of the bells by ANDREW DrcKsoN WHITE, written for their rededication, October 1908) AMID all the doubts and worries of t~e ea~ly ..fl..days of Cornell University nothing 10- spired more hope and cheer than the gift of ics chime. I t came most unexpectedly. On a pleas ant September morning there appeared in the public librar 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. j 3 4 THE BELLS OF CORNELL 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 learning from all parts of the union was to be present. But the order was at once given by. telegraph to the old Meneely firm at Watervliet, near Troy, and on the afternoon of the seventh of October, 1868, the bells, having been placed in a temporary tower on the site of the present library, were formally rung for the first time, addresses hav ing been made by Mr. Cornell, President White, and other distinguished men, including Profes sor Agassiz, and Mr. George William Curtis. The chime then consisted of nine bells bearing a gift inscription and the following passages selected from Tennyson· s "In Me moriam,·· cvi: Ring out the old, ring in the new, . . . . . R~ng out the false, ring in the tru~. Ring out the grief that saps the mmd,
Ring in ~edr~ss t~ ali ma.oki~d.
Ring out a slowly dying cause, . A!ld ancient forms of party st:ife; Ring in the nobler modes of life, With sweeter manners, purer laws. THE ORIGINAL CHIME 5 Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spice; Ring in the love f truth and ri ht, Rio 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. Ring in the valiant man and free, The larger heart, the kindlier hand; Ring ol.lt the darkness of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be. One year later a tenth bell, weighing nearly five thousand pounds, was added by the Presi dent of the University in behalf of Mrs. Mary A. White, bearing, in addition to her name, inscriptions as follows : 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. The quatrain was written for the bell by James Russell Lowell who was at that time one of the non-resident professors of the University. 6 THE BELLS OF CORNELL
The significance of his verse and of the selection from the psalms as derived from the fact that the bell was to become the cloc bell of the University on which the hours were to be struck. PRESENTATION OCTOBER 7 I 868 RANCIS M. FINCH was a friend and legal Fadviser of Ezra Cornell; later he was Justice of the Court of Appeals of New York State, and afterward was Dean of the Cornell Law .School. At the inauguration exercises of Cor nell University, October seventh 1868, Mr. Finch gave an address on behalf of Miss Jennie McGraw, presenting the original chime to the University. This notable address, in part and slightly revised, follows here : Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Board of Tru~tees: I am commissioned by Miss McGraw to present to you this chime of bells for the use of the University; and to ask your acceptance of the gift as a token of her interest in the enterprise which, today, so hopefully and bravely begins its work. She has watched its development, from the dawn of the grand purpose in the mind of its projector through clouds that often obscured, 7
.I 8 THE BELLS OF CORNELL and amid storms that sometimes assailed 1t, until now, as it emerges into sunlight and. be- ins its generous toil, she brings you this useful and beautiful gift, with as much pleasure in the giving as you, I am well assured., will feel in receiving it at her hands. The same energy and rapidity of execution which in a few brief years has given us a Uni versity, manned and equipped, and ready to begin its centuries of work, has enabled her to give you these bells today. In eighteen days they were moulded, cast, brought to these hills, and placed in their temporary abode, waiting to add their music to the general joy, and to weave into melody the hope and happi ness of the hour. Of these bells there are nine. One of them is the worker of the flock. It will call your young men from their slumbers; summon them to each of the duties of the day; send them to the classroom and lecture; parcel out the hours, and guide and rule the days, with a voice commanding and uncompromising it may be, but with an undertone of melody which cannot fail to suggest the brave and vibrant pleasure that underlies all healthful work both of teacher and scholar. ADDRESS 9 The other bells- silent while the imperious worker clang his call to work- will add their voices daily, and w ill ring their solemn chimes upon the eve of the New Year, and their exultant notes on the festivities of the Nation, reserving their clearest and purest tones for that day of the University set apart to the faithful remembrance of the generous heart and toiling hand that h as set this crown of learning on the hills. Young Gentlemen of the University, what will these bells say to you? They are the gen erous gift of a lady; therefore never forget to be gentlemen in the broad and grand old sense which blends honest and useful labor, spotless integrity, respect for age, kindness to the young, and charity t0 all. If a thoughtless expression rises to the lips, if a hand is lifted in the haste of anger, if tempted to ungenerous or uncourteous deeds, let the daily voice remind you that she who gave the bells expects you to blend with your manly strength the kind heart, the generous hand, patient forbearance and thoughtful regard for the rights and feel
ings of others. If labor grows weary1 labor of muscle or brain, if the classic page seems dull, if the fires in the laboratory burn dim, if the IO THE BELLS OF CORNELL
rattle of machinery grows painful, and the very scars confused and taunting, rouse your selves, as the great bell sounds from the tower; for she who gave it, gave it to summon you to work, to steady and regulate the purpose of your lives, to signal not to defeat but to vic tory. She looks to see you earnest, hopeful, determined workers to the end. Gentlemen of the Faculty, what will the bells say to you? They are a woman· s gift to the institution which is this day placed in your hands. Do not forget, as I am sure you will not, when they summon you to your daily duties, that she who gave them would have you rule the young men committed to your charge by kindness rather than force; by love rather than law. Students are not captives but guests; let a genial hospitality usurp the place of laws and lurking spies. Students are not natural rebels; if quick, spirited, impulsive, yet more easily guided by the silken rein, the steadying work, the friendly couch, than the bloody bit and the whir of the vindictive lash. They who urge you to this rule of love were students once and feel and know that you will never appeal in vain co the instinctive manli ness of the student heart. ADDRESS II
Gentlemen of the Board of Trustees, what will the bells say to you? I repeat once more : they are a woman's gift. Do not think that while with unselfish purpose she seeks t0 aid and encourage this noble effort to bring the highest and broadest culture within the reach of young men of the land, she at all for gets, that she can ever forget, the need and longin(T of her sisters all over the nation for the same high culture, the same broad and liberal education. Bid chem be patient, if you will, till the enterprise is consolidated, till the time is propitious, and the way clear. But lee them see and know meanwhile, chat your hand is on the lock of the closed door, waiting only the safe moment to throw it wide chat they may enter in and feel the inspiration of lofty aims and noble purposes, and may vindicate not only the swiftness but the strength of the woman mind, while the chimes their sister gave ring clearer and sweeter on the air as they celebrate justice and mercy done at last. Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Board of Trustees, I have only now to fulfiil the com mission entrusted to me, which is one of the pleasantest duties of my life, with the closing words of gift. 12. THE BELLS OF CORNELL These bells are now yours- given cheer fully, given gladly,. given hopefully; given with the best wishes of a kind heart t o all to whom their chime shall ring; given in full trust and confidence that you and I, and all who have in any degree the care of this great work will fail in no duty and prove recreant to no trust. Let the memory of their giver make them sacred; let them ring always harmonies and never discords; let them infuse into the college life, and interweave among the sober threads of practical study and toil some love of art and lines of grace and beauty; let them teach the excellence of order and system. As I give these bells, in behalf of her whose name I trust their melody will always com memorate, it is fitting perhaps that, no longer standing between them and you, no more seeking feebly to interpret their voices, I should bid them ring their own lesson, chime their own welcome.
Vt~------ADDITIONS TO THE CHIMES By PROFESSOR E. P. ANDREWS '95, written for the rededication
N JuNE, 1908, the bells were taken down by I Meneely and Company, 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. All of the bells ex cept the great clock bell and the largest of the original nine, were recast and tuned to the larger ones, and four new bells were added, bringing the number to fourteen. The inscriptions on the two large bells re main in relief as originally cast; but on the others the former inscriptions are engraved. The four new bells have engraved inscriptions chosen by President Schurman, as follows:
THE HUMAN MIND On Earth there is nothing great but Man; In Man there is nothing great but Mind.
KNOWLEDGE Happy is the man that findeth Wisdom And the man that getteth Understanding. 13 THE BELLS OF CORNELL
BEAUTY A thing of Beauty is a Joy for ever.
VIRTUE Whatsoever things are True, Honest, Just, Pure, Lovely, of Good Report; If there be any Virtue, and Praise, think on these things.
F RTHE.R CHANGES In the summer of 192.8 it was decided to add two more bells : a Git bell in the middle range and a small G bell at the top, and to re construct the playing stand. The bell clappers were permanently drawn aside and counter weigl;ued to make the movement of all playing lovers equal, and to reduce the muscular effort of the player. This change has made playing much easier and the player can give more attention to expression and harmony.
., .. I • D SCRIPTION O THE BELL By PROFESSOR E. P . ANDREWS '95
HE chime is approximately in the key of C, Tconcert pitch. The six teen bells are: C D E F F# G GitA Bb B C Cit D E F G I 2. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 IO II I2 l} I4 15 16 With this series of bells melodies may be played in the keys of C, G, D, F, and A major and in their r lative minors. This gives the chime exceptionally wide range. It is believed that as now reconstituted, the Cornell chime represents the ideal equipment; it could hardly be changed for the better. More bells of greater weight would give little advantage; with increased number above and below the present range, the difference in quality between the small and large bells would be unpleasantly noticeable. If the bells were all larger and the general pitch were lowered in consequence, the chiming 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 library leaves little to be desired. 15 PLAYING DEVELOPMENT
ROFESSOR Eugene P. Andrews was in charge Pof the chimes for over twenty five years. The tradition of excellence in musical programs and in playing is due chiefl y to his ability and enthusiastic effort. Professor Andrews gives here an account of some of his experiences, written in 192.9.
One day in the summer of 1902. as I climbed the hill I was amazed to hear the chimes played by a real musician. That was a new sensation! Often the office of chimemaster had been passed on from friend to friend, with no effort to select the one best fitted for the service, and the chime had lost its charm and influence. Each candidate learned to play on the bells themselves with distressing results. So this morning, thrilled by real music from the tower, I walked into President Schur man's office and asked if I might speak to him about the bells. A weary look came over his face and he said: "Well, what is it?" I said: " They are being played beautifully !" En- 16 PLAYING DEVELOPMENT 17 thusiastically he asked who was playing them. I did not know, and he asked me to find out and report. The player was Otto Louis Goehle '02. During all that summer I delighted in his ringing of the bells. At a later date there was another player and presently a note from President Schurman called me to his office. He said: "Well, Mr. Andrews, I would like to speak to y ou about the chimes. How are they being played now?" "Dreadfully" I said. Then he continued: "I am tired of these constant complaints about the bells. As a personal favor to me, I ask you to take charge from now on and to try to evolve some system for selecting players who will give us music worthy of this splendid chime." Though not eager for this job, I could not refuse such a request. I realized that a competi tion was necessary, and that I must discover or invent a practice machine for learners; for of course competitors could not be turned loose on the bells themselves. There was no machine to be found, and I finally built one out of pieces of boxes and some bronze tubes from a "Metalophone" which I bought at a toy store. A room in the northwest corner of the base ment of White Hall was sec aside for this ma- 18 THE BELLS OF CORNELL . · Three c hrne, and I advertised for competitors. or four appeared and finally I chose one. I was 0 t entirely sacisfie master and the challenger and said : "Boys, if you will agree to it, I will appoint you to play alternate weeks to tes t your relative ability." Again the chimemaster showed the finest spirit and consented; I expected the challenger to jump at the chance; but to my surprise he hesi tated; finally he said: ''I'll do it." Some weeks later I met him, and he looked so thin and pale that I a ked, "Are you gettinrr enough to eat?" With a smile he answered," Oh, yes sir, plenty of the most nourishing food." After about two months of this test I ap pointed the challenger chimemaster. At that time the salary was $4.50 a week so that during the test each was getting that amount every other week. Years afterward I learned that, at the time of the test, the challenger's income which came from a vineyard had been cut off as the result of a heavy frost; hence his need for the chimemaster's job. He was waiting on table for his board; but in order to accept my offer to play alternate weeks, he would have to give up the boarding-house job; that was why he hesitated. During the two months of the test he had lived on $2..2.5 a week, and the "plenty of the most nourishing food" he had told me about was a limited supply of malted ,·- ,-- 20 THE BELLS OF CORNELL milk tablets and bottled milk. le is easy to imagine my feelings when I discovered what I had put chat boy through. This was H . B. Burton '05 . He played beautifully throughout his term of office. Frequently he came to me and asked permission to play an extra program for some special occas10n. It was his suggestion to play, at evening, programs suited to twilight time; and in the evening to omit the changes that had pre viously been played three times a day. Dr. Harry Gifford Bull '08 was chimemaster in '07- '09. He is now a physician in Ithaca and retains his interest in the chimes. On several occasions when players were lacking he has played with his old-time ability and charm. During his term as chimemaster Dr. Andrew D. White returned to his campus home. He noticed that the bells were well played. He was told that they were under my supervision, and came tO see me, and asked to see my prac tice machine. I took him over to White Hall and showed him the ramshackle thing. He was interested; played on it himself, and his interest grew. Finally, with the charming smile that many of us knew, he turned to me PLAYING DEVELOPMENT 2.1 and said: "Mr. Andrews, if you will have Mr. Bool build a machine lil taken to a room in the tower near the chimes. Harold E . Riegger 'rn was one of the best musicians who ever played the bells. His in come had suddenly been cut off, and he came out for the competition because he had to earn money to continue his work at Cornell. Be cause of other work he seemed unable to give the necessary time to practice. I told him that, though he ought to win, he seemed likely to fail. Immediately he braced up and won easily. Those who heard him will long remember his wonderful playing. He edited a Book of Tunes, and did many unrequired things because of his love for the bells. He set a high standard to which succeeding players have held with sur prising excellence. I have mentioned only three chimemasters; but the entire series has been made up of men, not only of excellent musical ability, but of fine character. Often they have come to my home to consult Mrs. Andrews and me on programs or questions of chime policy, and have stayed to become our friends and we have greatly enjoyed the association. ' The annual competition is open now only to freshmen . After several months of work on th e practice machine, and after the number of ' PLAYING DEVELOPMENT contestants has been reduced as a result of try outs, two or three freshmen are selected. The result is that there are always six or eight men in residence who can play the bells well. Usually a player does not attain to the chimemastership until the end of his Junior year; but any chimemaster is always subject to challenge by any other player. This challenge has never been made; but the fact that it might be made is doubtless one cause of the excellence of the playing; but chiefly this is due to the unfailing enthusiasm of the players . . -. EARLY CHIMEMASTERS HE first Chimemaster was James O'Neill, T'71. In 1913 Judge O'Neill wrote a letter to Chimemaster Harold Riegger · ro, telling of the early da,ys of the chime. In this letter he says: " I first heard the Cornell Chimes at the formal opening of the University on October 7, 1868. The exercises were inspiring, and the sweet music of the chimes delighted the great throng assembled at the launching of the new university. There were many distinguished men present. Of the addresses, that of George William Curtis was especially eloquent, and I well remember how the elegance of his diction, and the richness of his voice impressed me. But the Chimes, the Chimes! They filled me with delight. I had an intense love of music. I had had a few terms of lessons on the piano and had studied har mony a little. I had attended singing schools and had been a member of church choirs. But my knowledge of music was quite limited. "Soon after the opening day, President White posted notices that he would receive 24 EARLY CHIMEMASTERS applications from students for the position of chimemaster. I applied, called on the Presi dent, stated my musical attainments, and was selected by him as the first Master of the Chimes. My compensation was my board at Cascadilla and my room rent in the south building, now Morrill Hall. I played the chimes until January 1870, when I was obliged to give it up because of illne . ··I had an arrangement of over one hundred tunes to suit the bells. Professor A. D. Wheeler played with me at times, and assisted in ar ranging and transposing.* My chime book, the result of our work, was left in my room when I was taken home after my illness. A few years ago I was shown a book in the University Library said to be the first chime book at Cornell. It was not my book, and it was not the first. · · I had the honor once of playing for Ole Bull, the great violinist. He thanked me and said: ·Your instrument is much more powerful than my violin.' "About four years ago, after a lapse of forty years, I visited Ithaca and in company with my daughter climbed the stairway in the tower * He also composed the well-known "changes." 2..6 THE BELLS OF coRNE.1.J., d out A.s 11ooke . s where the bells are now hung - building h nob1-e I upon the Campus an d t e student, . as a mostly erected since my ume college days. was carried back in memory to rnY . h all the 1 Yet ,wit b Forty years past and gone· layed Y changes, the chimes are still here, Pdy to de- · rnelo , new hands, pouring forth t h eir pie.' . wnspeo light new students and the to RJ\plI'i' 13'1 FROM AN UNPUBLISHED DIOG '85 ANNA BOTSFORD coM:s-roc:IC . earn e 74 When John Henry ComStcck, husiasrn · h ent to Cornell he was filled wit 13 t as a for the study of biological science-. _u and his 1iving, stud ent he was obliged to earn then h htW~ e helped to unload the stone t a I-Iall, going into the rising walls of McGr~'W I-le d b 1 science- an etween loads studied natura I the also did any other work that offered-. r wornk io· autumn of 1872.. he was doing janito · then 10 the student dormitories that were Morrill Hall. He cared for the rooms of Myron G. Stolp, 'T2.., who was then chimernastedr. . d he a - S~op 1 was to leave college m June, a~ . He 0 vised Comstock to apply for the posiuo · · tic thor- went at preparation in his characteris . . nd prac- oughgomg way; took piano lessons a EARLY CHIMEMASTERS ticed industriously until he could read music, and then made application and was appointed. This was financially fortunate 2 for it gave him a room, heated, lighted and cared for, and board at Cascadilla. At that time he was rooming with a classmate, George H. Berry, to whom he offered a partnership in chime playing. This was a good arrangement and divided the burden of playing. Later Berry developed into an excellent chimemaster. The bell tower of McGraw Hall was de signed and built purposely for the chimes, which were moved there from the temporary wooden tower in the summer of 1872.. Com stock and Berry were given, for a study, the room in the bell tower opening off the large museum room on the second floor, and the room above for a bedroom. Thus they were very near the chimes. Board at Cascadilla cost four dollars a week, and Comstock asked the treas urer if the University would give the four dol lars in cash instead of board. This was granted. So the partners boarded themselves; two for four dollars, and felt very rich and luxurious. One of the advantages to the chimemaster of those days was a friendly acquaintance with Miss Jennie McGraw, who often came to see 28 THE BELLS OF CORNELL the chimes and the boys. She was greatly in terested in their rewriting tunes for the bells; and they worked industriously, preparing sev eral hundred transcriptions. Her favorite tune was "Robin Adair," and never, in the· long years since her death, has that melody been rung on the chimes without a response in the heart of one man to the memory of a sweet and noble woman. "Robin Adair" was played at Professor Comstock· s request on the day of his retire ment from active work in the University on June 13, 1914. While Comstock and Berry were chime masters, and before the installation of the clock, a gift of John McGraw, the duties of chimemaster were heavy. Mr. Berry has told of this: ··The signal for the beginning and ending of classes was the ringing of the great bell, which was accomplished by jumping up for as high a hand-hold as possible on the rope running over the grooved wheel whose turning swung the bell. Additional exercise resulted from racing from class rooms at the last moment possible to reach the bell rope high EARLY CHIMEMASTERS in the tower in time to give the changing signal.' ' This schedule was changed when the clock was installed to control the rin iog of the quarters and of the hour. In the early days, the hours for ringing the chimes were: Reveille, 6 A.M.; Chapel Call, 7 :45 A.M.; Dinner, 1:15 P.M.; Drill Call, 4 :00 P. M .; Tattoo, 9:30 P. M. Frequently the bells were rung for a half hour in the evening. For the year 1877-78 Franklin M. Kendall, · 78 was chimemaster. He tells of an occur rence of that year: "Early one afternoon we were startled to hear the quarter bells ring out of time; presently also the great hour bell boomed and all rang together as if bedlam had broken loose. I rushed out of my room on the third floor of White Hall, down two flights of stairs, three steps at a time, across to McGraw Hall and up the stairs to the clock-room. The clock machinery was humming, the hands on the dials were sweeping around madly marking off many hours every minute. The jangle of the bells added to the confusion, and for a few moments I did not know what to do. I soon saw, however, that the escapement wheel had 30 THE BELLS OF CORNELL slip ped out of place leaving the clock-weights free to spin the whole train of mechanism. I applied my fin ger as a brake to the escapement shaft, and slowed and stopped the runaway. Silence succeeded pandemonium.'' Many years later, at a banquet of Cornel lians in New York, the story of the runaway clock was told and it was explained that a profes sor had been appointed curator of the clock; that he had loosened the escapement wheel to set the clock and had forgotten to tighten the set-screw. At once a man who had been a Junior at the time of the runaway rose and said : · 1 I wish to clear the reputation of the Professor. He did not leave that set-screw loose." Then he sat down, and all who had known him as a student understood. When the news of the first intercollegiate crew victory at Saratoga Lake in 1875 reached Ithaca, Kendall with other students hurried to McGraw tower, hitched a rope to the tongue of the great bell and rang out the joy of victory. This was the occasion when President Andrew D. White in his excitement over the victory ran up to McGraw tower and worked the chime handles, regardless of presidential dignity. THE BELLS IN VERSE THE CHIMES To the busy morning light, To the slumbers of the night, To the labor and the lessons of the hour, With a ringing rh ythmic tone Over lake and valley blown Call the voices, watching, waking, 1n the Tower. Cling, clang, cling, the bells are ringing: Hope and help their chiming tells: Through the Cascadilla dell, 'Neath the arches of Cornell, Float the melody and music of the bells . By the water's foam and fall, By the chasm castle wall, By the laurel bank and glen of dreaming flower, Where the groves are dark and grand, Where the pines in column stand, Come the voices, mellow voices, of the Tower. Cling, clang, cling, the bells are ringing: Hope and help their chiming tells: Through the Cascadilla dell, 'Neath the arches of Cornell, Float the welcome and the warning of the bells. 33 34 THE BELLS OF CORNELL When the gentle hand that gave Lies beneath the marbled grave, And the daisies weep with drippings of the shower, 0 , believe us, brothers dear, In the shadows we shall hear Guiding voices of our angel in the Tower. Cling, clang, cling, the bells are ringing: Hope and help their chiming tells: Through the Cascadilla dell, 'Neath the arches of Cornell, Go the tolling and the moaning of the bells. Not afraid to dare and do, Let us arm ourselves anew With the truth that gives the weakest blow its power; And arrayed in every fight On the battle side of Right Gat~er glory for our angel in the Tower. Cling, clang, cling, the bells are ringing; Hope and help their chiming tells: Through the Cascadilla dell 'Neath the arches of Cornell, Go the glory and the gladness of the bells• FRANCIS M. FINCH IN VERSE 35 THE HILL I wake at night and think I hear Remembered chimes, · And mem'ry brings in visions clear Enchanted times Beneath green elms with branches bowed In springtime suns, Or touching elbows in a crowd Of eager ones; Again I'm hurrying past the towers, Or with the teams, Or spending precious idling hours In golden dreams. The chimes ring softly and are still At close of day; The sunset glorifies the hill, The lake grows gray; The sunset fades and twilight falls And turns to night; The moon above the shadowy walls Grows silver bright. In dark'ning skies the stars come out And twinkle down On dusky hills that lie about The twinkling town. 0 Cornell of the kindly heart, The friendly hand, My love burns clear for you In distant land. 0 Fates that shape the lives of men, Vouchsafe that I, Before I die, May tread the Hill again. ALDERT W. SMlTH '78 . ...... THE BELLS OF CORNELL THE FOUNT OF YOUTH The chimes peal out, I join the throng Of younger men that homeward bound Flows like a channeled stream along The highway of our college ground. Where else in all the world is this, What city gives this sight to see? A crowd wherein no sorrow is, All young, all hopeful, and all free? As in the fabled fount of youth, I bathe me in this flood of power; And lo, the miracle of truth, The magic of a wholesome hour, Lifts up my heart, rejuvenate, Renews my strength, restores my soul, Refreshes fancy, mocks at fate, And shows anew my far-off goal. To the strong music of the bells The tide of youth moves swiftly on, My breast with new-born courage swells, All selfishness a while is gone. And all the impulse of my mind Is, how return this strength I draw, How render back this gift I find, As I have found it, without flaw? IN VERSE 37 Naught of my own can be their gain, I ca but render back their youth Transmuted by my elder brain Into some other form of truth. I pray I use the morrow so That in my heart- ah many times I feel the youthful rapture flow To music of the Cornell chimes. MARTIN w. SAMPSON ... .,, 711::•--- •• I I 38 THE BELLS OF CORNELL THE END OF THE MORNING SESSION The weary teachers drone in drowsy rooms Without a gleam from one responsive face; The morning zest is gone amid the glooms, And vagrant wits are wandering in space. Weary and worn, Why were we born? Why does Time halt at a quarter to one? Life is all prose; Wisdom's to doze; All is stupidity under the sun! But hark! the bells ring out eight varying peals; A single boom sounds forth and all is still; Then far away the stillness softly steals, And noise and bustle waken on the Hill. Slumberers wake! Loiterers take Time by the forelock, the clock is at one. Life is not stale; Time's not a snail; There is yet interest under the sun. The lecturers sigh and smile and stop; The sleepers wake with startled snores, While papers rustle, pencils drop, And shoes are scuffed on sandy floors. The crowds pour out in foll career, And jostling tread in various times; They burst through outer doors and hear Unchanging changes on the chimes. IN VERSE 39 The walks resound with hurrying feet; Each eddying column streams and swells; They come by all the ways and meet And mingle 'neath the clanging bells. Senior and grad, Smiling or sad, Chaffing or arguing, fact or fun; Medic, or Ag, Bucket or Bag, Oh the variety under the sun! Colorful co-eds go tripping to Sage, Men troop along on their way to the town; Youth is ajostle with grave middle age Hurrying, scurrying, hungrily down. Freshman and Soph, Fellow and Prof, A sorrow or joy in the heart of each one; Lowly and proud Mix with the crowd; Comedy, tragedy, under the sun . The echos of the chimes have died away; The noisy crowd has vanished from the Hill; A single lingering one is left astra Y; . . His fading footfalls cease and all 1s still. ALBERT w. SMITH '78 40 THE BELLS OF CORNELL WHILE FAR AWAY In dream tonight I walk along The path that climbs the hill, The city lights below me throng, The stars shine o'er me still. Silence is round me everywhere, When from the stately tower A burst of music fills the air, It is the evening hour. Cornell at eventide! Oh bells, Ring out your melody, And let me think your music tells A welcome home to me. The darkness hides the ivied walls, The portal lamps gleam low, Before me from the emptying halls Dim shadows swiftly go. And quietly the evening song Peals from the lofty tower- My own Cornell, oh dear and strong, It is your holy hour. Cornell at eventide! Oh bells, Ring out your melody, And let me think your music tells A welcome home to me. MARTIN w. SAMPSON I IN VERSE 41 THE CHIME MASTE He climbs lo~1e stairs by day and night That mus1c may divide the day; He rings old tunes for our delight; He chimes our moods from grave to gay. If we at night have lingered late With studies, friends, or otherwise, When clock hands race around toward eight, He lifts our lids from sleepy eyes. At midday when we've had our fill Of wisdom, when ideas pall, He riQgs release to all the Hill And plays a jig for luncheon call. When shadows fall from tree and tower And lengthen from the glowing west, He chimes the gentle evening hour And bids us all to twilight rest. He calls us from the realm of sleep With midnight bells that thrill the air With carols old and sweet that keep The Christ Child story fresh and fair. Chime masters come and ring and go; · They come and ring and have their day. We listen for a while and lo, Remembering, must go our way. ALBERT W. SMITH '78. \ I --- 42. THE BELLS OF CORNELL EVENING SONG When the sun fades far away In the crimson of the west, And the voices of the day Murmur low and sink to rest, Chorus: Music with the twilight falls O'er the dreaming lake and: dell; 'Tis an echo from the walls Of our own, our fair Cornell. Gentle bells at eventide, How they swell their soft delight, While the darker shadows glide To the slumbers of the night. Care has faded, rest has come With the dim and starry eve; Toil and trouble wearisome With the day have taken leave. Life is joyous when the hours Move in melody along; All its happiness is ours, While we join the vesper song. Welcome night and welcome rest, Fading music, fare thee well; Joy to all we love the best, Love to thee our fair Cornell. , HENRY TYRRELL 80. IN VERSE 4] CORNELL HYMN Hail thou in majesty Cornell, On guard forever on the height, In gloom while storm sweeps hill and dell, Or 'neath the blue in fl ooding light. Thy bells ring out o'er winter snow, To summer skies, in autumn haze; And many murmuring waters flow Where we, exulting, sing thy praise. How fair thy lake with mirrored shore, Or swept by wind and flecked with white! Through darkling hours thou broadest o'er The city twinkling through the night. The chiming hours too swiftly run While grave or blithe we tread thy ways, Till all the golden days are done Where we, exulting, sing thy praise. ALDERT W. SMITH '78. k 44 THE BELLS OF CORNELL BELLS The bells that rang our coming to the hill Now ring us out into the plains again: They chimed away our youthfulness until The sounding hours had shaped us into men; They rang upon our freshman eagerness And our bewilderment; they spilled their song Upon our first defeats and first succt:ss, aying their touch on each day in the throng Of jostling days; upon our bitter hour They sprinkled a cool ga yety of sound; In our exultant triumph, from the tower They boomed a sad deep music, and we found Quiet in our exulting; thus our moods Of gloom and joy were caught and thrown upon The distant hills and valley solitudes, Leaving us calm below the carillon. So they have rung our passage down the years In this small hilltop world, and through the weavrng Of work and play and friendship, hidden fears, Laughter and hope, until the hour of leaving. Now we depart into the plains again To meet our lives: sorrow is in the going And hesitance and eagerness, as when We came young freshmen. Yet we go forth knowing · That music will be woven with our way, And that until the candle-end of time We shall hear ringing out of yesterday .. IN VERSE 45 The many silver voices of the chime. There will come echoing across the water Over the darkened hills, the Evening Song; The sudden thunder of the Alma Mater Crashing for vicrory; the deep and long Note that will toll our dead; the wedding bells; The Changes, pealing through the sunlit air To the world's end to find us- sound which tells That life goes on as we have known it there Upon the hill; sound which will bring us sadness For unforgotten days, yet find us strong To go upon our paths in lonely gladness Hearing the far-off cadences of song, As down the years there chimes to us again The music that has shaped us into men. WILLIAM W. WILLCOX '28 . ... ------• ' £_6_ ___T____:H _:E:....:B::..:E=:L=:L=:S=-..=O-=.F_:C::.:O::.:R:.::NE:..:..=•=L ::;;;.L ___ _ MAG lC In this age of miracles, the Cornell Ch ime has gained new power. Throug hout the years the bells have delig hted only ch ose Within direct hearing of their voices. Bllt now the radio wizard h as w aved his wand and the bells will sound forth throug h the air to many eager Cornellia ns listening far away. To each will come in response to the familiar music memories of long ago When the Bells o/ Cornell w ere ringing. -- - CHIME MASTERS OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY 1868- 1930 1868- 1870 . James O'Neill, '71 1870- 872. . Myron Greeley Scolp, '72. 1872.- 1873 J ohn 1-Ienry C mscock, '74 and George Holt Berry, '74 1873- 1876 . George Holt Berry, '74 1876- 1877 . Lymon Eugene Ware, '77 1877- 1878 . Franklin Mason Kendall, '78 and Harry Wilson Snyder, '79 Harry Wilson Snyder, '79 1878- 1879 . Albert Franklin Matthews, '83 1875,1884 . . Harry Falkenau, '85 1884- 1886 . . Fred King Crittenden, '88 1886- 1886 . Herbert Edwin Baright, '89 1886- 1889 . Clarence Wentworth Mathews, '91 1889- 1891 . Chester Paulcon Wilson, '92. 1891-1892. . . Harry Hayward, '94 1892.- 1894 . James Wheaton Clark, '97 1894- 1896 . Ralph Baker Hayward, '99 1896- 1899 . . Arthur Olin Berry, 'or 189511901 . . Otto Louis Gochie, '01. 1901- 1901.. . Edgar Fanning Derry, '04 1902.- 1903 . Occo Louis Goehle, '02. 1903-1903 . Robert Paul Butler, '05 19or1904 . Robert Paul Butler, '05 1904- 1904 . and Howard Blaine Burcon, '05 . Howard Blaine Burcon, '05 1904- 1905 . Theodore Julius Lindorff, '07 1905- 1907 . Melvin Biggs Goodwin, '08 19or19°7 . 47 .. _.. _ ~ ---- I 48 THE BELLS OF CORNELL l 1_907- 1907 . Melvin Biggs Goodwin, '08 and Harry Gifford BnlJ, '08 1907- 1909. Harry Gifford Bnll, '08 1 190_9-19n. . Harold Eaton Riegger, ' 10 1912- 1913 Harold Eaton Riegger, .JO and Frank Olin Ritter, '14 1913- 1915 Frank Olin Ritter, '14 1 1 1 9 5- 917 . John Christopher Schelleng, 15 1917- 192.0 . August Schmidt, jr., :18 192.0- 192.2. . Paul Gamber Culley, 2.I 1 92.2.- J 92.3 . Eric Geertz, 2.3 1 1 92.3 - 92.4 . Charles Nicholas Strong, '2.4 192.4- i92.5 . Millard Warner Baldwin jr. 2.5 192.5- 192.6 . Charles Nicholas Strong, '2.4 i92.6--i92.7 . Charles Buell Li pa, 2.7 1 92.7- 1 92.9 . Philip Johnson Stone, 192.9-1930 . :i.9 Robert James Wallace, 30 , . I .._ - - _..__...._ .... , - .• U,... .. • .t ' .... ,. I \' .. ' ...... ~- .,. .. ••