Probably the first use of the bell as a symbolic device dates from 1839. In that year, some unknown person apparently noted the forgotten inscription on the bell. This was immediately seized upon by adherents of the antislavery movement who published a pamphlet, entitled _The Liberty Bell_. This is also the first known use of that name. Previously, the bell was called the Old State House Bell, the Bell of the Revolution, or Old Independence. That publication was followed by others which displayed the bell, greatly idealized, as a frontispiece. Thus the bell became identified with early antislavery propaganda, invoking the inscription of a promise of freedom to “all the inhabitants.” During this time, it is interesting to note, the symbolism of the bell served a narrow field; little, if any, thought was given it as a patriotic relic. But patriotism was the next logical step. In the first half of the 19th century the bell became the subject of legendary tales which it has not been possible to verify. These legends have been recited in prose and poetry; they have found their way into children’s textbooks; and they have contributed greatly to rousing the patriotic enthusiasm of succeeding generations of Americans. Accepted by all classes of people, these legends have done more than anything else to make the bell an object of veneration. [Illustration: _From 1876 to 1885, the bell hung in the tower room from a chain of 13 links._ Wood engraving in David Scattergood, _Hand Book of the State House_, Philadelphia, 1890.] The patriotic folklore apparently began with George Lippard, a popular novelist of Philadelphia. It was Lippard who wrote that most thrilling and irrepressible tale of the bell, the vivid story of the old bellringer waiting to ring the bell on July 4, 1776. This tale first appeared in 1847 in the Philadelphia _Saturday Courier_ under the name, “Fourth of July, 1776,” one of a collection called _Legends of the Revolution_. The popularity of Lippard’s legend soon brought imitations. The noted Benson J. Lossing, gathering material for his popular _Field Book of the Revolution_, visited Philadelphia in 1848 and recorded the story. This gave the legend historical credence in the minds of Lossing’s host of readers. Taking the story presumably from Lossing, Joel Tyler Headley, another well-known historian, included it with certain variations of his own in his _Life of George Washington_, which was published first serially in 1854 in _Graham’s Magazine_ and then in book form. [Illustration: _The Liberty Bell in a glass case, 1895-1915._ From Victor Rosewater, _The Liberty Bell Its History and Significance_, D. Appleton and Co., New York, 1926. Courtesy Appleton-Century-Croft Inc.]