I cannot but admit that these appellations not so stately in
appearance as those of the peal which the Bishop of Chalons recently
baptized, and called a “happy and holy family” in the edifying
discourse that he delivered upon the occasion. The first of these was
called Marie, to which—or to whom,—the Duke and Duchess of Danderville
(so the newspapers give this name) stood sponsors. “It is you Marie,”
said the Bishop, “who will have the honor to announce the festivals,
and proclaim the glory of the Lord! You appear among us under the most
happy auspices, presented by those respectable and illustrious hands
to which the practices of piety have been so long familiar. And you
Anne,” he pursued, addressing the second bell,—“an object worthy of
the zeal and piety of our first magistrate (the Prefect) and of her
who so nobly shares his solicitude,—you shall be charged with the same
employment. Your voice shall be joined to Marie's upon important
occasions. Ah! what touching lessons will you not give in imitation of
her whose name you bear, and whom we reverence as the purest of
Virgins! You also Deodate, will take part in this concert, you whom an
angel, a new-born infant, has conjointly with me consecrated to the
Lord! Speak Deodate! and let us hear your marvellous accents.” This
Angel and Godmother in whose name the third bell was given was
Mademoiselle Deodate Boisset, then in the second month of her age,
daughter of Viscount Boisset. “And you Stephanie, crowned with glory,”
continued the orator, in learned allusion to the Greek word _σεφανος_,
“you are not less worthy to mingle your accents with the melody of
your sisters. And you lastly Seraphine and Pudentienne, you will raise
your voices in this touching concert, happy all of you in having been
presented to the benedictions of the Church, by these noble and
generous souls, so praiseworthy for the liveliness of their faith, and
the holiness of their example.” And then the Bishop concluded by
calling upon the congregation to join with him in prayer that the
Almighty would be pleased to preserve from all accidents this “happy
and holy family of the bells.”
We have no such sermons from our Bishops! The whole ceremony must have
been as useful to the bells as it was edifying to the people.
Were I called upon to act as sponsor upon such an occasion, I would
name my bell Peter Bell in honour of Mr. Wordsworth. There has been a
bull so called, and a bull it was of great merit. But if it were the
great bell, then it should be called Andrew, in honour of Dr. Bell;
and that bell should call the children to school.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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