The Washington Peace Carillon
A Brochure Issued by Lovers of the Bells and Dedicated to Others of
Their Kind. Done in the Interest of a Greater Washington.
[Illustration: Re-engraved from Belgian Towers Calendar Courtesy of
William Gorham Rice]
Ghent
Whose carillon of 52 bells has given joy to many thousands. In
December, 1814, these bells rang out at the signing 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 PEACE CARILLON [*]
[*] Published originally in the _Boston Transcript_ for Nov. 29, 1918,
and subsequently appearing in many other publications, including the
_Washington Star_, Dec. 1, and the _Literary Digest_ of Dec. 14,
following.
By
J. Marion Shull
Silent are the church towers of Flanders and Artois, the belfries of
Douai and Bruges. They 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
desecrations, their noble metal recast for purposes of war and their
erstwhile melodious tongues constrained to speak the raucous tones of
battle in behalf of barbarian hosts. But now that it is within our
power let us give them back 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 numbers that the capital city of each of
the great 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 fitting architecture, worthy of
the theme commemorated. No doubt, some modern Giotto would emerge to
give the world a masterpiece 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 ruthless hand of hate. Then, too, some village on
the Marne, where first the invading hosts were halted and turned back,
might honor thus and in its turn be honored by one memorial stone in
this great monument to peace.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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