The Bell Ringer
Nascent Values in Practice
Before he became a bell maker, Paul Revere was a bell ringer. About the year 1750, at age fifteen, he signed a contract with Christ Church, Boston (North Church or Eight Bell Church) to ring the bells. Paul’s family attended New Brick Church, of which the Hutchinsons were also members. Enterprising youth that he was, Paul also created a bell ringer’s guild. He and seven of his friends joined together in their enterprise. Eight boys to ring the eight bells. They made a solemn pact:
We the ascribed do agree to the following articles, viz
That if we can have liberty from the wardens of Doctor Cuttler’s Church, we will Attend there once a week on Evenings to ring the Bells for two hours Each time from the date hereof For one year.
That we will Choose a Moderator every three Months whose Business Shall be to give out the Charges and other Business as Shall be Agreed by a Majority of Voices then Present
That none shall be admitted a Member of the Society without Unanimous Vote of the members then present and that No member Shall begg Money of any person in the tower on penalty of being excluded the society, and that we will attend to ring at any time when the wardens of the church Aforesaid shall desire it on penalty of paying three shillings for the good of the society….
Here is a photograph of the agreement:
All eight signed the pact, which summarizes in simple language some of the principles set out in our nation’s founding documents - self-governance, rule of law and its equal application, rights and responsibilities, public service. These values, and more, were Puritan values. They are also, at their core, American values. Revere and his friends would have been endowed with these same fundamental beliefs every Sunday at meeting. Check out the signatures above. It’s easy to pick out that of Revere. Nice flourishes, don’t you think?
As we approach our country’s 250th birthday (Sestercentennial), I’ve renewed my interest in America’s heritage. One of the important things I’ve learned is that a high school course in American history does not begin to tell the remarkable tale of our nation’s history. It is well worth anyone’s time to do some extra reading. Here are a few of the resources I consulted in the writing of this article. Not complete citations, just book titles and links.
The Revolutionary Paul Revere, Joel Miller, 1975
Paul Revere’s Ride, David Hackett Fischer, 1994
https://www.masshist.org/object-of-the-month/objects/ring-those-bells-paul-revere-bell-maker-2011-07-01
https://www.oldnorth.com/