BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 57
sponding bell. In what is known as the Bel- gian system, perfected by Mr. Denyn, each clapper when at rest is held by a spring and guide wires in an exactly defined position close to the inner sound bow and the bells are hung in parallel lines, the deeper ones more or less inclosed in chambers within the tower. Generally in Holland the clappers have neither springs nor guide wires, which omissions tend to make their mechanical operation much less accurate. Often, too, the bells there are hung in circles or placed so that they are seen in the tower lanterns. These practices, while they may add to the pic- turesqueness of the tower, interfere with the most successful playing, because the keyboard connections are necessarily less direct. The bells of the lowest octave and a half are connected also with a pedal clavier. This is done for the reason that the larger bells re- quire a forceful stroke when it is desired to bring out their full tones, and that this ar- rangement gives the bell-master greater com-
