Long ago there was an ancient bell that was famous for its beautiful tone. It had been commissioned by the king. The king's advisors had told him that making a huge temple bell would secure the nation from foreign invasion. The specialist who cast the bell had produced several failures until he concluded that the only way to produce a great bell was to sacrifice a young maiden. Soldiers were sent to find and fetch such a young girl. Coming upon a poor mother in a farm village with her small daughter, they took the child away, while she cried out piteously: "Emille, Emille!" -- "Mother, O Mother!"

When the molten lead and iron were prepared, the little girl was thrown into the fire. At last the bell maker succeeded. The bell, called the Emille Bell, made a sound more beautiful than any oth…