The magoitade of the task can only be realized by those who have seen Mr. Ball at work. Althoagh when standi in the nave of the Cathedral the ergot appears to be a large instrament, few persons can have realized what © maze of pipes and mech are hidden behind the woodwork and exterior pipes. Indeed, when one has seen the organ dismantled it is almost impossible to believe that all the pipes. boards, rods and mechanism can be stowed away inside the instrament again, There are upwards of 2,200 pipes, each of which has to be brought within reach of the organist's feet or hands, and besides these there is regular network of levers, trackers and wires behind the console, which bring into operation the seven couplers and six composition pedals. The pipes vary in size from sixteen feet in height to two inches; the largest will almost allow a man to enter, the smallest are not larger than.aquill. Strictly, therefore, an organ must be regarded asa collection of instraments—an orchestra —rather than a single instrament. Then it has to be remembered that the pipes besides varying in size are of different shapes, and fashioned from various kinds of wood and metal.
They have to be tuned and repaired in ways peculiar to their particular construction. For one part of the action alone over 800 eyelets of calf leather had to be used. The valves to practically every pipe have to be relined with leather, and some parts of the action are being replaced altogether. Only one important innovation will be introduced, and that is the replacing of ted pedals by new concave pedal-It is satisfactory to learn that the organ is not in such bad condition as reports led the builders to believe, and Mr. Ball considers that it will last for another forty years if it is thoroughly. cleamed at intervals of about ten years, and precautions are adopted to preserve the instrument from the effects of damp. Many of the new organs at home are fitted with a pneumatic action, but Mr. Ball considers ion, such as that of our Cathedral organ, better adapted to local climatic conditions. A pneumatic action would be more liable to deterioration from moisture, and unless there was expert in Shanghai, it difficult, if not impossible, to repair it. It is easy to understand how a little moisture may affect the instrament when it is realized that every touch of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.