I never gave it much thought before, but during the restoration of our 100 year old church, they removed the clacker from the Bell and hooked the rope to a switch that makes a loudspeaker produce a "bell's ring." The contactor said the bell was too old to continue to be rung daily (noon) and on Sundays. That if we kept doing it it'll crack. I know the bell was over a hundred but now I wonder if there's more to it.