THE CHOIR-BOY OF PARIS

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7, 15 February 1900, Page 28

THE CHOIR-BOY OF PARIS

To become a choir-boy in Paris you must be either one of two things — the pupil of one of the ecclesiastical schools in the city, or a youth of exceptional gifts as to voice and recommendations from the world beyond the shadow of the Church. The scholars of the monks are the more favoured ones, and from their ranks are bupplud nearly all the vacancies occurringinthemanychurcb.es cf the capital, besides standing high in his class, the applicant for altar honours mutt possess a good voice and one capable of very high cultivation.

The salary given to the boy singer i^ mor -ly nominal, but occasion for generoun feeling 1 on the part of impulsive and highly emotional people, makes his earnings conbideruble, often running up to 10 dollars a month for the best singers. The costumes worn by the boys during service are most elaborate and costly, the colours varying trom pure white, through red, violet, and blue. Red is much in vogue, as its richness harmonises splendidly with the golden ornaments of the altar and throws off to advantage the rays of light from the surrounding candles. Special colours for the cassocks, shoes, and headgear are reserved for particular churches and certain eaints ; blue is sacred to the Blessed Virgin, and is never worn except in her honour.

Messrs. Louis Gille and Co., the well-known Catholic booksellers, of Liverpool street, Sydney, direct attention to their new edition of the (iarland oj the Soul, a most complete prayer book, printed in fine bold type on tinted Indian paper with red border lines. The contents include the devotions for Mass, Communion, Confession, Epistles and Gospels of the day, the prayers used at the burial of the dead, Divine Praises, lay Baptism, antiphons, hymns, litanies, etc. This prayer book, which is ojin. by 3|in., can be had in cloth for 2a 9d post free, or in leather binding 3s 9d. — *%