having told him that he would send over two or three boys to serve his Mass. When our friend had left, the Doctor called the servant and told her to send for boys to serve that man's Mass. "What!" exclaimed the girl, "is that colored man a priest?" "Yes, indeed he is," said the Doctor; "he showed me his papers, and I questioned him. He's all right." "Oh, glory be to God! wonders will never cease. Well, well, what is it you won't see in America. But did you spake Latin to him, Doctor?" “Yes, I did, and he speaks Latin very correctly." So off she went on her message to the altar-boys. After allowing the man sufficient time to vest and get on the altar, her curiosity was so excited she resolved to hear the Mass. She heard the poor man saying Mass as devoutly, and in tones as sweet and correct, as any priest she had heard in the "ould dart." She did not pray much, however, for she kept eyes, mouth, and ears open till the very end of the Mass, and then hastened back to the house to prepare breakfast for him; and she did it willingly, after hearing him say Mass. It is reported this priest is still living in France, where he received a warm welcome. Contemptuous Britons: Divorced Actresses. It is to be hoped that the theatrical trick of advertising the bad reputation of an actress, in order to draw people to see a play, is done with. The female who came here under the "protection " of an English lord, and was expected to empty American pockets, because of her unequivocal position, is about to go home. It will not do for the advocates of the theatre to talk of the morality of actors. An actress, who has been divorced and "re-married," defends the acting profession in the Brooklyn Magazine. Madame Patti, who has also been divorced and very lately "re-married," has become the object of attention on the part of nearly all the Mrs. Leo Hunters in New York. Another actress, a "professional beauty," derives prestige from having, it is said, received very particular attention from the Prince of Wales. Taking the acting profession in the higher ranks, it is hard to find one actor or actress who is living with his or her first conjugal partner. Madame Modjeska is a brilliant exception to a rule that covers a great many cases. But it must be said that these divorced and "re-married" persons do not advertise their inconstancy as a means of drawing crowds. It remained for the English theatrical emigrant to supplement a limited ability by a breach of the Sixth Commandment, publicly announced. The English complain that Americans in London are a "bad lot." Probably some of them are. But the specimens of English morals and manners we see here seem to show that a "bad lot" is very much at home in London. A nobleman comes over here and accepts an invitation to a wedding, appearing with a female who could not be allowed to enter a decent house in London. Then we have the Rev. Mr. Heweis, moral, but very disagreeable and contemptuous of his hosts, and Miss Florence Marryatt, who says boldly that American women must drink brandy in private, because she has not seen them drink it in public. And yet we can hardly blame the "lordly Britisher" for his contempt for the Americans, shown recently by the appearance of the variety actress, heralded (cablegrams) by the enticing announcement that a noble lord had kicked her husband down stairs! A very clever American, one of the editors of our brilliant contemporary, the Critic, says Americans are popular in London, but popular after the manner of clowns! They amuse the sleepy British lion; they play the banjo beneath his paws, and stimulate him with mixed jokes and very mixed slang. And they come back, like the lady elocutionist who boasted that the Prince of Wales gave her a button, or some other trifling souvenir, and pose forever afterwards. No wonder the English despise their "kin across the sea." New York Freeman's Journal. 1 Boston Herald on the School Question. THE high ground taken by the archbishop of New York in his pastoral letter, just published, makes the question of sectarian schools one of imminence. The substance of the letter is that, wherever there is a Catholic Church and resident pastor, it is ordered that within two years, except only in cases of extreme difficulty, of which the bishop. shall be the judge, a Catholic school shall be established. "All Catholic parents are bound to send their children to the parochial schools." The effect of carrying out this order would be a practical division of the public schools in nearly all the eastern cities and manufacturing towns. We should have schools, carried on at the public cost, for the children of those who believe in secular education, and schools. maintained at private cost, for the children of Roman Catholics. The natural sequence would be a demand, not without reason, on the part of the Roman Catholics, for a division of the school money. The question will then rise whether it is not the course of wisdom, as well as of justice, to make such division of the school money under conditions of public supervision of all schools, with certain standards of secular education to be insisted upon. This is likely to be one of the most important issues in the near future. We believe in public schools for all, limited to secular education, including good morals, leaving religious or sectarian education to the church, the Sunday-school, and the home. But that does not meet the demand of the Roman Catholic Church, though it is satisfactory to a large proportion of the people in that communion. The question should be met fairly, liberally, and without prejudice. Did'st take pain and poverty, Died upon the Cross, the death of shame! By the Babe who cried with cold On his father's business bent; For all pain and sin and care and loss; To the Christ all love and praise! Sad hearts, glad hearts, hear the call- For the Babe and Boy and Man and KATHARINE TYNAN. The "Adeste Fideles." The ONCE more the echoes of the angels' song are dying away. glad music of Christmas and Epiphany has already been subdued by the more solemn strains of Septuagesima, which lead the way to the "feast of penance," when the organ is silent in our churches. If there is one hymn more than another which is associated with Christmas-tide, it is the Adeste Fideles. Christmas would hardly be Christmas without it. From the cathedral, where its melody is underlaid with rich harmony, to the little mission chapel with its tiny choir of school-children, the Adeste is an indispensable accompaniment of the Christmas Masses and Benedictions. The melody, apart from the words, has a popularity of its own. We hear it in military bands at a soldier's funeral, and in the village Protestant Church, where the "barrel-organ" still holds sway -if such church still remain in these days of "restoration"—we find it among the limited selection of tunes: not, indeed, set to its own proper words, but to a metrical version of the ninety-fourth Psalm, which begins: "O come, loud anthems let us sing. Ask a performer in the band, or him who turns the handle of the barrel-organ, the name of the tune, and the answer will be "The Portuguese Hymn." Now comes the curious part of the matter. The origin of this deservedly-popular melody is, so far as I can ascertain, unknown; and of the source whence the words come we are equally ignorant. I venture to think, therefore, that it may interest some readers of The Irish Monthly" if I put before them the state of our knowledge with regard to the Adeste; and if the result is to clear up a mystery—or a pair of mysteries-which has baffled wiser heads than mine, my display of ignorance will, I hope, be condoned on account of the benefit which has accrued therefrom. The only point on which we can be clear is, how the name "The Portuguese Hymn" originated. This is explained by Vincent Novello, in a note added to his printed copy (1843), which runs thus: "This piece obtained its name of 'The Potuguese Hymn' from the accidental circumstance of the Duke of Leeds, who was a director of the Concerts of Ancient Music many years since (about 1785), having heard the hymn first performed at the Portuguese Chapel, and who, supposing it to be peculiar to the service in Portugal, introduced the melody to the Ancient Concerts, giving it the title of 'The Portuguese Hymn,' by which appellation the favorite and popular tune has ever since been distinguished; but it is by no means confined to the choir of the Portuguese chapel, being the regular Christmas hymn that is sung in every Catholic chapel throughout England." The tune is often attributed, as by Novello, to John Reading, and supposed to date from about 1680. There were two John Readings,one a pupil of Dr. Blow; the other known as Reading of Winchester, the composer of Dulce Domum, and of graces with Latin words. As the first was not born until 1677, his claims may be set aside, if the date 1680 is of any value. Mr. W. H. Cummings is inclined to think that Reading of Winchester (who died in 1692) was the composer, but there is no direct evidence of this. The idea that the tune is of Plain Chant origin may be set aside at once. It does not seem to exist in any of the older paroissiens; nor can I find it in any foreign books, save such as are of recent date. But if Reading composed the tune, did he compose it for the words to which it is now all but universally sung; and if so, where did he find the words? For this brings us to our second difficulty. Whence come the words-the Latin originals, I mean, for we will speak of translations afterwards. There has been, from time to time, a good deal of correspondence in "Notes and Queries" about the Adeste, from which I glean some of my facts; but the two questions, "Who composed the tune?" "What is the origin of the words?" still remain unanswered. The "Appendix to the Hymnal Noted," says, "fifteenth or sixteenth century.' In the "Thesaurus Animæ Christiana" (London: 1857), it is headed: "Alia Sequentia in Nativitate Domini (Ex Graduali Cisterciensi);" but no investigation has brought the said Gradual to light. The Adeste occurs in modern French paroissiens and German hymn-books, but not as we sing it in England and Ireland. When M. Gounod gave a series of concerts at the Albert Hall, some twelve years or so back, the Adeste was performed, but the version sung was that current in France and Germany, and three out of the four verses were new to Englishmen. It is to be noted that these verses fit well with those we all know, and form a harmonious whole. This is how it runs in the "Thesaurus " above cited: 1 Adeste fideles, læti triumphantes, 2 Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine, Deum verum, genitum non factum ! 3 En, grege relicto, humiles ad cunas |