Church Choirs

Church quartottes have long been Considerad the lawful prey cf the overworked paragraphist The soprano and basso are always prouped together, while the tenor and alto are invariably pairee) in an antag-onistic attitude toward the other couple. Tlic equilibrium oí harmony ís recoí?nized even by the paragrapbist. This does not lessen the íaet that chureh choirs have real grievances to which thcv mnst submit. One is the gratuitous work they are called cpon to pcrform in singing at funora's. Tho membera oí a chureh choir aro paid a certaln yearly income for Blngfinj a certain numbcr of times in Chnrch on Sundaya Itis taken for granted tliat tito choir will cheerfnlly acquier,ce in the raggcstions that it volunteer itrs aid for all the chureh entertainrnents where mnsic is a featnre. And it is ta!en for frrantcd that the musical notes fornished ara r.on-nefrotiable. This is r.imply looked upon by the thrifty trustees as g-ood measure, pressed down and running over, for tho money paid the choir. lïut when the singers are askcd to attend the fnnoral of sorae chureh meraber, vvhom very likely they did not know. and sing ttfree or numbers withnut as mueh as receMnffthanks, it is nothing more or less than an imposition. The male mombers of the choir are called away from their business to chant pathetie lays over the remalns of one in whom they had not the slif)-]itest personal interest, vet because the deceased was i:: the habit of listening to their voices evcry Sunday, they are expected to ieel amply corapensated by the satisfaction they derive from doing an act of charlty. This dead-head work which clinrch clioirs, for obvious reasons, are corapelled to perform is not specifled in the contraéis and cannot be fairly inelnded in the salaries paid for in chnrch, yet it is a fact that the sinters are seldom paid for the professional services they render at nerals.-