, the
provincialism, the difficulty in getting open mouths. I do a lot of
reading by pattern, and pay attention to initial and final consonants.
Country boys neglect these more than town boys. I practise without organ
as much as I can. If an instrument is used, the piano is decidedly the
best. I find Gregorian singing has a strong tendency to injure purity of
tone and delicacy of expression. I do as little of it as possible.

"On the second choir practice night I spoke of, it is certainly good to
take up glee practice, or a simple cantata. It sustains the interest,
and makes the choir a bond of union in a country village."

* * * * *

Not long ago I found myself by chance worshipping in a remote village in
East Somerset, Churchill by name. There was, in the parish church, a
choir of six boys and four probationers, who sang so slowly and sweetly,
not with the luscious fulness of some boys I have heard, but with such
uncommonly good style for agricultural boys, that I was much interested.
These small villages have, from the present point of view, one
advantage. The day schools are "mixed" (containing boys and girls), and
the teacher is a lady. Both these influences tend to the softening of
the boy's voice. Miss Demack, the school-and choir-mistress at
Churchill, has kindly written a few notes on the subject of her work, in
which she says:--

"I certainly think that the girls' voices soften the boys'. I admit
probationers at the early age of six if I find they have any voice, as I
think the earlier the better. When I took my boys in hand, I found scale
exercises very useful. I did not teach them any tunes until I had
somewhat altered their rough voices. Another help was this: I had a girl
with a particularly good voice, and made the boys imitate her as much as
possible. This I found answered remarkably well. The boys seemed to
adopt quite a different tone."

Miss Demack teaches singing in the school and choir by ear only, and
knows nothing of the Tonic Sol-fa system.

* * * * *

I next give a short paper kindly sent me by Mr. George Parbery,
choirmaster of the parish church, and master of the National School at
Fordingbridge, Hants:--

"Dear Sir,--As choirmaster of the parish church here, and as one who
takes great interest in the subject of singing in schools, I am happy to
respond to your request, as we are essentially a rural district.

"I have occ