Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-20
Rofo-
Qualifications Necessary tn Candidates For
Highly valued Preferment.

Highly Valued Preferment.
'The pretty page with the dimpled
chin, SO sweetiy sung OF by the poet,
and who constituted one Of the most
picturesque figures of mcdieval timeS
still survives.
Royal ard imperial pages range IL
age from II 70 Is years. They are mp
pointed by the sovereign, enjoy pay pre-
negatives and p,lqUis.iCs mach as do the
grown up attt GCailts on ROYALTY and are
prescribed certain Octini,c u1t.cs The
duties are possibly 10 more important
than III the days Of yore, when there
was no postal service and the lovelorn
princess was forced TO rely upon the So
crecy and fido ~ Of her page for the
conveyance of messages of her knight
or trOubadour. Bat i.ct and discretion
in performing them are probably more
necessary now than ever, owing to the
popular craving for Information Of this
kind from the pages by persons who
imagine that because they are young
their tongues are likely TO be loose.
To tougher them against such at
tempts and qualify them for this service
the royal pages are subjected 10 very
careful training. AT the court of st.
Petersburg, for instance there is reg
ular college of pages, where they are
educated and maintained at the expense
of the crown.
Gentle birth is the first qualification
for the post of royal page. AT the courts
of Vienna and Munich All ancestry of
no less than l6 generations free from
any plebeian strain on either fathers or
mothers side is required in the candi-
dates In England and Russia nobility
is not demanded. The pages of honor in
the court of Queen Victoria are gener-
ally sons of distinguished officers of the
army or of high dignitarics Of the royal
household
On state occasions they wear gorgeous
uniforms OF blue and silver, and many
fair American who has been presented
at one Of the drawing rooms of Queen
Victoria will recall TO mind the appear.
ance which they presented standing
slightly behind her majesty or behind
the Princess of Wales when the latter
officiates in the place of her illustrious
motherin-law. In fact, their duties are
limited to attendance upon royalty at
drawing rooms, state concerts, state
balls and royal weddings.
At the courts of Berlin and Vienna
the pages figure at all state ceremonies,
clad like those of England in blue and
silver. AT the court banquets they stand
behind the chairs Of the royal and i'm
,aI
rising from the table sometimes address
few kindly words TO the boys and pre-
sent them with sweetmeats. Indeed, the
late Emperor Frederick was wont to
amuse himself by cramming their
mouths full of bonbons until they could
not speak and then plying them with
questions demanding an immediate an
swer or else cracking jokes that were
sure TO make them laugh.
These pages We're chosen for the occa-
sion only from among the best looking
boys of the school of cadets at Berlin
and from the imperial Theresianum col
lege at Vienna, all the members of
which are of noble birth. These schools
resemble the American West Point, but
the pupils enter at the age of ii and
receive commission as officers at much
earlier age than III his county
At the court of st. Petersburg the
corps of pages is a sort of imperial
school, where number of lads, sons of
noblemen and st.;e dignitaries, both
civil and mil tary. ere educated at the
car expense and under his supervision.
On attaining their eighteenth year they
usually obtain commissions as officer Of
the regiment of chevalier guards. The
czarina maintains a similar institution
for girls, who on graduating receive the
titular appointment of maid of honor to
her majesty. Chicago Record.