The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-05-20

I alifications Necessary tn Candidates For
n Highly Valued Preferment.

II allucatiOut Ntct>rSFl w VI
Highly Valued Preferment.
1.-The pretty page with the dimpled
ihin," so sweetly sung of by the poet,
and who constituted one of the most
picturesque figures of medieval times,
still survives.
Royal and imperial pages range iii
age from IL TO l6,years. They are APP
pointed by the sovereign, enjoy pay pre-
negatives and perquisites much as do the
grown up attendants on royalty and are
prescribed certain definite duties. The
duties are possibly no more important
than in the days of yore, when there
was no postal service and the lovelorn
princess was forced to rely upon the Sc
crecy and fidelity of her page for the
conveyance of messages of her knight
or troubadour. But tact 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 aud qualify them for this service
the royal pages are subjected to 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 w.. g
no less than l6 generations free from
any plcbeian strain OH either fathers or
mothers side is required in the cmidi-
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 dignitaries of the royal
household.
On state occasions they wear gorgeous
uniforms of blue and silver, and many
a 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
ofiiciates i'll the place of her illustrious
mother-in-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 En- 10. d in blue and
silver At the court b. Iuets they stand
behind the chairs Ct the royal and i'm
perial personages. These personages on
rising from the table sometimes address
few kindly words to the boys and pre-
sent them with sweetmeats. Indeed, the
late Emperor Frederick was won't TO
amuse himself by examining their
mouths full of bonbons until thew 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 were 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 commissions as officers at much
earlier age than i'll this country.
At the court of ST. Petersburg the
corps OF pages is a sort of imperial
school. where number of lads, sons of |
noblemen and state dignitaries, both |
civil and military, are educated at the |
car S 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 similar institution
for girls, who on graduating receive the
titular appointment of maid of honor to
her majesty. Chicago Record.