Ps in some quarters of the big cities, but certainly not in the country
where people hold very much to the midnight mass. It is also one of the
services that most people attend. It is always a pretty sight in the
country, particularly if there happens to be snow on the ground. Every
one that can walk comes. One sees the little bands arriving across the
fields and along the canal--five or six together, with a lantern. Entire
families turn out--the old grandfathers hobbling along on their sticks,
the women carrying their babies, who are generally very good--quite
taken up with the lights and music, or else asleep. We always sing
Adam's "Noel." In almost every church in France, I think, they sing it.
Even in the big Paris churches like the Madeleine and St. Eustache,
where they have orchestras and trained choirs, they always sing the
"Noel" at some period of the service. MAREUIL, le 24 Mai. To-day was the
Premiere Communion at La Ferte, and I had promised the Abbe Devigne to
go. I couldn't have the auto, as Francis was at a meeting of a Syndicat
Agricole in quite another direction. So I took the train (about seven
minutes), and I really believe I had the whole train to myself. No one
travels in France, on Sunday, in the middle of the day. It is quite a
long walk from the station to the church (the service was at Notre Dame,
the church on the hill), with rather a steep climb at the end. The
little town looked quite des
