Wholesale Confirmation.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 77, 3 April 1897, Page 3 (Supplement)

Wholesale Confirmation.

An extraordinary coromony is the confirmation by wholesale of tho email boys in bhe famous juvenile asylum of bho Petite Roquebte ab Paris. There are eqveral hundred boys in the asylum, and, as some of them have been wild and wayward before being senb to tbe Petite Roquofete, a considerable amount of restraint is maintained over thoia. For instance, ab the aacred ceremony of confirmation, they are nob allowed to ait together in open church, lesb porhaps their mischievous tendencies, act. ing in common, might disturb tho gravity of the occasion. In order bo duly separate the urchins, and ab the same time bo arrange matters so thab each boy comes beforo the confirming prelate in regular order, an ingenious contrivance has been invented. At ono end of the chapel of Petite Roquebte there is an immense wheel, reaching from floor to ceiling. The face of this wbeel te divided into little cubicles, like large cells in a honeycomb. Inbo each of these ceil, is introduced a boy. The front partition of the cell cornea up to his chin, leaving nothing exposed but hia head and lace. Ac the top of the wheel there is a gallery, guarded by wardens, from which the boys are led to their cubicles in the huge wheel. Below, under the floor of. tho elKtpel, ia another gallery, similarly guarded, into which the newly confirmed Christians are conducted.

In bhe chapel stands tho Archbishop of Paris with hii. attendant priests, holding the chrism, or oil of anointment. Before him, tier abovo tier, in tho great honeycomb wheel, is the crowd of boyish faces—nervous, eager or frightened, according to tho nature of their owners.

At a given signal the Archbishop stepa forward, and, passing quickly along the line of cells level with the floor, anoints and confirms each boy in turn. Another signal and the big wheel begins to revolve upon its axis. Slowly tha f-.ces of tbe confirmed boys disappear beneath the chapel flooring, and slowly anobher bier of faces takes the place occupied by bhem, within reach of the Archbishop's confirming hand. Again bhese boys are made ' strong and perfect Christians,' as the ritual expressed ib, and once again bho wheel burns unbil a third line of cells, filled with boys, is broughb level wibh the chapel. Thus bhe odd ceremony is continued until every boy on every tier of the wheel has received confirmation. A whole holiday is granted to the little occupants of the revolving wheel, who, when released from their cells underneath the chapel, are conducted to a hearty dejeuner and thence to the playground,