A SONG FOR THE CHILDREN'S CORONATION FESTIVAL
[To THE EDITOR OF TEE " SPECTATOR."] STR,—May I venture to advert to the letter of " H. S." in last Saturday's Spectator with reference to the children singing in St. Paul's and the impression it had on the musicians he names, and to remind you of Thackeray's delightfully ex- pressed estimation of the same in his "Four Georges," namely :— " And yet there is one day in the year—a day when old George (the Third) loved with all his heart to attend it—when I think St. Paul's presents the noblest sight in the whole world : when five thousand charity children, with cheeks like nosegays, and sweet fresh voices, sing the hymn which makes every heart thrill with praise and happiness. I have seen a hundred grand sights in the world—coronations, Parisian splendours, Crystal Palace openings, Popes' chapels with their processions of long-tailed Cardinals and quavering choir of fat soprani—but think in all Christendom there is no such sight as charity children's day—non Angli, sed angeli. As one looks at that beautiful multitude of innocents : as the first note strikes : indeed, one may almost fancy that cherubs are singing."
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