THE ALTAR LINENS

THE ALTAR LINENS, enumerated below, should be made of pure linen or hemp, not of cotton; and they should be kept scrupulously clean and changed with sufficient frequency.

THE FAIR LINEN CLOTH is the uppermost of the three cloths. which must cover the altar in time of mass. It should be slightly wider than the table and of sufficient length to hang down nearly to the ground at the ends. It may have, as is the general custom, five crosses worked with the needle upon it; one in the centre, and one at each part corresponding to the four top corners of the table; the ends may be embroidered in white or red thread and edged with fringe or lace, as richly as. taste and means dictate; but the plainer the cloth is, the better.