CIHM Microfiche Series (IMonograplis) ICMH Collection de microfiches (monographies) Canadian InatHuta for Hiatorical Microraproductions / Institut Canadian da microraproductiona hiatoriquaa 1 TMhnical and BibNofraphic Notn / Nolw Mdimquai ct biMiofrapliiqiiM Tht Imtitutt hM attampttd to obtain tli* bait eriaiflal copy availaMa for filminfl. Faatura* of thii copy wMeb may ba WblioflrapbieaHy uniqua, wMeb may altar any off tna Ima^as m tna raproouction« or wnian may lignifieantiv ehanft tha uaual mothod of f ilmini. ara chadiad balow. HCotoorad eovars/ Cotivartura da coolawr D D Covart damagad/ Couvartura Covart ratterad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura raitaufto at/ou pailieuMa □ CotMr tMa minint/ La titra da couvartura D D D n n Colourad mapa/ Cartas giograpbiqua* an coulaur Colourad ink (i.a. othar than bkia or Mack)/ Encra da coulaur (i.a. autra qua Maua ou noira) Colourad platM and/or iilwtratiom/ Plandias at/ou illuttrationt an coulaur Bound Mritb otbar matarial/ RaM avac d'autrat doeumanti Tiflht binding may causa shadows or distortion along intarior margin/ La raliura sarrte paut causar da I'ombra ou da la distonion la long da la marga intMaura D Blank laavas addad during rattoration may i within tha taxt. Whanavar pottibla. thata hava baan omittad from filming/ II sa paut qua cartainas pagas blanchas aiouttes tors d'una rastauration apparaissant dans la taxta. mait, lorsqua cala Mait postibla. cas pagas n'ont pas M filmias. Additional commants.7 Commantaircs suppiamantairM: This itam is f ilmad at tha raduction ratio ehackad batow/ Ca documant ttt f ilm4 au taux de rMuetion indiqui ei-dasseut. 'OX 14X ItX 12X L'Institut a microfitan* la maillaur axamplaira qu'il lui a M possiMa da sa procurar. Las details da cat a x amp la ira qui sunt paut-«tra uniquas du point da vua b i b l i og ra phiq w a. qui p a u van t modif iar una imaga raproduita. ou qui pauvant axigar una modification dans la mMioda normala da f ihnaga sont indiquis ci-dassous. □ Colourad pagas/ PagHdacoulaw D [~~n ftgas rastorad and/or laminatad/ Pagas rastaurAas at/ou paNicuMas Ngas discotourad. stainad or foxa Pagas dicolorias. tachatta s ou piquias r~7\ ff* discotourad. stainad or foxad/ Pagas dataehad/ HShowthrough/ Transparanca Quality of print variat/ Quality inigala da I'imprassion □ Continuous pagination/ Pagination continua D Indudas indax(as)/ Comprand un (das) indax Titia on haadar takan from:/ La titra da I'an-tlta proviant: r~~j Title page of issue/ j I Caption of issue/ r~n Masthead/ Page de titre de la livraison Caption of issue/ Titre de depart da la livraison Masthead/ G4n^ique (piriodiques) de la livraison 22X 26X XX • IfX aox 24X 2tX J 32X Th« copy ftlmad h«r« has b««n raproducsd thanks to tha ganarotity of: National Library of Canada L'axamplaira film* f ut raproduit grica A la g4n4ro8it4 da: BibliotMqua nationala du Canada Tha imagas appaaring hara ara tha bast quality possibia considaring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in Itaaping wKh tha filming contract spacifications. Original copias in printad papar covars ara filmad baginning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion. or tha bacic covar whan appropriata. All othar original copias ara filmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or illustratad impraa- sion. and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impraaaion. Tha last racordad frama on aach microficha shall contain tha symbol ^^- (moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol V (moaning "END"), whichavar applias. Las imagas suivantaa ont tti raproduitas avac la plus grand soin, compta tanu da la condition at da la nattatt da l'axamplaira filmi. at an conformity avac las conditions du contrat da filmaga. Laa axamplairas originaux dont la couvartura an papiar ast imprimta sont filmis an commanpant par la pramiar plat at an tarminant soit par la darnMra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'imprassion cu d'illustration. soit par la sacond plat, salon la cas. Tous las autras axamplairas originaux sont filmte an commandant par la pramiira paga qui comporta una amprainta d'imprassion ou d'illustration at an tarminant par la darni*ra paga qui comporta una tolla amprainta. Un das symbolas suh/ants apparaftra sur la darniira imaga da chaqua microficha. salon la cas: la symbole — »> signifia "A SUIVRE". la symbols ▼ signifia "FIN". Maps, platas. charts, ate., may ba filmad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba antiraly includad in ona axposura ara filmad baginning in tha uppar laft hand cornar. laft to right and top to bottom, as many framas aa raquirad. This following diagrams illustrata tha mathod: Las cartas, planchas. tablaaux, etc.. pauvant ttra fiimto i das taux da rMuction diffArents. Lorsqua la document ast trop grand pour Atra raproduit an un saul clich*. 11 ast film* A partir da I'angla sup4riaur gaucha. da gaucha i droita. at da haut an bas, an pranant la nombra d'imagas ntcassaira. Las diagrammas suivants illustrant la mtthoda. 12 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mioocory msouition nsr chait (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) /1PPLIED IM^OE Inc 1653 Eott Man Street RochMter. Nm York 14609 USA (716) W- 0300- Phoiw (716) 2aa-SM9-Fa« What a Pupil has a Higbt to ex' pectasa Result ofBisBigb School training in Trench and Herman. KcpriNt from the Report of tU DoniniON €dncatl0Ml Jlstociatioii. Jliiguit. 1901. trinltf anlvtrsltp, toroHt0. 1901. Ottawa Printing Co., Limitbo, WHAT A PUPIL HAS A RIGHT TO EXPECT AS A RESULT OF HIS HIGH SCHOOL TRAINING IN FRENCH OR GERMAN. Professor A. H. Young, M.A., Trinity University, Toronto. The right of a pupil to have any expectations in this matter depends upon h.s own aims, ability, and application, his teacher'. Ideals, trammg, and sense ol duty, and the limitations imposed upon both o\ them by time-tables, the length and character of the Hirt School course, and the wearisome round of the ever-recurring ex- aminations. Concerning the pupil who lacks ambition and linguistic capacity, and who is, moreover, incorrigibly idle. I have nothing to say, except that it is little short of a crime to keep him at school, wasting his father's money, his teacher's strength, and his own time. Heg)ught to be made to realize by the wisest means that can be devised for him that he owes duties to society at large, and that only he has a right to live and enjoy life, who, in some useful way. is con- tributing to the good and the happiness of others. The pupil, on the other hand, who has even moderate ambitions and, possibly, only indifferent mental endowments may. with honest endeavour, attain, under the guidance of a conscientious, high- minded, welNinstructed teacher, to a good degree of proficiency in reading, writing, and, perhaps, speaking French and German, not- withstanding th- limitations already referred to. Further than this he can scarcely hope to go under existing conditions, hence these limitations and the teacher's ideals would appear to be the main subjects for consideration at the present time. I- — Timb-Tables. Three classes of limitations have been already mentioned.- time-tables, examinations, and the length and character of the High School course. To dwell long upon the construction of time-tat'es. and, in particular, to inveigh against headmasters, 'as is almosi invariably done by most pf thos? who deal with this subject, i^ — 1— uaprofiuble. The difficultiei of the probleoi increase with multipl!ca> tion of options and diminution in the sise of the staff. In spite of the wide range of options allowed ten years ago in the senior forms of the secondary schools in Ontario, it was still possible at a large school like Upper Canada College to divide the working week into thirds of ten periods each, devoted respectively, at the rate of two periods a day, to Mathematics, Classics (with Ancient History), and Modern Languages (including English and English History). The proportion observed between French and German, on the one hand, and English and History, on the other, was as six to four, while science was adequately provided for by aUowing boys wishing to take the subject to spend in the labora- tory their spare hours from Trigonometry, Greek, French, or German, as the case might be. It is not impossible that such a division of the day and week might work out well in a school with so few a.i three, or even two masters, in which, happily, the attempt is not made to teach every pi pil in every period. Whether the attempt so to do is ever desir- able may well be questioned. We are greatly in danger of teaching too much and of leaving the pupil, to his own hurt, to depend too little upon himself. This evil of over-teaching is undoubtedly due in no small measure to the second of the limitations to be considerAl— examinations. II.— Examinations. " Pupils must be passed," so I am assured by those who are most affected by the evil, or the teacher " loses his place," as the phtasegoes. As odious a phrase it is as those others which are seen in the papers every day during the summer vacation :— " State salary expected " : '• Wanted, a Male Teacher " ; «• Wanted, a Female Teacher." The last two savour somewhat of the old slave days, which are supposed to be gone for ever. But with school- masters and schoolmistresses of to-day it is, I fear, a supposition and nothing more. And they themselves have to bear at least part of the blame for the existing state of affairs. Not only is the aim of the teacher lowered, perhaps insensibly, and independence stifled in the pupil, but a great deal of hasty (therefore bad) teaching and inaccuracy is the result. On the latter point I feel strongly, for I have just finished reading three sets of scholarship papers for the Universities of Ontario, the examination being conducted by the Education Department Hardly one of the — 3— -•} candidates (about iao in number) was able to give correctly common forms of verbs in general use occurring in the prescribed texts. The imperative r^i'ie verb f'afSfoiV, conjugated either affirma- tively or negatively, ouc it surely to be familiar to honour candidates for University scholarsmps. yet scarcely ten per cent, of them gave the verbal forms correctly. A larger percentage understood in a vague fashion that the order of the pronouns changed when the negative appeared, but they did not always manage to give their proper forms. The nomenclature of the tenses is something apparently not taught in the majority of schools ; and, i fear, the same must be said of the functions of the tenses also. In vain have I asked in years gone by for the perfect or the past indefinite of the indicative, giving the two names together. Candidate after candidate has thought the past definite was meant, while some have written the imperfect. This year I sought to avoid the difficulty of nomenclature by asking for the perfect of the infinitive, and in many cases the answers con- tained the past participle alone, while a few candidates gave forms such as ayant tenu. The same kind of mistake was found also, and more frequently, in the answers to the German paper. But here the additional vice manifested itself, I should say in fully twenty-five per cent, of the papers, of writing habengesetat for gesetst haben, while I became quite accustomed to the monstrosity haben gewesen. It is not my intention to raise any discussion concerning the merits of the natural, as opposed to the grantmatical method, or the reverse. To him who can use it, either of them is good, and every teacher must, after all, evolve his own method. But I do think that accuracy is a thing which we have a right to expect from our pupils, and which they in turn have a right to expect from us. Whatever method of teaching may be adopted, the verbs in the texts read, and in the grammar, ought to be thoroughly drilled into the pupils, for it is wonderful what an extensive vocabulary anyone will have who has once mastered his verbs in either French or German. If the admirable hints for drill in the verbs which are thrown out in thfj new authorized grammars are utilized, this drill will not be irksome to either teacher or pupil, but, by means of the sentences used, it can be made to subserve admirably the purposes of conversation, a well as those of training both ear and tongue, all of which are to be desired. Anothtr lort of inaccurMy which has tried my patience recently ia that anting out of imperfect assimilation of the vocabulary coo- Umed in the texts prescribed for examination. With wearisome iteration I heard, when I was discussing my papers with the associate examiners, the phrase, •• But the candidate has the idea, " even though he had, in my opinion, exhausted most, if not all, of the marks by mistakes due to crass ignorance and culpable approxima- tion. This was in connection, it must be remembered, with passages that were to be prepared no less than those which were to be taken at sight. I may be wrong, but it does seem to me that no one, to use the phrase again, "has the idea," in the true meaning of the words, unless he can reproduce it in good, idiomatic English, with proper regard for literalnesx of translation. When next I examine for the Department I hope that it will not be necessary for me to argue this point again. I cannot but think the phrase an attempt to apologize for inaccuracy, which is, after all, carelessness and laziness. Both vf these we, as teachers, ought to correct ia our pupils, wherever we see them, for where they are there can be at best only absence of character. III.— Examination Success. Character and love of knowledge we cannot expect to see growing up in our pupils if we teach for examinations alone, and if in so doing, we lead them to believe that success (save the mark !) is the only thing worth having, no matter how it is attained. Love of the subject and a thorough determination to pursue it patiently, and 10 accordance with tts own laws, after he leaves school, are far better worth striving to inspire in a pupil than a low desire for any amount of mere examination success. I have a theory, which I am glad to say others besides myself have often worked out in practice that anyone who is filled with a love of French and German, and who IS constantly increasing his own acquaintance with them will be rewarded by seeing this love and determination I have spoken of growing up in his pupils if he teaches the subjects without reference to examinations at all ; and he will not have to fear the day of pub- lication of results either. IV.— Length of the High School Course. Whether it is customary now, as it used to be, for pupils to come without any previous knowledge of the subjects and request to be prepared for the Junior or the Senior Leaving Examination in — 5— Fr«nch aud Gtrman in periods ranging from thret to t«n months, I cannot say. I sincerely hope it is not. There should be only one answer for such a pupil, and that is, it is impossible, unless you are a linguistic genius. None but a genius could in one school year (much less in a shorter time) begin to have any conception of what is meant by language study and by the laws of a language, to which he must conform who wishes to really learn anything of it. If, instead of two Leaving Examinations, there were only one, which should be such in reality, and not in name merely, for the vast majority of our High School pupils, we should be the better able to work out our ideals without distraction. The majority of the pupils, it cannot be too often said, are neither prospective teachers nor pros- pective university students. Again, if none but those who had taken ihe whole High School course were permitted to present themselves for this simplified Leav- ing Examination, the position of affairs would be further improved. This would be the case especially if the Entrance Examination were abolished and those who might wish to study the languages were thus placed in a position that would enable them to begin them early without any fear of spending at least four, if not six, years or more upon them. After a somewhat long experience, four years seem to me the fewest possible in which to do for a pupil leaving school for good that which will enable him to go on by himself with the study of modern languages, or indeed, with any of the other subjects of study. Once more let it be said, that ought to be the objective of our High School course ; and it can hardly be maintained with due regard to truth-telling, that it is so to-day. V. — Chakactbr of thb CoinisB. In Germany it is found possible to give the pupils of the Heal- SchuJen, in which modern languages (French and German), are com- pulsory, in the Oymnasun, in which they are optional, and in the Toechter-Schulen, a good grammatical training, a considerable amount of practice in conversation, the usual exercises in translating into and out of the vernacular, together with two things which we do not attempt at all, some general ideas concerning the history of literature and information about the history, institutions, social cus- toms, legends, etc., of the nations speaking the languages in question. Professor Storm, who, though a Dane, holds the German views of l«igua«re study, makes .„ his great work on English Phonetics, a ch-racte„st.c remark. In a foot-note which his German translator fa. hfully reproduces Criticizing a certain work on the same sub- ject. he writes somewhat as follows: "It is a pity the author has not traced the evolution of the English dinne'r-hour. In Quee" Ehzabeth'sfme we know that it was noon ; in the earlier part of ivin^i^ "km "'^ ^'. ^°*"'' ^'°'" ^'''^''''' '^''^ '* ^«* «» 'ate a, five o clock, while now ,t .s seven, half-past seven, eight, or later. Tra- cing the causes of these changes would have been a valuable contribu- t.on to the science ot Phonetics." What the connection between the two may be. specialists in Phonetics must be left to determine • my concern is with the fact that nothing is too trivial to be deemed of some importance in the s^udy of languages. Does not this study humarfh H r" intensely interesting thing, an intensely human thing, and an infinitely more useful means of culture, in the true sense of that much abused word, than it is when it is made a ZVcZ"" ^°''fV'^'"'"*''°''' ^•''' '^' scantest possible attention to dLtionaVr " '""^ indispensable tools, the grammar and the tha„t7r '''°"'*' ^r^'^ "" ^'"'"^ *° ^' ^*"«^ PO^--^^ °' •««« clever than the Germans, the course which we ought to aim at introducing, by degrees, into our High Schools would take account of grammaf Frrr^'Tr '■'"'"*"" '''°™ *"' '"^° ^°^''«'^' broad outlines ol can it tL^T""' "•'^'*"'^'•^ •" Zan^siunde, as the Germans Sperience or fmrh- ^ "? l^''^^' ^"""^ *h« *«a<=her's own S h r I ? ^'f:^'"^'°«' «« I heard being done in a course on Engl sh. Colonial, and American Universities delivered in English by a distinguished graduate of Glasgow University, who is Lector in English at the University of Stassburg. Or the teaching could b^ d\rinTrrr'^^'"°"--°"'*^ -' "* -«^^-) - ^-^te„ faraJI'r"'" f'T^'^' ^"^^ * ^°°^ oo this side of the Atlantic, so far as I know. ,s Herr Stern's GescAichien vom Rhein, published by the American Book Company, of New York. It is doubtless known to many of you through the courtesy of the publishers ; and you will probably agree with me that it would be hard to devise anything more interesting as a fir.t reader in German. The whole Rhine i! .raversed from Switzerland to Holland, and very many of the mo I interesting legends are narrated. The pleasures of memory! Id possibly, of travel in days to come, would be increased tenfold foi — 7— pupils using: such books, while now. as we know only too well the tendency. ,n too many cases is to hasten straightway fo foJet that was learned at school as having no connection with life t general attention to oral exercises and grammatical drill. ^ ^^ So long as we have the present unsatisfactory arrangement of the Uavmg Examinations, which I look upon as onlv temnnr 1 tLgs asTw h 'V''' *""""'• ''' °PP°^*"-ty offers, of such inmgs as I have here set down as desirable. VII.—MoDERN Languages and Business. in thenf ''"J'J^" ~"fi"« -"e to High Schools and the average pupil and the same set of machinery, to^manufa^e^^t^^^^^^^^^^^^ 7' should speak of commercial and journalistrc French IndGe^an mt?e .'"Tf ^ -nterprovincial and international trade, ther^ can be' hie doubt that an ever-increasing demand will be mLde for clerks with a thorough knowledge of these languages, and oerLn! f Spanish and Italian also. 8"«&es, and perhaps of If we had anything corresponding to the Real-SchuU^ of r for cuUur. p„rp„„, .,„„^ ,^ ^^ should ItA^ZtiX of. We must stand arm upon the eround th.. ,1,. T '* .....m is no. intended .0 ^l^, .o.f ^ ^.t tre^n^^r;.' —8— ^2:::^:y^::^zx r^TT- ■"* -- '"- — their i,,..m^.„c .„d d.v ,"p*.i'"'^'' "r "' "»"™. to.r.i„ f lull ,„abl. .hem ,„ pros, ,^?,! J'hT; '° '"'" '» '«'»' " i"?tbat „e to «, th.m fori, • '^ ,.""'"' '■"'=•»«' of '"in- . «itio„, of .if. i„ .„/, ™7J'^' ^^'y 1 .h. .v.r.ha„gi„^ con. .1.. various <,„.i..a.volv4„po:r.* °°~"^ '-".oaourably VII. — Character. to ^^l^^^^i^:::-^--' ^;- Va^e. .as ,„sp,., ing " is, I suppose. Victor HuIV "' u ' ''"'^ °^ '^'^ " ^ecom- while in ''Quatre-VinrTr"^^^^^ •" ""^'^ Mis^rables." i'^ea Of spiritual fatherfood Tthe ^elTtion' T"' ''^^''^^'^^ ^^ ^'>- characters of Gauvain and Omou d" ^ If tlr '" "' ''"''" '" *"* Idea, and few will deny the fact it blL " ""^ *™''^ '° ^^is what manner of „en w'e a:e anV:u;heT^^^^^ ''''''" ^° ^"^^ -" VIII.-lNXERRELATION OF KNOWLEDGE. Teachers of modern laneuaces n».i, men and women, except the teafhers of T "'°'' '""" ""J' °*her senseoftheinterrelatiLof theTariolh T"'' ^^^'^ ^° ''^^^ ^ The classical man may and sol. '"f °' '^"°^'«''g«- the modern languages aTn'^t befngTr^^^^ '°°'' <^-" "PO" "•kes a great mistake, for nT ml^ can b ""'"'" '"^""^'^^ classical scholar nowadays if he H . *'°"'"^'^ * ^^^^fouffh hand of French and GeTmal cr tidsm "h 'T ''°'"^*^'"^ «' ^^t While hfs so-called philolo^as ^Tea^^^^^ arch^ological research, wofully incomplete Hithouf a study of the v^ T' ""-ersities. is Utin forms presented in th. • sanations from the old languages. Vet he^tssical ma!^^^^^^^^^ °' ^"^ ^^--ce " languages is no worse hanTh" t^^ languages who thinks that the Z 1 ^^ ''"'""* °^ '"^dern beginning of the life of th world wIT J '''^'^ *" ^"^ -«« philology is ridiculous, and much of Frtn^?° "' ''*'''' ^°'"«''^« no other) difficult, if n;timpos?ble^J^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^P-*^ of h. ^irrr:::^ rihjrr-:;: r---hedays go^^ -ng. they ought to have -n\rkln %:-- as t^wt^ V / —9— ledge afsr^n'/plrr^^^^^ t"^^^"^"^^ °^ ^''-n know- and language of any nation T'^"*/"^-' ^^"^3^ °f the literature meaning' Without' RrXrleTe Th?','^' "^^^ ^° "° Comte. where were Taine andlr ^"'J'^'^^''^ And without last century? To the nhl^. T^ ^"°'*'" "'"^er of France in the under obhgation. which hannH " '" '"' ''^^°"""''' ">-• - are Philosophefnow^an ohis^^ i^*:^^^^^^^^^^ '" ^^'"^ ^^^ -P^^ ^or no without French also. TrhTm Tho ^r^"' ""' '" ""^ °P'"'°"' Canada. French is absolutl '^^"''^ "'"''^ '^"^ history of literature .'n this oun "yt^i.rbr"".; T'"' ^'^ '°'^ °* •^'^^-•-' for the work that has been dole ?ntr"''"" '* •^' "«^« '^ "^t ai una oeen done in the provhce orOnoko/^ The great mathematicians and th. f ^ France and Germany, together with th! ^ '"'" °^ ^^•«"" '" it impossible, as we alfkno J . 'f *■'** •""'"'°'-*' ''^^^ -"^de business men'todisrega^ither^ork O "''' -""f-turers. and teachers of modern laLua^l I ' *^^'"' ^« ^^"''^"ts and work of education :n^^flciH:a^fn^:H'°^ human knowledge. In return Jf^/ '"""^" °^ "'^ «"•" of the mathematicifns the b nefitl of .H ^"^ ''' "^^ °' "'-" -^ will but let them have thei f^ nS. '"'''°'- ''°^*°^-' '^ -« learning from our studio tie ies^^^^^^^^^^ T ""'' '^^^^ '^^ •'-e^t of ward, the merits of clear ex„l« I ''"'^'^' ^'°"' ^^^'^^^ °"- logical thinking, and on the /r* '' °" ''' °°^ ''*"^' *° -'«ar. itself was fashioned bv the th I ' '° "'^ ^^*=' '^^' the language the ordinary „a„ ' '"'^*" *° '"^'^^ ^''^^ thoughts clfarfo which"::;"sf zt:"::"^:::': """^^ ^^'"'°- ^^-^-^ •'-p— e study, we ought to set our Tacl^'^T T"' °*''^'- '^^P-tments of looks like unJue depreciation of In ''^ '^""^' ^^^^^^^-^ that it is the broad, abs^ct " -t k'" ''"'J^*=* °' ^'^^V' ^'hether simply oneofti;e-!ab or the CO °" "' " '""^ discussed, or to the last-mentioned l\:'aL7dTat' ^t! " .'° *^'^' '" ^^^^ -asters often have more To t t h ^ d -'°"\°' '"""^^''^ ^ own tastes and aptitudes. ""^'°" ^''*" the pupil's IX.— International Considerations. Bearing: in mind that. fi:enerally speaking, we are, to a certain extent, the interpreters of the thoughts and ideals of nation to nation, we ought to remember in times of quiet as well as of crisis, that other nations besides the British i-ave their appointed work to do. that our ways are not their ways, and that ours are not of necessity better than theirs. To cultivate respect for individuals while we hold views different from theirs, is counted a praiseworthy thing. Why the same rule should not apply to nations, I fail to see. More- over, there are many things we might well learn from France and Orermany. to mention only everyday things, such as respect, courtesy, thrift, and finding happiness in simple pleasures. This mental attitude, then, is another of those things which I hold that the pupil has a right to expect from his High School course in French and German. X.— Natio.val Concerns. Following out this same train of thought, and applying it nearer home, let me say that, in building up our Canadian nation, we who teach French have an important pa.t to play. I shall not say German this time, for the same considerations do not apply to it with the same force as to French . In the main we have in the nation the two constituent parts, French and Anglo-Saxon (or Anglo-Celtic, as some say) descended, to a certain extent, from a common stock, whether we go back to the Northland from which both sprang, or only to the eleventh cen- tury, when the one which now calls itself in its pride the dominant race was then the vanquished. It took three hundred years to weld the English and the Normans into one nation. Shall we grumble when we have done so much in a hundred and fifty ? We who are of Scotch or Irish extraction have no right to coun- tenance in any way either aggressive talk or aggressive action when the rights of the French Canadians, guaranteed to them by solemn pledges, are attacked. We should remember how the respective Acts of Union are viewed,, even at this late date, in Edinburgh and Dublin. As our kinsfolk in the old homeland have set themselves by intellect and valour to make the term '• dominant partner " a mis- nomer, and have largely succeeded, as witness Mr. Balfour and Lord Rosebery, together with Lords Wolseley and Roberts, let us on — II — I I r this side of the Atlantic not grudge to our French fellow subjects, especally of Quebec, all the honours they have won at home o^ abroad, thus brin«:ing fresh glory to the Canadian name. For the sake of the Canada that is to be, let us work on side by side. w,th the strictest regard for old promises and present rights, stnvmg to outdo each other only in that which is for the country's good If we go down before the others, it will be only because we shall deserve to do so. disagreeable though the thought may be Because of the great influence which teachers generally may have m promoting peace and goodwill I have ventured to speak of these matters here. Because of the Language question involved. I go further, for that is the sphere of the modern language teacher particularly. XI.— Bi- Lingual Communities. In mixed communities, such as Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec how much it would conduce to a kindly feeling if the population were even approximately bi-lingual, as is the case in Western and Northern Switzerland and in South-Western Gennany ! Followine the example of the Englishman, our people usually speak one language only, a custom which is not to be commended. If we do not choose to change the custom, let us also follow his worthy example in the matter of the Welsh and Gaelic languages ; and in view of ,ts projected revival in the schools of Ireland, let us not makeover much of the recent refusal to allow Erse to be spoken in the House of Commons at Westminster. XII.— Practical Teaching. In communities where the two nationalities meet they cannot be expected to commingle at once any more than do the Ottawa and the St. Lawrence at their confluence, fitting emblems of the two But in such communities the teaching of French should be made as practical as possible, while, considering that education ought always to bear some relation to the needs of the nation, that language should be taught more and more throughout the whole country Here would come in also the utiliity of my plea for Landeskunde wb.ch would supply what is sometimes lacking in the teaching of history. It has, unfortunately, become too much a question of con- stitutions and legislative enactments. To obJa^n the reqnisite know- ledge, teachers would have to go to the Province of Quebec, unless some wretched text-book were devised, fit,m which may we be dehvered I / ^v — I a— th* «?1""*^/''*" '°J°"''"' '" Q"«''«'= t'a<=hers would learn mor. of visits to Europe were possible, so much the better tk! L ■ • German, say, in the countv of W...,!™," '^ ! ' "'^^""^ a, ,h. average c, gSElJ,^,'^; "' "P"" "" """"'• " "*'' .peaking ,rLnJ HowC if it^t«' itl™ T."""' ="*""- had been well ,™ine