The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-15
THE LAST LESSON.
How Ere nch Was Banished from the Schools
of Aisace and Lorraine.

of Aisace and Lorraine.
| AIphonse Daudet-
| This morning was late in going to school,
| and 1 had great fear of being reprimanded. as
| NJ. Hanel said he would question upon the
participles, and / did not know the first word.
For a moment the idea came into my head to
sds the so Ths s.eH
birds could be heard whistling in the edge of the
woods, and in the Rupert field the Prhssian
soldiers were exercising.
All this had much more attraction tor me than
the participles but had the strength to resist,
and ran rapidly toward the school.
In passing before the mayoraty found that
everybody stopped at the bulletin board. There
it had been, for two years, that all bad news had
come to us-lost battles, requisltions, orders OF
cOmmandery-and 1 thougnt, WITHOUT stopping
What is it nowR
Then, as l ran past the place, the blacksmith,
Wachter, who was there with his apprentice TO
read the dispatches for HIM, cried to me: Don t
hurry So little one, You will be at your school
soon enough" thought he was making sport
of me, and ran all breathless into III. Hamels
little courtyard.
Usually at the opening of the school, there
a great racket. which was heard even in the
street; desks opened. closed. the lessons repeat
ed in concert, very high in pitch, the pupils
stopping their to remember better, the
masters great rule tapping the table as he cried
out: "a little more quiet"
counted upon all this uproar to gain my seat
without being seen but just this day all was as
tranquil there as morning of Sunday Through
the open window could see my comrades al
ready ranged in their places, and Nj. Hamel
passing and repassing with the terrible iron
ferrule in his hand
1t was necessary to open the door and enter
in the midst of this great calm. You may
imagine if red, if 1 was afraid.
But M. Hamel looked at me without anger,
and said very sweetly, Hurry to your place,
my little Franz; we were about to commence
without YOU
strobe over the bench and seated myself at
my desk. Then, when my fright was little
abated, noticed that my master had on his
handsome green coat. his fnely-folded shirt
front and the embroidered skull-cap of black
silk, al of which he wore only on examination
days and at the distribution OF prizes. Then
there was something extraordinary and solemn
about everything. But what surprised me most
to see the end of the room the benches,
which usually unoccupied. filed by the people
of the town who were ali silent, like us; old
Hauser with his tricorr, the old Mayor, the old
Everybody Sc emed sad. Old Hauser had
brought with him old spellin e. book, worn at
the edges. which he held open upon his knees,
and he had his great speciacles set for going
through the pages.
While I was astonished at all this. NJ. Hamel
mounted his seat. and with the same sweet and
grave voice with which he had received
said. My children. this is the last time shall
teach you. The order has come from Berlin
that nothing but German shall be taught In the
schools of Alsace and Lorraine The new mas
ter will come tomorrow. To-day is your last
lesson in French. pray you be very atten-
tive"
These words overwhelmed me. All! this was
what was posted at the mayors.
My last lesson in French! And Ieould scarcely
write! Must stop here? How regretted, now,
the time squandered, the lessons lost by running
after birds nests sliding upon the Saar! My
books that had found wearisome, SO heavy to
carry; my grammar my saints history, seemed
old friends who were leaving me with much sor-
row. Then. M. Hamel-the idea that he was
going to leave made me forget his puuishments,
his strokes of the rule.
Poor mani 1t was in honor of this last day in
school that he had put on his fine Sunday
clothes, and now l understood why the old men
were seated at the end of the room. They
seemed to say that they only regretted that they
had not come more often to the school 1t was
also way of thanking our master for his forty
years of good service, and OF showing their
patriotism.
I was thinking of this when heard my name
called It my turn to recite. What would
! not now give to be able to recite all the famous
rules of the participates, very high, very distinct
without mistake! But was embarrassed at
the first words. and remained standing, balanc-
ing upon my bench with swelling heart, with
out daring TO lift my head.
Then M Hamel said to me: 81 will not scold
you, my little Franz; you are punished enough.
See how it has been every day you have said,
Bah! have time enough. will learn to NOR
row. and now what has comet All this has
been the great fault of Alsace, this
putting. off instruction until tomorrow.
Now these invaders have the right to
say to us, How is it; you pretend to be
French, and do not know how to read and write
your own languageF In all this, my poor Franz.
you are not the most guilty We all have part
in the reproaches made of us. Parents have not
cared enough about the Instruction of their chill
drep; they liked better to them till the
earth. And I-have l nothing to reproach my
selfl Have not often watered my garden in
stead of working! And when wished to go
trout fishing, have not whined for you to give
me holidayF
Then, from one thing to another, NJ. Hamel
began to speak of the French language, saying
that it was the most beautiful language in the
world-the most polished, the solid; that
we must now watch over each other and see
that we never forget it, for when people fall
slaves. if they keep their own language, it is as
if they held the key TO their prison.
Then he took up grammar and read our lesson
to us. l was astonished TO how 1 could nm
derstand. All that he said seemed easy, easy.
1 believed that had never listened so we'll, and
that he had never had so much patience in his
explanations. 1t might be said that the poor
man, being obliged to go. wished TO give US all
his knowledge-even TO make 1t enter our heads
at single stroke
The lesson ended, we passed to writing For
this day NJ. Hamel had prepared for us an en-,
tirely new exercise to be written in fine. round
hand. France, Alsace, France. Alsace. The
papers looked like little flags floating all around
the class. How each applied himself. and
what silencel Nothing could be heard but the
scratching of the pens upon the paper. Some
May bugs entered. but no one paid attention,
not the youngest who were tracing the
characters with their pencils. Upon the roof of
the house the pigeons cooed, and said to myself,
II wonder if they will be required to sing in
German"
From time to time, when lifted my eyes,
saw M. Hamel motioness in his seat. as if fixing
in mind all the objects about him. Forty years
had he been there Even the benches and
desks polished by The walnut trees
in the yard were large, the hops engarlanded the
very roof of the house, he had planted them all.
What grief to the poor man to leave all these
scenes! Even now could hear his sister in
the room above packing the trunks. To-mor-
row he would go from the country forever
Yet he had the courage to go through the
school to the end. After writing, we had the
lesson in history, then the little chanted
their ba, be, BIZ DO, bu. At the end of the room
old Hauser was holding the spelling book in
both hands and spelling the lesson with them.
His voice trembled with emotion, and it so
droll TO hear that we all longed TO laugh and to
cry.
All! how remember that last az in school,
Suddenly the church clock nded noon aft
er the angelus At the same moment the
trumpets of the Prussians sounded under our
win do1vs xxha had "a drili