Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-12-27
THE LAST CLASS.


school, and l had great fear of being scolded
as NJ Hammel had said he would question
us On the participates and l did not know
the first word about them. For moment the
idea came to me of absenting myself from
class and taking my way across the fields.
The weather was so warm, SO inviting
One heard the blackbirds twittering in the
borders of the woods, and in the Rupert
meadows the Prussians were practicing some
military maneuvers. All that attracted me
more than the rules for participles; but l had
the strength to resist, and l ran very quickly
toward the school.
In passing before the town hall, saw some
persons standing before the bill board. Since
two years it is from this bill board we have
learned all the bad news the battles lost, the
taxes levied, the orders for enlistment, and !
thought: 'What can it be this times"
Then I crossed the place still running, the
blacksmith Wachter, who was there with
his apprentice, reading the notice, called out
to me:
you need not hurry so fast, little one
you will get there soon enough, to your
school"
believed he was making sport of me, and
| entered the front yard of NJ Hamel's almost
| breathless
Ordinarily at the commencement of the
I class great noise was made, that one heard
| even in the street, the desks opened, closed,
| the lessons repeated out loud all together,
| while the ears were muffled with the hands
| the better to learn and the heavy ruler OF the
master striking on the table,
'Be more quiet!"
| / counted on all this noise and disturbance
| to reach my desk unseen, but just this morn
| ing everything was as quiet as Sunday
| morning. By the open window | saw my
comrades ranged already in their places, and
| NJ. Hamel, who passed and repassed with the
terrible iron ruler under his arm. 1t was
necessary to open the door and enter in the
midst of the great calm. You think l blushed
and was afraid!
| Eli, bien, no. NJ. Hamel looked at me
without anger, and said very gently: $50
| quickly to your place, my little Frantz; we
were about to commence without you"
l hurried to my place and seated myself at
once behind my desk. Then, only a little re-
covered from my fright, noticed that our
master had on his beautiful green redingote,
| his fine tucked shirt, his embroidered cap of
| black silk, that he put on only for great days
| Of inspection or distribution of prizes.
! Over all the school there was something
| extraordinary and solemn. But what sur
| prised me more was to see at the end of
| the hall, on the benches that were usually
empty, the people of the village seated and
| silent as were we. There was the old Hansen
with his three cornered hat, the mayor of the
| village, the old postman and several others.
| Every one appeared sad; old Hansen had
! brought spelling book well worn with hard
| usuage. He held it open on his knees, with
| bic
! While l was noticing all this NJ Hamel
mounted the platform, and in the same sweet
and grave voice with which he had received
| me, said:
| my children, it is the last time will hear
! you recite. The order has come from Berlil
to teach only German in the schools of Alsace
| and Lorraine. The new master comes to-
morrow. Today is your last French lesson, l
pray you be very attentive"'
| Such words as these overwhelmed me- Ali
the unfortunate peoplel that was what they
read in the notice on the town hall Nv last
| lesson in French, and I hardly knew how to
| write; would never learn, Unjust stop therer
| How | would wish for the lost time now,
hunting birds nests and skating on the Saar
| Ny books, that had always before found so
| tiresone, so heavy, my grammar, my sacred
history, seemed to me now like old friends,
and it would give me pain to say good-by to
them. As to NJ Hamel, the idea that he wal
going away, that 1 would never see him
again, made me forget all his punishments,
all the blows of his iron ruler.
Poor old mani
1t was in honor of that class that he had
put on his fine Sunday garments, and now
knew why all the old people of the village
had come and seated themselves on the school
benches. This act seemed to say they re-
GREETED not having come oftener to the
school. 1t was also their manner of thanking
the master for his forty earsof good service,
and of rendering duty to their loved coun-
try-theirs 10 longerl
was in the midst Of these reflections when
l heard my name called. It was my turn to
recite. What would I not have given to
have been able to give entire that famous
rule for the participates, loud, clear and with
| out mistake! But became mixed with the
very first words. remained standing, lean
ing against my bench, my heart swellin,
with shame, without daring to raise my
head. I heard M. Hamel, who spoke to me,
| say:
Il will not scold you, my little Frantz; you
are punished enough. I know how it is
Every day one says to himself: Bah! I have
| plenty of time. 1 will learn Tomorrow and
then you see what happensl
"Ah! that has been the great misfortune of
our Alsace, always putting off its instruction
until tomorrow. Now these people have tn
right to say to us: How is it, you pretend
to be French and neither know how to speak
nor to write your language2' In any case, my
| poor Frantz, it is not you alone who is guilty;
we all have much for which to reproach orr
selves
Your parents have not cared enough about
your studies They preferred to send you to
work in the fields or factories that they might
| have little more money And l. have |
nothing for which to reproach myself? Have
| ! lot often sent you to water my flowers in
stead of studying? And when I wished to
! go trout fishing have not given you a holi-
| day?"
Then, from one thing to another, NJ. Hamel
began to speak of the French language say.
ing it was the most beautiful in the world,
The most clear, the most solid, that we must
keep it among us and never forget it, because
WHEN people have fallen into captivity, so
long as they retain their own language it Is
as if they held the key of their prison. Then
| he took a grammar and read us the lesson
| 1t was astonishing how understood it. All
|
lieve, indeed, 1 had never listened so closely,
and that he had never used so much pa
tience in his explanations. One would have
said that before going away the poor man
wished to give us all his knowledge, and
make it enter our heads at single blow.
The lesson finished we passed to the writ
Ing; for that day NJ Hamel had prepared
some entirely new copies. These were writ
ten in bold, round hand. The words were
France, Alsace, France, Alsace These were
like little flags that floated around the class
hanging from the iron rods of our desks
How each one applied himself and how still
it was! One heard only the scratching of
the pens on the paper. Once some May bugs
flew into the room; no one paid any atten-
ton to them not even the very youngest,
who traced their little lines with as much
heart and conscience as if they wrote France
also. Upon the schoolhouse roof some
pigeons cooed gently, and l said to myself in
hearing them: II wonder if these, too, will
be obliged to sing in GermanY'
| From time to time as raised nv ewes from