The record-union., 1894-04-28

the most comprehensive: that we must
use it always among ourselves, and must
never forget it. He said that when peo-
pie become enslaved, if they only keep
up their natal tongue. it is as if they held
the key to their prison: 'S'll tIent sa
langue-il tient la Gle qul de Ses chaInes
le delivre."-F. Mistral. Translated
''If he keeps his tongue, he holds the key
which will deliver him from his bond
age"
Then he took a grammar and read to US
our lesson. l was surprised to find how
well l understood it. All that he said to
me seemed simple, very simple. think
that | never listened so attentively, and
that he never explained with so much
patience before. One might have said
that the poor man wished to give US all
his knowledge before leaving US, and
that we wished to absorb it all IN one
lesson.
The grammar finished, we commenced
our writing. For that day NJ. Hamel
had prepared for us some new slips, on
which was written in beautiful round
hand, France, Alsace, France, Alsace"
The papers were shaped like little nagS
which fioated all around our class, and
hung from our desks like pendants.
You should have seen how each pupil
applied himself and amid such silence!
One could hear the scratching OF the pens
on the paper. At one moment some May
bugs flew in the window, but no one
paid the slightest attention to them, not
even the little ones, who were tracing
straight lines with heart, a conscience,
as if that duty even was French. On
the roof of the school the pigeons cOoed
softly, and l said to myself, while listen
ing to them. "Will they not force them to
sing in German, tooY
From time to time, as I raised my eyes
from my page, l saw NJ. Hamel motion
less in his seat, and looking at the Well
known objects around him as if he should
have liked to carry away in his thoughts
all this little schoolhouse.
Think For more than forty years he
had been at the same place, with the little
court before him, and, to all appearances,
the same class. Only the benches and
the desks were polished and worn with
usage The walnut trees in the garden
had grown, and the hop vine, that he had
planted himself, entwined itself now
from the windows up to the roof.
What cruel blow it would be for this
poor man to leave all these things. Ills
sister was going and coming in the cham
ber above in the midst of packing the
trunks, for they were to start on the NOR
row, and leave the country forever.
Nevertheless he had the courage to
have his classes to the end. After the
writing, we had our history. then the
babies sang together their "Ba, Be, Bi,
Bo. Bu." At the back of the hall, old
Hauser had put on his spectacles, and
holding his primer in his hand, be spelt
the letters with them. One could see that
he, too, applied himself His voice
trembied with emotion, and it was so
droll to hear him that we had the desire
to laugh and cry at once. All! well re-
member that last class.
Ali at once the clock on the church
struck noon; then the angelus. AT the
same moment the trumpets of the Prus-
slams, who were returning from drill.
sounded under our windows. NJ. Hamel,
very pale, arose in his seat. Never be-
fore had he seemed to me so grand.
"My friends" he said, "My friends
+" But something choked him. He
never finished the sentence.
Then he turned toward the blackboard,
took piece of chalk and, applying all his
force, he wrote as large as he could:
"Vive la Francep'
Then he stopped. his head leaning
against the wall, and with his hand he
motioned to us:
ut is over. You may CO."
y