The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-08-31
cHILDRENs EXCHANGE SOCIETY.
A Novel Educational Plan Now in op-
 eration in France.

eration in France.
 As early as 1886 M Michel Brea1 indi- cated the advantages of interfamilial exchanges of children, and since this time several professors and French scholars, attracted by the idea, have put 1t into practice. The operation of the plan Is as follows: The head of a family of moderate means desire to ob- tain for his child or children a thorough knowledge, for example, of German; for this purpose he wishes to put the child, during vacations, in some German fam fly. A difficulty here presents itself, namely, to discover in a foreign and unknown country an honorable family in which the child will be cared for and watched over as if it were at home. A second difficulty is to find the child's maintenance.
 Suppose, however, we have another situation, that is, German father who also desires to send his child or chil- dren beyond their native frontiers. Here the difficulty is settled atAonce and the matter of expense reduced to noth- ing, the two families, after reciprocal Investigation. exchanging their children for two months, each of the children occupying in the foreign home that place which is theirs in their own home. The idea of this mutual ex- change also possesses this excellent fea- ture, that it relieves the parents of the concern which they would otherwise naturally feel as to whether or not the child is well received and we'll cared for in the foreign country, the two children being hostages the one for the other.
 How do the families meet, and hav- ing met, how are they informed as to each other? M Toni Mathieu, of Paris. decided to arrange this matter. With this end in view he entered into cor respondence with professors and with international pedagogical organs in which he announced and elaborated his plan. Soon from the whole of Europe and from all of the French departments letters began to pour in, the result of the first experiment being that at the commencement of the 11903 vacations there were placed abroad for two months fifty young French people, the greater portion of them going to Ger many and England, while nearly all of the exchanges were boys. The number could have been greatly increased had we been more willing to send our girls abroad. As the plan developed M Ma. thieu saw that he could not perform the work himself, and So he founded so- cfety, the society for the International exchange of children for the study of; foreign languages, this society having for officers such men as NM d'Estour- nelles de Constant, Firmery, Ed. Petit Iand others.
 The working of the plan is very sim pie A father who desires to exchange his child merely notifies the society, which sends him blank to fill out This mblank contains the following questions Name and address of pa rents? Situation, profession and occu- patton of parents? Composition of family; age and sex of children? Name, Christian name and age of can- didate for exchange? What ideas has candidate of foreign language and of what language? At what school did he receive his education, or what school does he now attend? What country is the exchange desired for and what province or region? When is exchange to be made? For what approximate length of time? Have you preference to receive a child, young man or young girl, or is this matter of indifference to you? How shall the exchange be lodged and shall he have a separate chamber?
 The person interrogated adds to the paper a photograph of the child he wishes to send abroad, and a money or der for few francs in order to pay the expenses of the correspondence. It is now only necessary to wait until the society finds the proper exchange. During this years vacations the society will place hundred children abroad, the slenderness of the resources at present preventing any great extension of the work. In fact, the society is spending more than it receives and it's applications are far more than it can possibly attend to, in view of which fact it is hoped the chamber of com. rnerce or some similar institution will take the matter up and give it it's CO., operation by the Literary Digest from the Paris Figaro.