The National tribune., 1908-12-31

Those connected with this movement
feel. like most of us, that the ordinary
school system misses many highly I'M
portant things, the development OF the
Iexecutive faculty being one; If not the
most important. We see all around us
men of very little if any education who
have been most successful on accoun,
of this faculty, and, on the other hand
men of the highest education who have
made failures Of their lives because
of the lack Of it. The feeling that
education should be more practical
seems to be greatly on the increase.
4 One is apt to think of the French
peasants or working people as exceed
lngly light of heart, and tho very care
ful of their sous. usually managing to
| have pretty good time, slipping cheap
wine or cafe au lait at some restaurant
with more or less fair companion, or
in some other inexpensive but soul
satisfying manner. The fact is, no class
in any country work harder or have
less joyous lives than these same French
men and women of the poorer classes
Approaching this, certain Frenchman.
over so years ago, left at his death all
his fortune, then amounting to $50, 900,
now increased to $1,200,000, to be dis
tributed in prizes each year to those
among this class who most deserved
to be rewarded for some act Of virtue.
l.
prizes, and the other day, in the midst
of the Steinheil excitement, the cere-
monies attending the distribution took
place. Over 113 cases of good deeds
done in the face of great poverty and
other hard conditions, requiring heroic
self-sacrifice, were reported and re-
warded accordingly. One case was most
striking. A poor girl at the age of 20
had gone into the family of a Breton
farmer and worked 13 years, when his
wife died, leaving him with three little
children. The farmer was a good
hearted man, but inclined to drink, and
Marie, the servant, did not know what
to do. She loved the children, who
needed her care, and she felt sorry for
the man, and to her simple, ignorant,
faithful mind it seemed her duty to re-
main and continue her service. But
her position she felt to be somewhat
difficult, after the death of the wife,
so she went to a nearby city, and be-
came member of a religious order
which involves the vows of chastity,
poverty and obedience, then returned
and resumed her charge of the farm
and the farmer. She brought up the
children, managed the money affairs
of the farmer made model place Of
the farm, and after go years Of SER
vice is still in the employ Of the family,
receiving no more than $12 a year for
her faithful service. Marie certainly
deserved prize for life of as perfect,
if somewhat misdirected self-sacrifice,
in worldly eyes, as has ever been
chronicled.
One Of King Edward Of England's
prerogatives, a survival of medieval
despotism, is his right to forbid a pub
lie entertainment, and, urged by his
Queen, who is deeply religious wo-
man, he has recently issued royal
edict closing all theaters or music halls
on Sundays, Christmas day, or Good
Friday, unless the circumstances in
favor Of their being kept open are most
exceptional. The English middle classes
have a great respect for Sunday, and
these entertainments, beginning with
sacred concerts, and followed by cine
matograph display Of Biblical pictures,