Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-03-08
FRANCE TRIES
TO WIN BACK
OLD KINSHIPS
AlSace and Lorraine Children
to Be Taught Language
in Schools.
TEACHERS ARE BUSY

METZ, March s.-When the Germans
were finally forced to return Alsace and
Lorraine to France they left behind
them one of the characteristic marks Of
the Teutonic system Of imposing Ger
man culture in conquered lands. Al
though practically every grown person in
the restored provinces is bi-lingual,
speaking French and German, besides
the local dialects, the children speak
only the harsh, cultural tongue of the
erstwhile rulers. French teachers and,
In fact, the entire administration of Al
SAGE Lorraine now endeavoring to in
still French traditions, the French Ian
guage and French civilization into their
young minds
Alphonse Daudets story. 1.-The last
Class" is classic in French litera-
ture. 1t tells the pathetic tale of a
French. teacher in an elementary school
of AIsace in the tragic days Of the de-
bacle On the eve of the French evacua-
ton of Alsace, following the signing of
the treaty of Frankfort in 1871, the
teacher was taking leave Of his little
pupils. He recounted to them the his
tory Of France, the causes Of the war
and the tragic consequences, ending the
lesson by walking to the blackboard and
as the Germans entered to take posses
sion.
LAST LESSON
AND THEN CHANGE.
Until the outbreak Of the war in
1914 this old teachers last lesson had
been the guiding spirit in the minds
of the school children in Alsace aud
Lorraine. Then there came n change.
Pupils in all the elementary schools
we're forbidden to speak French. Any
infringement of the order was severe
" punished. Children who refused to
obey were whipped. Many OF them were
even deported to the interior OF Ger
many. So II happened that when the
war was over and the trlcOlor foated
again over the citadel, the French au-
thorities were astonished to hear chill
dren of TO or 10 years chatting among
themselves, arguing, quarreling-all in
German. They had forgotten, or never
had. been permitted to learn the language
of their fathers.
When NJ Millerand, now premier, took
charge of the administration OF Alsace
Lorraine one OF his first tasks was to
organize system Of education which,
while borrowing nothing from the op-
pressive methods In vogue under the rule
the fold Of French civilization the new
generation Of the provinces.
PROJECT EXPLAINS
ORGANIZATION.
NJ Mancerbn project OF the department
| Of the Moseile, who is taking a prom
inent part in the work, explained its or
ganization as follows:
''In every commune we have founded
committees whose duty il is 10 group all
students who have left school since 1914
/ Evening courses In French language. his.
+ tory and literature for these students
+ have been started. These boys and girl.
are discovering a new France, a Frame,
vastly different from that painted for then
/ by their German teachers, who devoted
all their energy to demonstrating thai
France was decadent aud that the onll
nation on the globe worth anything wal
I Germany
Eve are gathering together all svailabl,
French books to stock the schools anC
public libraries with the best In French
! literature, which the Germans, Of course
took pains to exclude. We intend also (,
make use of the movies TO counterac
the effect OF these five years during whicl
, French was 'verboten 2 "