New-York tribune., 1922-08-13

| NAj Anatole France continues
the series of memories OF
childhood and youth, which he
commenced so many years ago in lie
Livre de mon Ami and "Pierre Mo-
| ziere," and Of which he gave us last
in preface and a POSTAGE he ex
| plains why he lent to these memories n
touch of romance. They concern, in
the first place, persons still living at
there are reasons Of art. ~ have
romanced very little in this recital,
and never where essentials were in
volved; perhaps | have falsifed suf-
ficiently to please and to instruct. The
truth may never be seen in the nude.
Fiction. fable, tale, myth, these are
the DISCUSSES under which men have
always known and loved it."
When the present volume opens little
Pierre is pupil in the fifth form of
great school on the left bank His
teachers have very little prestige in
! his eyes, and time has not bestowed
upon them any more in the eyes Of the
| author. He affirms that "the scholastic
life of NJ. Crottu was a tissue Of in
justice" and that this man Spun iniq-
uity as a spider spins it's web" Be-
sides, NJ. Crottu was ugly, common and
ridiculous, three attributes which
piarrn al Jt, +n ho >f
beauty and the Muses., could only de
spise. When the schoolmates de
scribed to his pupils one day Marsyas,
the enemy of Apollo, Marsyas, who
"had the face Of a beast. fiat nose,
a wild name, horns on his forehead.
! long, hairy ears, a horses tail and
goats hooves," he seemed to Pierre
the spittin' image of NJ. Crottu himself
tM. Crottu tout crache," says the
text. And Pierre listened thereafter
for the swish of tail in the volumi-
nous trousers of his teacher.
III. Beausser, instructor of the third
form, was man without either light
or grace, but he had the signal virtue
of justice. One Saturday, one strange
Saturday, he announced that Pierre
was first in Latin. "He announced it
| in q grave tone, with sadness, in
profound silence. He gave one to
understand that it was deporable: it
was regrettable; it was immoral. But
at any rate he announced it," On the
/ following Saturday he was able, with
/ visible satisfaction, to put Pierre back
grading Greek themes. NJ. Anatole
France seems still to blush as he CON
/ fesses his love Of Greek, bat he pro-
claims his failure as pupil with
pride that is dsconcerting. In one of
the tenderest chapters, "Mouron Pour
Les-Petits-O -Oiseaux." he explains that
the more he W %ed the further away
he fell from o.e head of the class.
THE reason was that | applied myself
to studies completely estranged from
classical instruction with an attention
that monopolized all my faculties. A
burning curiosity drew me to one sub
ject after another and held me body
and soul" Thus, captivated by Queen
Nitocris, he neglected his Esop and
| his lives Of Cornelius Nepos. Another
time, his mother having given him a
branch of holly and having explained
that it was the sacred tree of the
druids, he lived for weeks in mental
world of deep forests, white priest
| esses and baskets of holly.
IL Is not to be supposed that Pierre's
lamentable grade went unpcrceived
at home. Justine, the cook, was entirely
unsympathetic to his complaints
against NJ. Crottu Ga name, she main
tanned, invented by Pierre in the way
of INSULT md his mother appealed
for aid to their old friend, NJ Dubois.
"Since you," she implored, ARE good
enough to interest yourself in the child,
scold him. He will listen better to
you than to me. Make him understand
that he harms himself in neglecting
his studies" Tho good NJ. Dubois re-
piled: "How shall I make him con-
ceive that wrong, dear madam, if ! do
not conceive it myself" And he read
to her from volume of Paul-Louis
. Courier these words: Homer did not
receive the whip for ten years in the
depth of school to make him learn a
| few words which he might have learned
! better at home in five or six months
Then, pulling Pierre gently by the ear,
he said to him: sit isn't enough to be
deaf to these pedants who are the
| enemies of nature. You must listen to
nature herself, for only she can explain
to you Virgil and the law of numbers
Do not lose a moment to recapture
when you are free the time lost in
school"
IN. Dubois was a favorite Hellenist
and lover of archaeology. lmbued with
the spirit of Wincklemann (of whom he
must have been one of the earliest
French disciples) he had an eloquent
admiration for all those who sat at the