Show FRENCH LANGUAGE WILL BE RESTORED IN ALSAGE REGION Territory Now Nov Uses lingual Bi-lingual Dialects Int International rn U n News e r Service ft TnT PO Vi 1 Vi n Ti fuss th Vi n f I a. a u I were finally forced to return Alsace and ind Lorraine to France they left behind be bc- bc hind them one of ot the characteristic marks of ot the Teutonic system of ot imposing imposing im- im posing osing German culture in conquered Ian lands ands da Altho Although U gh p practically rae y every own grown person in the tho restored restore provinces pro is lingual bl s speaking French and German German German Ger Ger- man man besl besides es the local the children speak only the harsh guttural tongue of ot the erstwhile rulers French teachers eachers and in fact the entire administration administration administration ad ad- ministration of ot Alsace Lorraine are arenow arenow arenow now endea endeavoring to instill French traditions tra the thc French language and French civilization into their young oung min minds s. s Alphonse Daudet's story The Tho La Last t Class Is a a. classic in French literature It t tells the tho pathetic tale of ot a French teacher eacher In an elementary school of or Alsace in the tr tragic gic hays days of ot tile the de do- do bade bacle On the eve of the French evacuation evac evac- of Alsace following the signing of ot the treaty of or Frankfort In 1871 the i teacher was taking leave of or his little pupils Ho lie recounted to them tho the history history his his- tor tory of oC France Francc the tho causes of ot the tho war and tho the tragic consequences end ending Ins Ins- the lesson leBson b by walking walking- to the blackboard blackboard blackboard black black- board an and inscribing the words Vive Vivela la is France Franco a as the Germans entered to take possession I French Trench Forbidden Until tho the outbreak of the tho war InI in I 1914 this old teachers teacher's last lesson had hadI been the guiding spirit In tho the minds I f I of ot tho the school children of 01 Alsace and andI Lorraine Then there thero came camo a change I Pupils In all the tho elementary schools were forbidden to speak French Any infringement of ot the order was severely punished Children who refused to obey were whipped Many an of or them were oven even deported to the Interior of ef German Ger Ocr man many So it happened that when the war was over o and tho the color tri floated again over the citadel el the tho French au authorIties authorities authorities au- au astonished to hear chil chil- were L. L dren of I 5 to 3 s or lu iu years ears among themselves arguing quarreling aU ati all in German They had forgotten or never neer had been permitted to learn the language of or their fathers S System Stem Organized When M. M L now premier took charge chargo of the administration of or Alsace Lorraine one ono of oC his first tasks WAS to organize a system of or education which while borrowing nothing from the oppressive e meth methods s In vogue under the rule of or the Germans would bring back into the fold of or French civilization civilization tion lion the new generation of or the inces M. M r. r prefect of ot the tho Department Department De De- of the Moselle who Is taking tak tak- ing jug a 3 prominent part in the work explained ex cx- its organization as foll follows ws In every commune we have founded committees whose duty it is t to group s-roup all aU students who have havo left JUt school since 1914 Evening cour courses cs in French language lan Ian guage history and literature re for or these students have been started These boys and girls are arc discovering a new France a France vastly different from that painted for Cor them b by their German teachers who devoted all their energies ener ener- gies Ies to demonstrating that Franco France was decadent ent and that tho the only nation on tho the globe worth anything was Germ German Ger Ger- m man many a ny We Wo arc are gathering together all aU available available avail avail- able ablo French books to stock the schools an and public libraries with the best in French literature which the Germans of ot course took pains to exclude We Ve Intend also to make use uso of ot the movies to counteract the effect of ot these five years during which French was f Verboten verboten ver fer er- er boten |