opose to tell you.

Let me tell you also that I will do so with the greatest care and
moderation, and, whilst I feel strongly, as you may imagine, upon this
question, I am going to suppress my own feelings and make a calm and
dispassionate analysis of the question. I will leave it to your
intelligence and to your own sympathy to decide what course of action
each one of you individually may feel called upon to follow.

Regulation No. 17 has been designed, enacted and enforced with no other
object than the gradual proscription of the French language in the
primary schools of the Province of Ontario. I say there is no question
about that, and if anyone of you will take the trouble to follow me
closely, and afterwards, if any doubts remain about the matter, and you
will take up the regulation and study it carefully, I am sure you will
agree with me.

The regulation treats of the use of French in the primary classes in
Ontario in two ways: First, as a means of instruction or communication;
and, second, as a subject of study.

Now, as a means of instruction, that is, as a medium of communication
between the teacher and the pupil, the use of that language in all
schools, in all classes, at all stages, and on every subject is limited
to where, in the opinion of the Chief Inspector of the Province, IT IS
NECESSARY. In other words, as a medium between the teacher and the
pupil, the French language cannot be used with French-speaking children
to impart to them any information on any subject whatsoever, unless the
Chief Inspector has previously decided that in the case of each
particular child the use of the French language is absolutely necessary
because the child does not understand enough English to receive
instruction in that language. I say without hesitation that if anyone of
you will read regulation No. 17 you will come to no other conclusion
than that.

And you can imagine how impracticable and impossible it would be for the
Chief Inspector, with all his other duties, to examine each individual
child in the hundreds of schools in the Province of Ontario to ascertain
if such child understands the English language well enough to receive
instruction in English.

Now, as a subject of study. As a subject of study there is a distinction
to be made between the schools which were in existence prior to the
enactment of the regulation, and the schools subsequently established.
That is, prior to the month of June, 1912, the use