certain
number of English dictionary words placed one after the other, the
whole entitled FRENCH.

Of course he can not call it ENGLISH, and he dares not call it
NONSENSE.

He calls it French, and relieves his conscience.

* * * * *

It will take boys long to understand that _la trompette_, _la medecine_,
_la marine_, _la statuaire_, are not respectively the wives of _le
trompette_, _le medecin_, _le marin_, _le statuaire_.

An honest little boy once translated "_La critique doit etre bonne
fille_" by "The critic's wife ought to be a good girl."

Poor little fellow! it is most probable that no dictionary within his
reach would have explained to him that the expression _bonne fille_
meant "good-humored."

* * * * *

O Bossuet, veil thy face!

The finest piece of French prose in existence is undoubtedly the
following sentence, taken from Bossuet's funeral oration on the Great
Conde:

"_Restait cette redoutable infanterie de l'armee d'Espagne, dont les
gros bataillons serres, semblables a autant de tours, mais a des tours
qui sauraient reparer leurs breches, demeuraient inebranlables au
milieu de tout le reste en deroute, et lancaient des feux de toutes
parts._"

This reads like a chant of Homer, does it not? It reads quite
differently in boys' translations, I assure you, when you come to
"towers that would be able to mend their breaches."

This confirms you in your belief that nothing improves by
translation--except a bishop.

* * * * *

From my little collection of what is called in the scholastic
profession "Howlers," I extract the following, with my apologies to
their perpetrators.

* * * * *

_La fille de feu ma bonne et estimee cousine est toujours la bienvenue_,
"My good and esteemed cousin, the daughter of fire, is always welcome."

* * * * *

_Mon frere a tort et ma soeur a raison_, "My brother has some tart and
my sister has some raisins."

* * * * *

_Elle partit dans la matinee du lendemain_, "She took part in the
morning performance of legerdemain."

This is a specimen of German _geist_ perpetrated by a candidate to
our scholarships, and a young subject of his Venerable Majesty Emperor
William.

Honor to whom honor is due.