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440 by a member of the institute. The institute has its own library also, equally large and embracing nearly all the books which are of interest to its members. The five academies are thus housed under one roof and on different days occupy for their gatherings the same rooms. To the public only the halls are open in which the annual meetings or receptions are held, though far more important for the members of the institute are the laboratories, or the rooms in which they do their work. While each academy is independent, there is yet a government common to the five academies in addition to the supervision exercised over them by the minister of public instruction. The institute has had no political power, and care has been taken to reduce its possible political influence to the lowest terms. So great was the fear of this influence that parliament in the time of Richelieu hesitated for more than two years before granting the original academy a charter. It was this same fear which led the convention to abolish the academies altogether. The history of the last hundred years shows how groundless these fears were, and how wise it is to favor organizations of learned men for the cultivation of whatever fields of literature or science they choose to enter.

The institute was reorganized by Napoleon in 1803 as the Imperial Institute of France, and divided into four classes: (1) Mathematics and natural science, (2) French language and literature, (3) classical languages and literature, (4) fine arts. After the restoration in 1816 the institute was again reorganized as the Institute of France and to it in 1832 a fifth academy was added, that of moral and political science. Each of these academies, or classes, elects its own members, subject to the approval of the government, but are all controlled by a committee representing each one of them.

The oldest of these academies (l'Académie française), the French Academy, was founded by Cardinal Richelieu in 1634. It received at Richelieu's request letters of recognition from Louis XIII. in January, 1635, but was not recognized by parliament till July 10, 1637. As early as 1630 a number of literary men had met at each others houses to discuss subjects of a literary nature and to encourage each other in efforts to improve the language and literature of the nation. Richelieu, then prime minister, determined to give the association his favor and to bring it into connection with the government. As a government institution he believed it would reflect credit upon the reign of the sovereign. For a few years the meetings were held in the Royal Library. Its purpose was declared to be, to improve the French language, criticize literary works and make a dictionary. Richelieu was anxious that it should publish a grammar also, a rhetoric, and an