Page:The Pacific Monthly volumes 1-3.djvu/40



THE French youth is duly ushered into the world under the auspices of a "sage femme" of the village, and wrapped in swaddling clothes like the infant Jesus. In this costume of close wrappings that gives little play to the limbs, he is kept for the first six months; and the mother and father will tell you that it is a very good system, because a very old one.

Within 48 hours after birth he takes part in his first ceremony of state — the registry at the mayor's office, and gets his birth certificate, which fictitiously reads that the child has been brought to the mayor of the place, who ascertained him to be a child of the male sex, and whom the parents wish to have here reg- istered under the names of, etc. Then follows a period of banishment from the parental presence, for most likely he is placed with a nurse in the country dur- ing his infancy, and upon his occasional visits to mamma he may recognize her but prefer his foster-mother. Even after his return to his parents the bond be- tween the two is kept up, and a certain patronage expected by his foster-broth- ers through life.

The youth, if he be the eldest, is early impressed with his future responsibility as head of the family. His conscious au- thority asserts itself in many childish comedies. As heir apparent and protector of the honor of his house and the women, he indulges in precocious fancies. He vows to cherish his doting grandmother, to shelter her in his house forever, and to protect her even by means of blows from any indignities from his wife. His favorite aunt he has already, at the age of 6 years, promised to marry, and as- sures her he will wed no other.

Thus, early resenting the offices of the match-makers, who would lead the par- ents to decide the fate of their children before they reach the age of self-asser- tion. He does not, like many American boys, grow up with books and magazines

in the home. Instead of the circle around the evening lamp with the Youth's Com- panion or Saint Nicholas, the French boys gather around the hearth and listen to story-tellers. Sometimes it is history, sometimes romance; but always very real like a voice out of their own past.

History and art he learns from oral and object-lessons. The historic monu- ments and ruins, the cathedrals, statues and paintings are always to be seen or accessible, and a constantly educating in- fluence to the humblest citizen. The vil- lage boy, though he is no student, has a remarkable perception of good taste and artistic fitness, which comes no doubt from his contact with art in the church, in public structures, and in public pa- rades. He has also a keen appreciation of what freedom means; for everywhere he sees relics of tho broken bonds of fuedal oppression.

His home work and his home play are not unfamiliar to American boys, but a glimpse of his school days, college and military life and marriage customs may be of some interest.

Guizot, in 1833, gave the first impetus to public education in France, but up to 1870 there were public schools only in the more enlightened communities. Poor country villages had none, and many boys and girls grew up entirely illiterate, unable to either read or write their names. To be sure, there were a few private schools of a religious character, but the children of the better class who went to school at all did not like to go, the schoolrooms were unattractive, the lessons dry, and the teachers uninterest- ing.

A Frenchman visiting the United States in 1886, noticing how eager our boys and girls were to attend school remarked: "It is not so in France; they have to be driven to school with a stick." Such was the case previous to the Franco- Prussian war.

That war, which caused the downfall