10 HATEZ-VOUS LENTEMENT SCÈNE I M. Legrand (va et vient dans le salon, dérange les meubles, en ayant l'air de chercher quelquechose; il appelle) Virginie! (il regarde la pendule puis le cartel) Virginie! (il regarde sa montre) Virginie! Mme. Legrand (arrive très lentement et parle avec une lenteur affectée). Qu'y a-t-il? On dirait que le feu est à la maison. Tu cries comme un aigle, tu m'écorches les oreilles avec ton Virginie! Virginie ! M. Legrand (qui pendant ce discours a de nouveau consulté la pendule et sa montre, en essayant d'interrompre sa femme). Je suis excessivement pressé, Virginie, tu sais bien qu'aujourd'hui il y a séance à la société d'entomologie. 15 Mme. Legrand. Aujourd'hui c'est la société d'entomologie, demain c'est la société de conchyologie, aprèsdemain c'est la société d'une autre "logie." Que sais-je? Mais vois-tu, Anatole! avec toutes tes "logies" tu te rends insupportable dans ton propre logis. Et moi j'en 20 ai par-dessus la tête. M. Legrand (à part, pendant que Mme. Legrand s'installe dans un fauteuil en déployant un journal). La voilà partie-impossible d'arrêter ce moulin à paroles ! Elle a des qualités, ma femme, je l'avoue, mais elle 25 ne peut pas comprendre qu'on soit pressé-elle ne se rend pas compte qu'une minute et une minute font deux minutes;-c'est comme un sens qui lui manque ! (Il tire sa montre.) Mais je cherchais quelquechose? (Se frappant le front) Ah oui ! c'est mon chapeau. (Il regarde sous les meubles.) 30 Mme. Legrand (relevant sa robe). Aurais-tu par hasard encore laissé échapper une de tes araignées? Que cherches-tu? M. Legrand. Je ne peux trouver mon chapeau, et il 35 faut absolument que je parte pour assister à la séance. Mme. Legrand. Ton chapeau--malheureux ! mais il est sur ta tête. MACMILLAN AND CO., LTD., LONDON considered Exercise Books in 8 parts, for use of Pupils. Crown 8vo. The same, complete in one volume, with Introduction, for the use of LIVING METHOD OF LEARNING LANGUAGES The Study of French ACCORDING TO THE BEST AND NEWEST SYSTEMS BY ALFRED F. EUGÈNE (PROFESSEUR OFFICIEL DE L'ENSEIGNEMENT SECONDAIRE, UNIVERSITÉ DE FRANCE) AND H. E. DURIAUX London MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY All rights reserved ... Educational Times. "The book before us seems, at all points, to be an advance on similar books previously published-more complete, more varied, more interesting, more in keeping, in its general outline and treatment, with the requirements of the classroom, the equipment to be furnished to the pupil. . . . The subjects are practical, varied, and well graduated, embracing, as they do, all that may well come in one's way in general conversation. Certainly, the study of French, with such a book, can never be tedious to the pupils, unless, indeed, the teachers make it so. It is thoroughly well got up, and free from errors." University Correspondent.-"It is hard to see how the English schoolboy of to-day can help learning French thoroughly, so many are the excellent guides at the disposal of his teachers. Of these, the present work is a good example. The book claims to teach the language in a living and natural way, and, if the British boy will only consent to learn it so, all will be well. The arrangement of the book is good and clear; the most useful kinds of phrases are selected. . . . At any rate, if the teaching of the language depended only upon the book used, this kind of book would ensure wonderful success." Saturday Review.-"That it is a rapid and effective method of teaching languages, experience has already proved. MM. Eugène and Duriaux have done their work well, and their book can be recommended to all those who have seen reason to be dissatisfied with the method of teaching French at present in vogue." Oxford Magazine." We are of opinion that a master or a mistress, who is sympathetic and full of resource, will find the present work most suggestive, and that pupils taught in the manner indicated will make sound and rapid progress, provided that the classes are sufficiently small." Cambridge Review.-"We hope that what is said here is enough to make everyone who wishes to teach those who can't speak French or understand spoken French try the method. It certainly begins in exactly the right way." South African Educator.-"The book is likely to be a useful help to the teaching of French." Scotsman."The system has much to recommend it, and deserves the attention of teachers." Glasgow Herald.- "Those who favour this system will find the authors have provided good material for its application." Natural and rational To acquire a language, you must hear it spoken, not in its poetical form, but in the simple expressions of every-day life, and it is method. only by hearing these expressions often enough that you can become sufficiently familiar with them to employ them with ease and fluency in your conversation. In a word, you must assimilate them, not learn them. "Les plus sûr moyen d'apprendre une langue, c'est de la vivre." In the lessons we put before you, you will find that the most common events of our daily life are placed first. These are the things about which you must be able to express your thoughts and feelings; they form the topics of every-day conversation. You may often want to say that you are hungry, but you may never be called upon to write the description of a sunset. How these conceived. Our exercises represent simple scenes taken from every-day life, and each exercise consists of a series of complete sentences related one to the other. Each sentence describes one part of the scene, exercises are but not at random: all the sentences are connected; each one is the natural consequence of the preceding one, so that the lesson becomes a lesson not of words but of things, and of things in their natural order. The actions are the most familiar; and instead of it being a task to remember the order, it is difficult to forget it. Let us illustrate. We venture to give in English a lesson out of the Elementary Course: I START FOR SCHOOL. I put on my overcoat, hat, and gloves; I take my books; I also take my exercise books and my pencil-box; Then I take my satchel You will notice that there is nothing haphazard in the selection of sentences and words. All the ordinary expressions connected with the idea under consideration, viz., "My starting for school," are given. We have taught in this lesson all the simplest forms of the language connected with that one act of the child's life. Try to make your pupils imagine the scene, and for this purpose describe it fully in English. As soon as you have succeeded in giving them a clear mental picture of the scene, repeat the verbs of the first paragraph in English, and you will see by the look of intelligence on the faces of your pupils that the simple enunciation of the actions has enabled them to recall the whole scene. Now proceed to give the verbs in French-say each one several times, speaking slowly and distinctly, and insist upon the pupils connecting the new sound with the actions they have in mind, and not with the English word. Having thus gone through the verbs, and given any explanation which you deem necessary, repeat each verb |