One or two serious faults may be found in the system of instruction in French at Harvard. In the first instance, the student is obliged to commit to memory an excessive amount of selections that are neither profitable nor interesting. In every French course we find some such task set, the merit of which is extremely dubious. The reason given is that by these means a knowledge of the language may be ingrained in the memory and the mind thus made more retentive of the forms of good style. But if this is the end desired, why not choose the selections with a wider reference to the beauties of French literature? The passages set are mostly disconnected and uninteresting, and the ability to recite them calls forth an effort of the mind that might be better applied to something more valuable and of more literary worth. Detached passages are given whose few paragraphs in no wise represent a connected thought or anything in particular. No good or pleasure results; the process degenerates into a mere effort of memory, and the mind soon relinquishes its hold of what was learned with so little interest. Let any one take the selections given to be committed in our French courses and he will readily see how profitless they are, and how far from serving as representative passages of literature, in knowing which there is some advantage. A man who wishes to be familiar with French literature does not load his mind with the committing to memory of such fragmentary and desultory things. He would rather choose a varied selection of passages from the best authors, as we commit Shakspeare and our best poets.

If our instructors wish to excite an increased interest in this regard among their students, let them make a decided change in the character of the selections given. Let these selections represent more truly the best thought and highest flights in French literature by giving us passages from those leading poets and dramatists who have given the world of French belles-lettres its greatest glory and finest expression. This done, the student may then feel that what he learns is of some worth and use to him, instead of dry matter which he hastens to forget after examination. Attention may also be called to the lack of composition work in French. Although the catalogue promises this as included in the courses, little or nothing is done to have men learn to write French. There is yet some merit in using the "odious Ollen, dorf," for no one who has practised writing exercises fails to recognize the advantage gained in being able to express one's self in French. We are encouraged to try to talk, and "advised" (i. e. obliged,) to write our examinations in French. In this many men experience great difficulty, as they do not know how to express themselves, having paid almost entire attention to simple translation, which seems to be the chief end of our French and German courses at Harvard.