1959-05-22 — Page 4

THE CHINA MAIL FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1959, -

SICES

ном

"if we'd learned Latin we'd know what ho was saying."

LATIN!

··A

London Express Service.

No

Need To Whisper -That's How The

Place Has Changed

THIS is where it all started

THIS

-

in this dazzling city on the bay of Algiers with terraced skyscrapers rising from it like some mammoth monument to French achievements.

Here it was that a hand of

youngsters, whosɔ rloting had

By A Special Correspondent

for years reduced the "Parla Government to palsied in humane solution to the five- decision, stormed the building year-old Algerian war on a from which Alglers is adminis. European population 1,200,000 tered, and later, joined by the strong, which aces in any weak army, overthrow the Fourth Re- cning of the tie with France a public and paved the way for nienace to its own existence; General de Gaulle's return to and on an army which bristles

at a mere suggestion of negotia Bons with the enemy.

power.

Tamed?

Now,

one year later, the cruelal question is whether dv Gaulle has tamed the tiger of civil and military, revoli Jn which he rode to power.

The answer is that he has pulled some of its sharpest teeth and pared some of its most menacing claws,

The problem for de Gaulle iş how to impose a iiberal and

De Gaulle's immediato pur pose, which he has pursued with eensummate cunning, in:

oner wolk D+ arrogant high. feels.

On the political plane the change is even more striking. The former all-powerful com- mittee of public safely, which came into being during the May revolution, is now a rump from which all the Army officers, all the de Gaullets and the Mos- Jems have resigned,

What is left of it is boyestling 1-To avers any possibility of the May 13 anniversary and another explosive fusion be proclaiming it as a day of tween army and civilian feeling mourning to mark de Gaulle's which produced last May's "betrayal of their initial aims. revolution. Without the army The army officers who played the settlers ote powerless; with such a prominent part in the the army they can plunge Inta revolution have almost all been elvil war.

dispersed. "Only General Massu Z-To split the settlers them is stilt here, because he con- selves and especially to isolate sidered an especially docile de their Fatelet-minded leaders. Gaullist

J-By pursuing the war to General Salan, who took över convince the Moslems, and the leadership of the May 13 must still be pain- that this Ume France's promise fully wincing from the mighty of revolutionary reform, under klek upstairs he received when which pollent power will pass he was made military governor to the Moslem majority, will be of Paris. kept.

Civilian control has bcon

FABULA QUAE PUERO OMNI BRITANNICO PLACEAT specially the cducated eile, movement.

. Or, to to

change it into English:-

story that will please all Britain's

FIVE

gowns

more dong walked recent- Heads of colleges, professors, ly through

tutors, dear marked

wearing

und Placet than walked through #1 carrying mortar boards, had door marked Non-placet. And packed the Sheldonian Theatre, one of the last citadels of classical built by Sir Christopher Wren in

Britain started learning in

-the Seventeenth century. crumble.

to

Congregation. the gove.ning body of Oxford University, con- sidered a move to abolish Latin as a compulsory subject in the entrance exam.

The vive - chancellor, Sir Maurice Bowra (left), ordered a vole,

By the narrow majority of 249 to 214 a motion was passed allowing German or Russlan alternative.

18

The closeness of the vote re- flects bitter division of opinion.

Against

DR R. BIRLEY

Head master of Eton College

The wrong door?

The proposers insisted that they were not hostile to the classies. Latin at general Cer tificate O level was "not a cultural process." It might even be more popular when it ceased to be com- pulsory.

Their opponents replied that if Oxford no longer required Latin, it would start to die out in the grammar schools and the heritage of a thousand would be lost.

Our classes will have

to be divided up.

MR GEOFFREY SALE

Head master of Roseal public school

VERY unfortuncle, I think it will not make much differ-

may affect the teaching of Latin in schools throughout the country. Some

boys will act

flatiran conscqhurts and they will be divided off- from

The odiers. It won't oftest US at Elon, but I think it is a great

pity that this has happened,

v

ence. Few school: masters who can tecel Russkin. Latin is much easier than Ger- man for small boys.

I am rather sorry they resch- ed this deelston. 1

tlak

latin is the best langunge for boys to tackle.

AIR DAVID A. NEWBEJY General secretary of the Lion Schoolmasters'

Association

TIS is a shock. Personally, I segret the disappearance of Latin. It beats on English much.

MR JOHN D. CARLETON Head master of Westminster

School

HE decision will undoubtedly

THE

years

The speeches were in English, though not always very audible, but the proceedings by ancient tradition took place in Latin. Finally, the scarlet-rohed vice- chancellor said: "Flat scrutinium.“ (Let there be ♫ count). The dons trooped out through doors marked Placet (Yes) and Non- placet (No).

The tellers kept count by hunching a spike through sheela of numbered paper. It was sald that several dons went through the wrong door, being unable to understand such strange foreign words.

The resolution now has to be drafted into a decree, when its opponents will make another at- tempt to reject it. The governing

SOME PEOPLE

HOWEVER WOULD NOT TAKE SIDES

DR R L JAMES Head master of Harrow THOUGHT something like this might hoppen. It does not mean the abolition of Latin exactly, but the abolition of fl ns a compulsory subject.

I think In the long run it w affect many schools through have an effect on schools in the out the country. I think a short-country, but I don't thinks there term view is that there will be will be any initial effect, great pressure on schools to do les Latin.

But in the long run, I believe

FATHER BENNET

PERCIVAL

Master.nl Ampleforth Roman... back. My View that one can that Latin-will-mite conectolle school

For

schoolboys

hody of Cambridge University, the Senate met on May 16 to consider a similar there.

resolution

This is a

which maller on Oxford and Cambridge must stand together to prevent hopeless con- fusion in the schools,

Will fewer know?

If compulsory Latin really is ended, it will affect thousands of boys and girls all over Britain. Not only those who want to go to Oxford or Cambridge; schools everywhere will start, modifying their whole curricula.

And in future even fewer dons will know the difference between Placet and Non-placet.

MR W. BROWN Head master of Bedford School

It was a hurdle facing pupils

THINK tha is an excellent decision. There are points for and against Latin, but there are occasicas when it is very difficult for people to study this subject.

In my opinion, the alterna- tives, German and Russian, are entirely stund.

LORD JAMES High Master of Manchester Grammar Schoot

HAVE been fighting for this for years and I welcome it wholeheartedly.

The level required by Oxford was no guarantee of classical knowledge.. It was just a bundle the boys had to croes And had no relevance to modern life.

„But it certainly won't mean; wuchingztin, Coralnye end of Lon. I'm af $12 we will not stop her Frankly, favour of the sleesles-for those

much effect at all.

Think there will be a clog division of opinion *int all go-abroad to learn French, Ger- 7 VLIS docs nol stup schools

But my prediction is that it languages. will have a had effcet în general Personally, I regret this Ox-I cannot are that it will have who like it. culture.

ford move.

-London Fxpress Servicej.

The solemnity of the promise completely re-established and a ls underlined by the magle of remarkable new Governor- de Gaulle's name, and this magic General M. Delouvrier, the still works with

Moslem brilliant reonomist, has moved population.

the

How successful has de Gaulle been in these three directions?

He has met with considerable success, and in any case

has

completely disipated the great fear which hang over France last May that he would become the prisoner of the forces which brought him back to power,

The change in the atmosphere is noticeable from the mement we arrived at Alglers Airport. As usual, on arrival, I carefully left behind on the airplane any Left-wing newspapers periodicals, only to find them on open sale at the airport book stall.

In here with his own staff, there- by putting - himself in the position of being able to by-pass the so-called administration. Delouvrier has

Unlike previous governors,

succeeded making it clear that he is Paris's representative in Algiers.

On

Improved

the military side the situation has greatly, improved, largely owing to more mobile tactles introduced by General Challe.

The military successes, how- ever, are counter-balanced by a revival of terrorism in the big

lowns,

Even in the hotel Aletti bar, This is the pall of fear that the stronghold of rich settlers bangs over Algiers on the eve od Army officers, which usually of the

anniversary,

that

It

day

i

highly-

teems with police spies, people bomb is thrown on were openly reading so-called it many TOURc the

reasonable" newspapers barred in fammable European popula- here under the Fourth Republic. tion into widespread rioting.

A year ago, in this very spot, Even on the briefest visit ono one dropped one's vulee In con- inevitably receives some personal versation and was careful whom and poignant impression of this ane met.

tragle, and now largely sense- less, war.

Little trace

One Sunday I drove with some Now little trace of that police road ahead, as far

friends to a nearby bench,

The state atinorphere remains,

the eye could see, glistened with cara in A Moslem who would not have the come into the bar a year aku sendy beach was crowded with brilliant sunshine The eagerly suggested that we meet bathers and there. Patrols are less numerous might have been taking place on the whole scena and less menacing.

the Riviera, The curfew has been advanced from midnight til 1 o.m, and broke the spell by asking his

My host's 14-year-old the whole elty has the air of father, why the terrorists did un American Middle West boom not plant bomba; The company,

town set on a Mediterranean suddenly froze.

ար

shure.

Why not Indeed? Or: rather New skyscraper fais are when will they think that one shooting up everywhere, every up? hotel bar is full of American sil We drove back just as dusk roen tresh from ott surveys, was sottling. the Sahara, and the swaggering everyone grew noticeably edgr. With the dusk paratroopers have the ale of The unending line of cars passed characters out of Western Blms. village after villago, each one The Muslems are moving in emptying of Europeants, while greater and greater numbers lolling, expressionless Moslems into what were hitherto con- looked on. sidered exclusively European One had an certo feeling quarters.

during moments in that drive One sees more unvelled Mos- et being Im women than ever before, evacuating convoy,

D member of a and even many of the velled -Londen Express, Service),

1

SAM WHITE'S PARIS NEWSLETTER

M. Peyrefitte produces a 'factual novel'...

ROGER

PARIS.

PEYREFITTE, AND SO FAR THERE'S ONLY ONE LIBEL ACTION

at 52, has achieved

actions

for

of

the double distinction of could never under any cir- descendants of those mentioned, ancient Greek and Roman greeted him be published in French Juries will side' with statuary which he collected with Bil the being France's most highly curetunees

Britain-1s to reveal homo- terature. praised writer and its most exuality in high places over

while he was a French diplomat effusiveness that Furthermore, they are con- in Eastern Europe, and the the Fronch notorious personage.

a period between 1900 and 1920. fident of the book's' accuracy, a walls are covered with nude language can After a series of acidly witty

Almost every aristocratic factor which plays a predo paintings (male division). All command novela on homosexuality, French family is dissected minant, part in French Bibel that is missing is the smell of movements diploinicy and the Vatican, he towards this end.

incense.

deep emotional har now capped all his other

involment. Only one libel action has fo M. Peyrenite, both as a writer

One would think, especially achievements of making the

All the callers and in many other resprets, after his latest escapade, that he for been brought against the maximum mischief in the most book, and that is by the Baron bears a striking resemblance to would be something of a social delicious dings that the Count of his paintings.

brought the Impeccable of prose style with Egmont Van Zuylen, who feels the late Norman Douglas, outcast. Not a bit of it. He is his latest book The Exiled of that his father's memory is

the current darling of Parisian So and So was absolutely furious have two wisdom teeth removed. of Go and So or the Duchess of The reason for his visit is to Capri.

Eccloty. In previous novels highly

with him. M. Peyrofitto had the His teeth got only needed An avalanche of libel actions He is a wiry bronzed Ittle

Ha

popularity in the upper air of a very contented man as removing in themselves, but the placed people appanted under against the book is, of course, inan with steely grey hair, de- social reaches I can verify. I. he saw me off the premises to Prince's doctors belleve ketitious names in this one passiblity,

that but neither M. Heats hands and wrisis, and visited his flat one morning. The return to his telephone. which M. Peyrefitte culls

they may be responsible for his "Ayrefitta nor his eminent Pocis spectacles set un a handsome phone never stopped ringing and

extremely poor eyesight, factual novel" they appear publishers seem unduly worried, nose.'

within an hour M. Peyreltte had under their own names.

The slight mystery'ss to the They claim the book is a piece

They have found no other chalked up three dinner invita- reason for Prince Henry of history and that in

ul explanation for this other than tions, two for cocktalls and two Hesse's visit to Paris has now the possibility that his eyesight for lunch. The callers were been cleared up. Invariably women and each one come here to arrange a showing these wisdom teeth.

Ho bus not may have become infected by

The modest purpose of the book which, Ineldentally, people in London have told him

defamed by M. Peyrette..

A`giggle

He has a nervous giggle and conflict an effusive manner, between lit:rature and the oul- Ila ground-floor ludio Aath raged feelings of the aristocratic thickly carpeted, rich in viriic

"

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