tells us that in his time the hour nominally devoted to English was passed at leap-frog, that being the traditional way of spending it. Even at the _École Normale_ the teaching of modern languages was entrusted to a pupil, and if no pupil happened to possess a knowledge of English or German some teacher was sought elsewhere. [Sidenote: State of Things in 1888.] [Sidenote: Quality of Present Teachers.] [Sidenote: Improvement in the Class of Teachers in France.] These were the miserable beginnings. In the present year (1888) the study of modern languages is better established in France than in England. It is obligatory in secondary education. Teachers in the _lycées_ are required to be either _bacheliers ès lettres_ or to have a corresponding foreign degree, and it is hoped that before long the _licence ès lettres_ (equivalent to the English mastership) will be exacted. They have to pass a special linguistic examination for a certificate before they can teach in the _lycées_. This examination is a serious test, but it is much less severe than the competitive trial for the _agrégation_. The certificate gives the rank of a _licencié_, the _agrégation_ that of a Fellow of the University. Every year the candidates are of a better class. M. Beljame says that he knows thirty teachers of English who were already _licenciés_, and amongst the candidates in 1884 twelve had already taken that degree. In short, the teachers of modern languages are now rapidly assuming the same position in the University as the classical masters; and it is only just that they should do so, since they have the same general culture, and their special examinations are more searching. For example, the candidate for the _agrégation_ has to lecture twice, before the examiners at the Sorbonne and in public, once in English and once in French. [Sidenote: Teachers of Modern Languages in England. Their low Status.] [Sidenote: Supposed Facility of Modern Languages.] In England the teachers of modern languages pass no examinations and have no dignity. They are often required to render services outside of their special work. They are wretchedly paid, have no sort of equality with classical masters, and are considered to belong to an inferior grade. When they are foreigners they are looked upon as poor aliens. The belief that modern languages are easy, although erroneous, is against them, the truth being that the pupils do not go far enough in these languages to become aware of the real difficulties. They think that Italian is easy, not knowing that there are two thousand irregular verbs, and they think that French is easy, not knowing that French boys, specially drilled and disciplined in their own tongue, have to be wary to avoid its pitfalls. [Sidenote: Quality of the Pupils in France.] [Sidenote: Rarity of Learning in Modern Languages.] [Sidenote: The Practical Difficulty.]