England's French

Last week Andre Maurois, cosmopolite, suave veteran of literary teas, facile biographer (Ariel, la vie de Shelley) returned to Paris from a round-the-world tour on behalf of the Alliance Franc,aise, international society to promote French culture. At the 21st birthday dinner of the Alliance Franc,aise Biographer Maurois who prides himself on his fluent, accentless English reported to his employers on the spread of the French language abroad. "I rejoice," said he, "that England is a country where real progress is being made in the study of correct, modern French. In Canada they speak French, but it is 17th Century French, adapted to new uses. . . . At Stockholm you hear the pedantic French of the old court. At Constantinople it is the French of the bootblack."