"Meantime the mood of the hour should be one, not of
undue confidence or boastfulness, but of quiet resolution
and deep thankfulness. As the Archbishop of Canterbury
so feelingly put it in his sermon in Westminster Abbey
last Sunday, 'Now that we have them by the neck let us
go on, in deep and steadfast purpose, till we have twisted
the gizzard out of them.'
"The Archbishop's noble words should, and will, re-echo
in every English home."
Critical people may be inclined to doubt the propriety,
or even the propinquity, of some of the literary changes
due to the war. But there can be no doubt of the excellent
effect of one of them, namely, the increasing knowledge
and use among us of the pleasant language of France. It
is no exaggeration to say that, before the war, few people
in the United States, even among the colored population,
spoke French with ease. In fact, in some cases the
discomfort was so obvious as to be almost painful. This
is now entirely altered. Thanks to our military guide-books,
and to the general feeling of the day, our citizens are
setting themselves to acquire the language of our gallant
ally. And the signs are that they will do it.
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