§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELLasked the Secretary of State for War, with reference to his correspondence with the public schools regarding education in French and German, Whether it is not the case that hitherto there has been absolutely no instruction in those languages at Sandhurst, so that young men qualified up to a certain point before entrance have every encouragement to forget what they know of modern languages from the moment they enter as cadets into Her Majesty's Service; whether he will introduce the study of modern languages at Sandhurst; and, whether he will consider the possibility of doing anything to assist and encourage junior officers, after joining their regiments, to continue and improve their knowledge of these languages where circumstances permit?
§ MR. CHILDERSSir, I have not overlooked the point suggested in the Question of my hon. Friend; but he, perhaps, is not aware that cadets only pass something over eight months at Sandhurst, and that the course is one of purely military subjects, which necessarily take up their whole time. When I was at Sandhurst lately, I especially looked into this question; but the real fact is, that unless French becomes part of the education of an English gentleman at school, a very small proportion will acquire facility in it afterwards. It is with this object that I hope the authorities of our public schools may be induced to do something more for living languages even at a moderate sacrifice of Greek, and that we have appealed to them to assist us if they wish to increase or even to maintain the present proportion of entries into the Army from these essentially national institutions.