Francemightbedescribedasan"all-round"count

　　Francemightbedescribedasan"all-round"country,onethathasachievedresultsofequalimportanceinmanydiversebranchesofartisticandintellectualactivity.MostofthegreatnationsofEuropeexcelinsomespecialbranchofartorofthought,Italyintheplasticarts,Germanyinphilosophyandmusic;Englandinpoetryandthesciences.France,onthecontrary,hasproducedphilosophers,musicians,painters,scientists,withoutanynoticeablespecializationofhereffort.TheFrenchidealhasalwaysbeenthemanwhohasagoodall-roundknowledge,betterstill,anall-roundunderstanding:itistheidealofgeneralcultureasopposedtospecialization.

　　ThisistheidealreflectedintheeducationFranceprovidesforherchildren.BystudyingthiseducationweinEnglandmaylearnafewthingsusefultoourselveseventhough,perhapsindeedbecause,theFrenchsystemisverydifferentfromourowninitsaims,itsorganizationanditsresults.TheFrenchchild,too,therawmaterialofthiseducation,isunliketheEnglishchildanddifferencesintherawmaterialmaywellaccountfordifferencesintheprocessesemployed.

　　TheFrenchchild,boyorgirl,givesonetheimpressionofbeingintellectuallymoreprecociousthantheproductofthecolderEnglishclimate.Thisprecocityisencouragedbyhisupbringingamongadults,notinanursery.Englishparentsreadilyadapttheirconversationtothechild'spointofviewandinterestthemselvesmoreinhisgamesandchildishpreoccupations.TheEnglishare,asregardsnationalcharacter,youngerthantheFrench,or,toputitanotherway,thereisinEnglandnodeepdivisionbetweenthelifeofthechildandthatofthegrownman.TheartoftalkingtochildreninthekindoflanguagetheyunderstandissomuchanEnglishartthatmostoftheFrenchchildren'sfavoritebooksaretranslationsfromtheEnglish.Frenchparents,ontheotherhand,dotheirbesttodevelopthechild'sintelligenceasrapidlyaspossible.Theyhavelittlepatiencewithchildishideaseveniftheydonotgosofarastolookuponchildhoodasanunfortunatebutnecessarypreludetoadultlife.Notthattheyneedtoforcethechild,forheusuallylendshimselfwillinglytotheprocess,andenjoystheeffectofhisunexpectedlycleverremarksandunusualsayingsa