The "CUM.' "Want Card' for the A.S.C., ACT.
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A Copy Has Already Been Sent to Each of 12,000 Men.
The money at the disposal of the organizers of the Campaign Comforts Fund is being expended in whatever direction the Committee, after very careful investigation, considers is most in accordance with its. conception of the term " Comfort "in relation to the hardships with which the men at the Front at present have to put up.
Evidence of the different directions in which that Committee has made its inquiries is forthcoming by its unanimous and prompt• approval of a scheme which was recently put before it, by which it is hoped to enable all the men of the A.S.C., KT., to equip themselves quickly and easily with a sufficient apology for the French language to enable them to make themselves understood in any of the emergencies in which they might be expected to become involved.
The Campaign Comforts " Want Card" was evolved from such a basis. A list of those things which our men might be deemed to want at times was very carefully compiled, with a view to keeping it as short as possible. These were then translated into colloquial French, and then parodied—shall we call it ?—in crude English pronunciation. The result has been to yield a horrified unexpected shock to those who are masters of Parisian French, and, as a counter effect, unlimited praise from those who realize that the men for whom the effort is intended are, although not illiterate• by any means, quite unacquainted with French.
The actual French translation has been omitted purposely, in order to avoid confusion. It is true, therefore, that it is useless for 0, man to hand his card to a Frenchman and point to the French equivalent. " Want Card " French, when written, is probably more unintelligible to the Frenchman than is the original English word. That does not matter. To be useful this card has had to be absolutely simple. Ey testing it upon those who know nothing of the French language,
and preferably those whose English vocabulary is none too big a one, we have found that the pronunciations we have adopted invariably produce a result, when read by such an one aa him for whom it is intended, as to render the French word or phrase quite understandable, even if there be a Cockney twang about the. terminals and some.of -the nasal intonations, The "Want Card '" will undoubtedly prove to be a Comfort to those of our troops who get stranded or mislaid in France or Belgium. We have a Flemish one in hand and a German one to fol low, if raced be! .
We reproduce the card in full, as it is obvious that it, will interest all those of our readers who are wateliing the performances of the A.S.C., MT., so keenly and with so firsthand an interest, and particularly those who have contributed to the Fund ; 12,000 of these cards have already been despatched, and more can be sent if need be.
There have been many attempts to help the Englishmaa, speak French without a knowledge of the language, but in almost all cases such compilations are marred by efforts to secure Pronunciation which shall be academically correct and accurate enough to please the most fastidious of boulevardiers.
The " Want Card has cost relatively little money, and our readers will probably agree that it will not he the least valuable Comfort which they have been the means of sending out to our men at the Front.