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79
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INDO-CHINA
L'ECOLE FRANCAISE D'EXTREME-ORIENT
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My visit to the French school at Hanoi was fortunately timed as it gave me a chance to confer now only with M. Finot the temporary Director of the School, who was on the point of leaving for nine months work in France. [[Margin]] M. MAITRE[[/margin]][[new paragraph, indent]]In the first few days of my visit to Hanoi, intercourse with this latter gentleman proved to be of such prime importance to the success of my mission to the French scholars that I resolved to take advantage of two days at sea in his company and go with him at once to Saigon on my way to Angkor, leaving investigation at the school and reading in the library to my return to Hanoi. I had already made up my mind to visit Angkor in spite of the fact that Hindu art is to have the remotest connection with out [[sic]] work, because these ruins are considered by many scholars to be the finest productions of the Far East, and because it would be my sole chance to stude [[sic]] the methods of French archaeologists in the field. 
[[new paragraph, indent]] The short trip on the boat gave me the opportunity for intimacy with M. Maitre which weeks of more formal intercourse on land would not have afforded. He is among the foremost Orientalists of our day, and had been personally responsible for the standard of excellence sustained by the school at Hanoi, which is today second to none. His staff including active and associate members are without exception the highest authorities, each in his own department of study, and the publications of the school are looked forward to by the students of all countries
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