There’s been a midweek break in French primary schools dating back to the 19th century, a government concession to the Roman Catholic Church, which wanted children to study the catechism on their weekday off. In today’s secular France, Wednesdays currently are a blur of sports, music, tutoring for families of means, or a scramble for working parents struggling to get by who must either find a sitter or send their kids to a full day at a state-run “leisure center.” (By Lori Hinnant Associated Press)