The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-17

complexion and sturdy upright figure bore
witness to his love of every kind OF out
door sport, for the President was an eX-
pert in all the sports and exercises dear
to the English country gentleman. He
rode; shot and fished with real enthusiasm,
and his brtef" holidays had often been
spent on a: small yacht, which he steered
as successfully as he guided the ship OF
state :
life to his father and mother, especially
to the latter, who was a very remarkable
specimen of the French working woman.
From the day. of his birth she began to
save. with a view to her sons education,
and when he was 10: years old he was
placed in a we'll known. SCHOOL, Institu-
( ton Bosquet at: Chailfot. There he spent
/ four or five uneYentful Years, and then 1t
was his. parents showed their .shrewd
plete his commercial education; .
The President often alluded to the nap
by. days he.spent at Merton, near. Wfmb1e-
don and. to: pleasant holidays in Scotland
/ the use that this Sojourn in Great Br1taln
has been to Felix Faure- 1T enabled him
to realize both the faults and. the virtues
OF the average Brtton, and he IS said to
be the first President of the French re-
|: public who has been really eonversant
I with current English thought and 1ttera-
! tF-ew people know that NJ: Faure was
1.connected and that: too, by ms own. GAL
CURED during one. of. the HaYre. regattaSS.
/ Al yacht the Hildegard, belonging. to his
Royal I1ighnesSi was. enteEeu toL d az ~ :
sailors, who; sailor like. was quite ignor-
ant of the art Of swimming. fell over
board: NJ. Faure; who was then a well
known IIavre merchant; jumped into: the
water and rescued the bluejackst.
Felix, Faure can boast of being the hrst
+ provincial President, for though ne was
fParisian by birth, he made his fortune
and his name at .Havre, the large" sea-
fport town which may be cat bera the ip
began quite huInbly as q small coHlLniS-
sion merchant in hides and. wool; and he
had only just laid the foundations OF a
/ Prussia4 war :paral1zed French trade: and
turned every able-bodied Frenchman into
/ a soldier. Before becoming a merchant ne
| had been a tanners apprentice.
AS. commander of: the Havre Mobiles ne
Fought through a long campaig1lt but has
! chance of distinction came to him, as. IT
/ did to so many, when the war was prac-
!: ticalIy ended and the red fool fury or
the Seine, had been let loose: Paris soy was
.nately close at. hand, raised a company
/ of volunteer ffremen. and, rfskfng MS own
life again and again, threw himself INTO mo
the thick of the danger, encouraging his
antiY for three days and nights to sub
q we're t9 Eiied by his ISIS Side and after the
I commune had been subdued, one of the
|. first acts of the Government was TO be-
STOW the cross of the Legion OF Honor
such splendid service to France.
The President had been an active poll
| tician for fourteen years. He was 40
when he was. first elected Deputy f, for
Cd finder Secretary of State for the
Colonies. He was the most capable Min
fster.:of Marine that that department has
vet had. and as "a younger man ne TOOK
an active part .in1the Havre branch of the
League of Patriots. -,
- II can safely be asserted that before his
election not per cent: OF thoseoYer whom
he was to become temporary ruler had
ever heard the name Felix Eli Taur est Ihe
hit to those in the inner rim of repubIi-
can politics he was considered a man to
be recokned with; and, as it turned out,
he was elected to the Presidency by 43e
against 361 votes ....:.-:.