Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-06-03

United States.
Paris-Morocco looms up as Frances |
most difficult colonial problem. That |
is saying much, for Frances expert !
ence is perhaps only second to that of !
Great Britain.
The recent savage massacre of
French military officials at Fee at the !
very moment when France was estab- !
fishing a protectorate was a powerful
indication to the French of the diff |
culties to be met and conquered before
the wild Moorish tribesmen TO whom
war is a diversion can be made over
into peaceful and successful children
of France. At once was seen the need
OF appointing an experienced and cap
able hand to take the helm of the ire
mendous work of protectorate organi-
| cation.
This man, France believes, has been
! found in General Hubert Lyautey, who
has achieved reputation as a skill
| full, retiring officer and an adroit or
ganizer and leader of men. General
Lyautey was born at Nancy in 1854.
He passed rapidly through the various
grades of military education and be-
came a captain in 1882 Later he went
to Indo-China as chief of bureau of the
resident general, and there he met the
famous General Gallieni, who later
took him to Madagascar. General Ly-
autey did some fine work in pacify-
ing and organizing the districts in the
south of that island. Later service in
Tuns and Algeria was followed by the
appointment as commander of the 10th
army corps of France. He has writ
ten much, both on the colonial service
of the army and upon the social devel-
opment of the military officer. A recent
study of the latter question created
great interest in military and lay cir
cles. Emperor William of Germany was
so struck by the tone of the article
that he wrote to the author to Congrat-
ulate him and at the same time to take
issue with him on several points.
Once the picturesque Arabs become
devoted to France, it is believed that
France will find in them a superb ad-
ditiOn to its colonial army. Moulay
Hafd, the sultan, thinks this is true
but he warns France that the process
of courtship must be slow and cauti-
Gus. Above all, the Mussulmans in
Morocco must be left unhindered and
uninfiuenced in their religious beliefs
and practices. Any encroachment by
missionaries or others will, he thinks,
be disastrous to French interests.
The attitude of Moulay Hafd him
self is a puzzle. He declares himself
. very anxious to abdicate, saying that
he wishes to travel and to give up all
, authority which, after all, he says, he
does not possess, since the French
: have taken 1t all from him; but the
J French insist on the sultan remaining
in nominal power. They realize that
: the Moors without a ruler would be
sheep without a shepherd. General
: Lyautey who becomes governor, OF
: more properly, resident general OF
: Morocco, is above all a tactful man. He
I is certain to do all things to keep the
2 sultan's good will and not TO offend
D The Moors by thrusting upon them the
r customs Of civilized Europe
2 An extraordinary case of supersti
Z, ton which recalls the DAYS of Salem
/ witchcraft is reported from the AL
J. pine village of Noirmont in the Canton
r OF Berne, Switzerland. The peasants
e there accused an old woman who was
+ living alone of possessing the evil eye
d and of making their cattle ILL., They
T blamed her also for various other Ioca
n misfortunes. In vain the aged woman
[ pleaded her innocence. The peasants
/; chose a delegate" who was instructed
). to cast out the devir' from her. The
t man, on meeting the aged woman OIL
n the roadway. beat her severely. Later
= he was arrested and sentenced TO two
d months Imprisonment.
r Some conception of the world craze
l. for picture post cards may be had from
J.; figures which come from Switzerland
d In the year 1911 in Switzerland there
4 passed through the postofices 10000,
600 cards OF every kind, though chief
d ly illustrated. This was an increas,
d Of 100000 over the preceding year
], Don Jaime, the four-year-old son o
s the king and queen OF Spain, who wal
a born deaf and dumb, is progressin,
e satisfactorily at Fribourg, Switzerland
L where for some time he has been un
der the treatment of Professor Henri
II Raymond. The boy prince is now, a.
IS the result Of an operation, commend
n ing to articulate some words and hea
b some sounds. The Swiss treatmen
II will be continued indefinitely until tn.
e boys senses are completely normal
10 Among the many exhibits of sculI
n ture at the salon OF the society O
s French artists is one that possesse
+ especial interest II is the statue o
le the Canadian historian Francoi
il Xavier Garneau, and is the work O
te Paul Chevre, one Of the passenger