The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-09
FRENCH PRESIDENT
LEADS SIMPLE LIFE
His Chief Enjoyment Is a
Good Book
LIKES TAKING PAINS
Goes Into Every Detail Minutely.
Has Always Had Pets-Has Not
Been Decorated With the
Legion of Honor
From the London standard.


Paris.-'No, don't smoke at all, and ]
don't drink, thank you. Enjoyments
Oh, yes. A good book, a good fire, and a
lanpshade in the right position. Why
don't smoke? oh, my health is quite
good. But / have always tried to find
my enjoyment in pleasures which are
useful. and reading is the most useful
pleasure of all''
There, in a few words. you have the
best possible. description of NJ. Raymond
Poincare-of President Squarepoint. who
will succeed President Fallieres at the
Elysee
He Is Lorrainer. The photographers
have made his face and his features fa-
miliar to the world. They have not yet
succeeded in reproducing his invariabie
expression. Whenever 1 have seen nj.
Polncare he has always worn 1.-THE look
of intense and rainstaking interest in ey-
erything round him, from the smallest
trife to the greatest possibility in inter-
national politics.
Il like taking palms, l heard him say
once. mot only because | think every
body owes it TO life to do what he can
in it, but because taking pains is so inter-
esting. Whatever is worth doing-and
most things are worth doing--is worth
doing thoroughly I think one ought to
absorb all one can from the field of life,
like sheep Craze. Cows eat SO carelessly.
and COWS are always stupid"
Apostle of Common Sense
NJ. Poincare is the apostle of plain
common sense. u never preach IL,
though" he told some one who men
toned this to him; sit is SO much more
useful to practice it. The example may
do good, and practice of common sense
always makes profit" Sturdy common
sense is Raymond Poincares god. and
Paris, which has a knaclS of niclnames
has translated his name into one al
Squarepoint
He was born in little square-buiit
house inethe matter of-fact little town
of Bar-le- Due, which makes jams for
the rest OF France, and breeds sound
politicians flnanciers, and writer's on
grave subjects. His father was an en-
gineer, his uncle was a doctor whose
scientific research work taught Kay
mond Poincare that there Is romance 10
be found in work of practical utility.
w men ne WAS o tdiS oio iAC w Siie "
school, and enjoyed a wet holiday more
than u fine one, because he could shut
himself up with a book on a wet Gay.
Science was his first love. His old moth
err who has enjoyed his election with
the calm serenity of woman whose
own father was nine times member of
the chamber during the reign of Louis
is fond of teasing him about
the way in which he used to take the
n
crept up the wick, and how he nearly
killed himself by swinging bucket of
water round his head to show that the
water would not fall out of it at ascer-
tain velocity.
He served his country near the from
tier at Nancy His officers were struck
by the peculiarities of the young sol
der who seized every spare moment,
even on march during manoeuvres, to
reads He got the sergeant's stripe be-
fore he left the service, and was made
lieutenant of the reserve afterward.
He has since been promoted, and is
l captain of the reserve now. And this
rank of his reminds me that Ray
nond Poincare has as yet not the right
% wear the red ribbon of the Legion
If Honor, though in less than month
lie will be the grand master of the
)rder.' and the hawkers who sell his.
portrait on the boulevards show him
with the broad red ribbon across his
shirt front.
Presidents Pets
He has always. had pets. 1t is sig
lificant that his first pet was a par
.ot and that he loved the bird because
teaching my lessons to Raymond
he parrot was named like his master
them to me at the same
lime.
couple of days before his elee-
ion to the presidency of the republic
VI. Raymond Poincare disappeared for
! whole morning. lie had goncst to find
tut what was wrong with some gold
ish belonging to his brother Lucien.
lie found out that the food they. had
was disagreeing with them, and lie
cured the gold fish before he re-
urned to sec to his election
Domestic Life
Seven years ago. soon after his
Raymond Poincare built HIM
self comfortable little country house
Ut Sampigny, in the department of the
Ueuse He loves this corner of France
where he was born and bred because
II the tranquility he gets there. II
ike the feeling he said once, that
Nobody thinks 1t necessary to take off
lis hat to me down there, and every
,ody calls me Monsieur Raymond"
His father died two years ago. His
mother has since lived almost entirely
With NJ. Poincare and his wife--a
charming woman, very pretty. and u
delightful hostess. She was, 1t Is said,
,nce q dancer at the Scala theatre in
Milan, but OF this / am not absolutely
certain.
There is little need to say much
bout Raymond Poincare's political ca
'eer. 1t has been one OF such steady
ldvance that everybody in following
he history of France has followed the
political history Of NJ. Poincare
his whole history one thing
ias been peculiarly remarkable-his
in everything which he has
Undertaken, his quiet and painstaking
methods, and the inevitable way in
which he has invariably succeeded in
which he has undertaken.
Failure he said not long ago
should never come. 1t usually means
/ want of preparation. There is no
difficulty in getting what you want.
either for your country or for your
'elf, either In the smaller things of
life or In the greater, II you are per-
ectly certain what Won want and take