New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-05
Army's Freedom of Action
More Important than
Fixed Defences.
STRATEGIC POINT
NOT YET BESIEGED
Pivot of Western Campaign
Found by Correspondent To Be
Held Firmly by the French.
fBy C.hl. % n Thin. I

London, Dec. 4.-"The Daily Chron-
icle" prints the following dispatch
from one Of its correspondents In
France:
I'm the French Lines, Verdun, Dec.
THE great central doorway Of the
Lorraine frontier is not only banged,
barred and bolted against the invader,
but IL covers an area, il not Of perfect
peace, at least of perfect security.
Nerdun had been advertised by the
German commanders as about 10 be
subjected 20 a close investment They
even claimed 70 have captured some Of
the forts. No doubt, the German people
imagine it is besieged.
u wish some of their representatives
If they have any free men who could
tell them the simple truth-could have
accompanied US in at least part of a
tour Of inspection, which has been of
extraordinary interest. No better
proof, perhaps, could be offered in such
a small compass Of the futility of the
adventure in which the Prussian gem
erals have involved themselves. Yer
dun has never been besieged. Its COM
munications are untaken; IL is the
centre of a district in which there is
no menace.
"On the northwest and north there
are at least twenty miles before some
Of the German gun fire Is reached.
The road TO the city through Argonne
is as safe and quiet as the road from
York to London. On the south the
Germans touch the Meuse at only a
single point, St Mihiel.
ITO reach it from Metz there Is only
one single difficult road, and all along
that line the position Of the Germans
is exceedingly precarious. Around the
semicircle north Of Verdun the French
armies make slow but steady progress.
They are prepared for winter as well
as any army can be.
81 spoke 10 many Of the men at
different points, and there is not the
least doubt about their high spirits
and perfect confidence. | spoke also 70
a number Of officers. They struck me
as men of marked intelligence and
vigor, possessed of modern and liberal
spirit, seeing the moral and political
Issues Of the war very much as we see
them ourselves, and watching closely
over the safety and comfort of their
men. They felt, and seemed to me JUS
titled in feeling, themselves invincible,
enjoying an impregnable position.
"The secret of this important success
at the pivoting point of the western
campaign is not the strength of the
fixed defences az Verdun, for many of
the forts have not fired shot. IL is
that the army has never lost its free
dom of action. For the moment all
danger has now passed on the eastern
frontier.
an the course Of our journey we
were privileged 70 meet and 70 spend
some hours with General name de-
letedl, and il seemed TO me that the
fulness with which he explained to US
the course and character Of the opera
tons exemplified a new type Of mind
which modern conditions are producing,
even in places where the conservative
spirit obstinately fingers.
"a tall, slight man, with short white
beard and mustache, soft gray eyes
and a gentle manner, General name
deleted looks the scholar and thinker
rather than the man of action that we
know him 70 be. In answer TO a ques-
ton about the present morale Of the
German troops he said:
"'Que voulez vous? 10 Is ship in
tempest, and the sailors run hither and
thither.' There was no sound OF hate
or triumph in his tone. but | thought
that if a symbolical picture OF defence
of France were needed one need hardly
find better than the portrait Of Cen
eral name deletedl ."