The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-09-29
JOSEPH JOFFRE, THE
MAN OF THE HOUR IN FRANCF
,~oroughly Twentieth Century in His Methods and Tenn
Thorough OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Above An

unusually quiet and well behaved 20
well that he was looked on
with aversion by some of his bovish
associates who were bubbline over
with the norma mischief and indirec-
ton of youth. Joffre, even as a bov.
seemed TO be under careful restraint.
studlous, and orderly, though not ey-
~ceptionally brilliant a in mathe-
MATES.
At the College Of Perpignan he
passed his examination as a Bachelor
or Science at the early age of 16. and
though he received a special mention
and led his class in mathematics. he
seemed to take it as q matter of
course. DR.. Pujade says thai he did
not even notify his parents Of his
honors.
Nine months later, before he was
II, he was the fourteenth from the
top of a list Of several hundred APP
pncants for admission to the Poly
technlc institute, which is the West
Point Of the French Republic. He
had scarcely finished one year at the
institute when the Franco-Prussian
war commenced.
| Thus, at the age of Is, he received
his commission in the French army
as an artillery subaltern. His excel
fence III mathematics had marked him
for appointment to the artillery, which
In all modern armies is considered the
choice branch of the service. During
Tense of Paris.
Captain at %.
In the construction of barbados
and their quick adoption to the hur-
rled needs of an army at bay he at
tracted attention. After the war he
was placed in charge Of the recon
struction OF a portion of the new de-
Tense Of Paris. He drew up the
plans for the fortitication in the direc-
ton OF Enghein. There, one day,
Marshal MacMahon appeared, accom-
panied by his entire staff, called TO
him the young Sous-Lieutenant Jof-
fire and said to him, in the presence OF
the staff: Il congratulate you, cap
tain!" A captain at %!
The general staff was SO well
pleased with Joffre's work in rebuild.
ing Notifications that he was sent tC
~POntarlier, on the eastern. frontier
and again placed in charge Of all the
work of rebuilding Notifications.
Joffre protested. Il do not want tC
spend my whole life building fortified.
tions," he said. II hope they will
soon give me an active command
The protest was unavailing. They
sent him to Tonkin, Cochin-China
where he constructed a chain Of forts
III COIIliIldIlu Ill FIcllcu SlllItd IL
that time was General C~Ourbet, with
whom Jotfre soon became distinct,
persona grata. The forts being fin
ished, Joffre was about to be ordered
back to rance to tax charge o
further work in building fortified
tions when old General Courbet tool
pity on his Discrimination to continu'
such uninteresting work, and said
Before you go back to France
: will give you one chance at field ser
vice. The natives have broken out i
: the interior, and the campaign agains
them will be q difficult one, becaus
they are in many small parties an,
will be able to harass our forces to a
: alarming extent without giving bat
: tie. 1t Is work for a cavalryman, an
, None who has been tested in the field
You are an artillery officer and a
. engineer, without experience in often
. sive warfare. l would advise o t
: return and follow the bent in WhiC
u you are certain to succeed, but If 70
insist I will intrust you with TIL
= command"
His Work In Formosa.
: Young Major Joffre did not hesitat'
lie mounted a horse and road off int
the tropical jungle as if mathematie
O were the last thing in the world to il
n terest him. And he won all his ba
ties against the natives, too.
SO we'll was Courbet pleased wit
Joffre's work that he prevailed on TT
general staff to lengthen his stay
the Far East. A few years later Coul
BET went to Formosa and took Joffl
with him. There the future con
20 mander-in-cnief, in spite of great ma
ural difficulties, reorganized the ell
tire defenSeS Cf the island.
Tn next stage in JofTre's care
was his command in Madagascar.
was this work tina first brought hi
into national celebrity in his on
- land. His problems were tWofol
- First. hose of a colonial administT:
20 tor. Second. those OF an engineer.
&C AS 4 military governor he Prov
10 himself the equal of any France CIV
81 sent to her colonies. A man OF Il
most strict personal habits. even
Al the tropics, he soon had the island u
der a discipline which was not pa
ticularly agreeable to the haul
q. ..,Jo@;cp h,,t which resulted