El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-09-08
FRENCH LEADER
AVOIDS NOTICE
Commander of Great Army,
He Wells His Movements
in Great Secrecy.
BY FRANKLIN p. HERRICK.

Paris. France. Sept S.-Gen Joseph
IOffre. generalissimO OF the French
forces in the war against Germany, Is
a man OF silence His whereabouts to-
day are a secret He IS almost IN
known TO the public and few Of his
soldiers would recognize him IL he
mOtOred by them
Round and fat, silent and saturnine,
Joffre is not unlike the great Corsi-
can Napoleon in build and charcteris-
tics, and he is profound believer in
NapoleOnic principles. to strike first. TO
hit the enemy in many places at once
and TO veil his movements with strict
secrecy.
Ee started this war that way. The
French were not successful The Ger
mans crossed the border NJ Millerand
has taken charge and decreed that no
more NapOleonic policies 60 JOffre
has been over ruled To-Day the French
army. instead Of being all along the
border in Alsace, Lorraine and else
where, is concentrated to oppose the
main German advance
Makes War in silence.
Joffre believes in making war IN
silence Indeed that has been the
marked difference between this cam
paign and the one Of ~ years ago.
Then, the names OF generals were on
every tongue. now none knows who is
the leader IN any particular exploit
When a French brigade entered Null
hausens the public was not told who
was the rigadier in command. for fear
il would prove valuable information
for the enemy.
It is related Of Joffre that he never
Detrays his rank even to his own men
who do not know him When the
troops were being modified AZ the 0e-
ginning Of this war. Cen Joffre was
at a railway station, but without any
insignia 10 denote his station. There
was a group Of reservists on the plat
form
when do you join?" one youth
4 have already joined" was the
quiet answer.
where do you come from?" was
asked.
Paris" was the laconic answer.
What's your name?" persisted the
rural reservist-
1T is best for soldiers to have no
names" the generalissimo said with
one Of his rare smiles, and when an
reproved the reservist Joffre forbade
him
Strike First Is His Axiom.
To strike rather than TO be struck
is one OF his aXioms- He believes in a
forward policy, a policy Of attack
Gen Joseph Joffre. though a great
strategist has won his greatest fame
as a builder OF forts and roads. BE
is a man Of fine Intelligence. with the
steel gray eyes Of dreamer, but the
two million French troops since the
war began shows that he is a practical
man, as we'll
'Joffre the taciturn." as he IS known
to the general staff. is scarcely known
To Parisians. In times OF peace he is
retiring to a degree and shuns public
recognition
He entered the army in the war OF
1870 when only is years old, and was
promoted for gallantry on the field
0y marshall MacMahOn- Immediately
after the war he was entrusted with /
the forts around Paris. the ]
forts that today are being prepared
again TO defend the capital against /
Made a captain at %, Joffre was !
sent into the east OF France to build /
IN the chain Of fortresses there that |
have proved Of such value in resist /
ne the invaders from the north.
Afterward he spent many years 4
-aising impenetrable Notifications at /
Tonkin, Island Of FOrmOsa, and NADIA /
yascar. His next brilliant achievement I
vas the crushing OF the uprising in I
)ahomey He utterly crushed the ma
ives and after a short campaign ]
marched into TimbuctoO- Since that /
line Joffre has been at the head Of 1
he French war college. where officers I
re trained