The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-09-30
new FRANCE BORN
NATION ELECTRIFIED BY DE.
FEAT OF GERMANS.
Confident OF success

France no Longer Cowed by the Prus-
sian Army-It Can be Beaten
How the Army of Paris Sailed Out
Catching Won kluck's Corps in
Deadly Position.
4 new France has been born. The
shame of Sedan and the bitter humll-
iatlons of 1870 have been blotted out,
utterly obliterated by the battle of
the Marne.
There is not a Frenchman from
Poincare to peasant whose spirit
droops before Prussian menace.
However long the complete
triumph of the allies may be delayed
(and no intelligent Frenchman un-
derestimates the resources of German
courage) the armies of the republic
will fight with the confidence of the
soldiers of the, Napoleon of Auster-
litz and Jena, the irresistible conf
dence of the years when French
armies were unconquerable and when
the roads to Paris were choked with
the prisoners and trophies OF 100
battles.
This great thing has been accom-
plished by the gigantic struggle
which extended from Paris to Vitry-
le-Francois from September l to Sep
tember y, and which was composed
of a series of tremendous battles
along a fighting front of 127 miles.
In these battles much more than
Paris was saved, much more than
material triumphs gained. The self
respect of the nation was the real
trophy of the, victory. France stands
| rehabilitated, no longer cowed by
forty years of "Prussian swagger-
ing" Won Moltke was an accident.
The Prussians can be beaten.
Victory Has Made New France.
1t is necessary to write of this up
lift of French spirit, Of the new in
spiration which has sent the conf
dence of France swinging in wide
arc because it explains and illumi-
mates the material and physical ad-
Ivantages Of the great battles in which
/ the German armies were first check
ed, then attacked, then hurled back
over the roads they had travelled SO
triumphantly.
It is essential that this spirit be
understood because of the effect it
can not help but have in later phases
of the war in the west. France is no
longer uncertain. She is calmly con-
fdent. She is no longer feinting on
the defensive; she is striking boldly
on the attack.
It is now possible to describe gen.
orally, comprehensively, the vast op-
erations of September l to Septem-
ber IL which have already been
grouped in the sweeping title OF the
battle of the Marne. The details Of
these operations will have to be left
to the coming of peace, and history
will have no small problem in an alyz-
ing the movements Of troops whose
numbers stagger the imagination.
The people, depressed for more
than three weeks over the constant
withdrawal of the allies, hearing of
nothing but a succession of reverses,
were hardly prepared for such full
ness of victory. BY degrees the full
meaning Of the long retreat from the
frontier has become understood and
there is the most enthusiastic praise
for Gen. Joffre, who is being acclaim
ed as another Napoleon.
From reports to the government it
is clear that upward of 2,500,000
men on both sides swayed backward
and forward in the Marne country
before the certainty of utter ruin
compelled the Germans to flee north
ward Eliminating troops that guard
ed communications or were left to
garrison important towns, the Ger
mans were able to drive 100000 men
against the allies in the final, desper-
ate endeavor to smash the French
center.
Including the Paris army of de-
fence, whose brilliant sally on Sep
tember made the plans of the Ger
man General Staff so much waste
paper, the Allies in the battle Of the
Marne numbered 100000. With
out the Paris 100000 nearly 1,100,-
900 of French and English troops
hammered back the German attack.
Of the number of British troops that
took part in the six days fighting it
is impossible to speak accurately. 1t
is estimated here that Gen. French
commanded about 100000.
Casualties UnequaIled.