Evening star., 1915-11-28
Love of France Makes Broth
ers in the Army of All :.
Kinds of Soldiers.
PRIVATE AND OFFICER
ON FRIENDLY TERMS
Gen. Joffre Tells One Regiment
"You're Here to Die" and It
Charges Through Enemy Line.
By HERBERT COREY.
(Copyright. 1851

PARIS, October 30.-It Is a common
saying that the French army is the
most democratic in Europe. When one
first watches 1t in operation one is
struck by the fact. After a little one
| forget about it, The French army is
so naturally and unanectedly demo-
cratic that the condition seems nat
ural. One would as readily feel sur
prised that the infantryman wears a
| buckle on his belt.
I'VE ought to give the chauffeur a
| tip one of our party said after
three-day ride in an army motor
near Paris. Another-an older and
more cautious member-made a few in
quiries. Then he brought in an ad-
verse report.
II wouldn't give him anything" said
| this member. For one thing. he has
more money than all of us put togeth-
er. For another, he is a count"
Universal service does it. The Ameri
can is apt to come to Europe full Of
hectic opposition to universal service
which he calls nscription-which it
isn't. By and by he forgets it. 1t be-
gins to seem to him the one democratic
thing in a land ridden by caste and
bound by old rules. 1t is true that in
ed by the officer caste. Here they are
not. The French army is ofticered by
men who have shown their ability.
Birth has a little to do with 1t, but
a very little. Any French boy who can
pass the examinations can enter the
French military schools. If his par
ents have not enough money to pay
his way through the state makes him
an allowance. Gen. Joffre was boy
of this sort There are thousands of
others.
The Colonel and the Sergeant.
That said a man in long over
coat to the colonel of a French regi-
ment, '1s a foolish thing to do
The overcoat concealed the protest.
ants rank. After a debate the colonel
conceded the point. When the other
fellow had gone away the colonel be-
came curious.
who was that fellow" he asked.
"Sergt. Hedamon," was the answer.
He Joined last week"
It happens that Sergt. Jules Hedamon
is the foreign editor of LIE Matin when
he is at home. He is accustomed to
treat presidents and prime ministers
intimately. Not long ago he inter-
viewed President Wilson. 1t did not
seem at all presumptuous to him to
tell the colonel of an oversight. Never
theless, he got eight days in the guard
house. That was discipline. The fact
that Hedamon is still a sergeant and
still at the front-that Is universal
service and democracy.
At first these French soldiers remind
one OF the National Guard regiments of
our middle west. There is the same
complete self-respect in the private and
the same grave comradeship on the
part of the officers This afternoon
private in a uniform that was stained
from shoulder to heel with trench clay
sat in a party on the terras of the Cafe
de lie Paix. Another member was an
officer who wore the Military order and
the Croix de la Guerre. They talked,
discussed and COntradicted each other
in perfect amity. When the private said
goodbye he saluted the officer cere-
moniously. The captain returned the
salute with dignity; That might happen
with our militia, but only If the sol
diers were friends. In this case they
were obviously strangers.
There is difference between the
French army and our corn-feds. 1t is
a difference Of discipline. The difference
would not be noticed after six months
in the field. Wars hard training makes
good soldiers out of the most self-re-
specting citizens. There is a story of
banker private in one of the Ohio regi-
ments which took part in our little
Porto Rican campaign of some years
ago. His captain was a small business
man in the same town. one day the
captain gave an order to the private.
Il won't do any such dern thing" said
tho banker private, Indignantly. Why,
Jim. you talk like a fool. That's danger
GUS"
At the moment he got away with 1t.
Six months later he would have landed
in the guardhouse. or worse if he had
tried anything of the sort.
Certain regiments from the south of
France We're on faulty good terms
with their officers when the war began.
They fnew nothing of war. these men,
and everything of their own townsmen
who were wearing epaulets. More than
to their undisciplined intelligence that
their skins were in danger. Their Off
GERS could not handle them. Then Gen.
Ipffre took charge