The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-07-27
One Year Of the Great War
As Seen in England Germany and France United fress
Feature Series of Stories for This Week

/ AS SEEN IN FRANCE.
BY william Philip simms, unIteo
| Press Staff Correspondent.
/ (Second Story
PARIS, July 27.-The Great Doubt
has been lifted from the heart OF
France.
The accomplishment Of this was
the grandest deed Of French arms IN
all the year OF Armageddon which
| began a year ago this week. IN ms
tory the feat will be known al the
! victory of the Battle OF the Marne.
Not only did this victory propaDiy
decide the fate OF France geograpnH
ally, but its influence upon the spirit
OF the country was. and still Is, In
calculable. For Notwithstanding the
solidarity" accomplished instantly
and spontaneously On August i, the
day the general mobilization order
was posted. q great doubt weighed
like lead on the hearts OF those VINO
marched away singing as Well as
those who stayed behind and wept.
Everybody remembered 1870.
The old remembered swift defeat
in the Franco-Prussfan war and the
horrible nightmare of blunders. the
young had heard the story time ana
again. The French, in 1870, we're to-
tally unprepared for war, were badly
equipped and badly led. Their plans
lacked cohesion Generals fought in
dependently, one Of the other. Treas
on was laid at the door OF one ana
altogether it was a terrible mess IN
which the poor soldiers never had
the slightest chance Notwithstanding
a courage which wrung from even
the Prussians the exclamation: ON,
what brave fellows!'
So, last August, when the soldiers
started for the war, each one bore IN
his heart burden heavier than the
knapsack on his back. Would his
tory repeat itself? Would 1914 be an
other 1870? Was France better pre-
pared this time? Would she be bet
ter lead? Were her generals equal to
the great task ahead? II not. then
The troopers dared not let their
minds run beyond this point. Ind1-
vidually the most intelligent soldiers
in the world, they have the other
curse and blessing OF civilization, an
imagination; so they sang and quit
thinking; they joked with one anoth-
er, never admitting even to them
selves-let alone to their compan-
ions-that the doubt was there.
Back home the hearts of mothers,
fathers, wives, sisters and sweet
hearts were troubled by the some
unexpressed dread lest 1914 prove an
other 1870. And If such should prove
to be the case
They, too, smiled and talked
cheerfully of new and irresistible
France.
All knew, those who remained wait
ing as we'll as those who went to war.
that for forty,four years Germany
rad heen living, eating, drinking,
sleeping, dreaming war and that this
war had come. What about France!
Who was General Joffre? Who were
the other generals? Newspapers had
but recently declared that France
was unprepared. Was this true? And
all went on being troubled In secret
lest France should again prove un-
ready.
After vague news reached Paris
that General Joffre was In retreat
from Charleroi. the 1870 bugaboo
doomed bigger and bigger. Maubeuge
was invested; Lille was occupied.
Then there came silent, tense days,
without any real news. The govern
ment moved to Bordeaux; the Ger
mans were now in Maubeuge, Com
piegne, Scissors, Rheims. Chalons,
Epernay, Luneville. Verdun and
Nancy were seriously menaced. Paris
it seemed, was doomed and Uhlans
were reported to be at the gates. The
worst fears Of soldiers and homefolks
seemed realized 1t looked like an
other 1870, only worse.
M
was the exodus of thousands of peo-
ple who objected to living in Paris
during a German occupation, but the
city was calm frances "sacred
union" held firm.
But the Doubt, fnstilled in the mind
of France by 1870, was there, CALLING
and real. The people could not know
that General Joffre was later to be
called a genius They could only
wonder II his retreat was strategy
or incompetency. The censorship was
strict and they had few facts to base
opinion on. They did not know the
battle of the Marine was being fought,
nor that Joffre had performed, by
winning a victory there, sort OF
eighth wonder of the world. Yet
this was true. General Bonnal said
OF this battle:
This is the first time to my knowl-
edge, that great army retreating
and lighting at the same time and for
eight DAYS in success sion, was able to
furnish the effort by itself to trans
form instantly its long and painful
retreat into an irresistible often
siye."
Yet this is what the French army
was able to do. Through this VIC
tory a new France was born. The
great doubt was lifted, the 1870
bugaboo banished. The people were
given confidence in the army, the
army in itself
Henceforth, whatever may happen
to the French soldier, he viii! re-
fuse to be discouraged. He.can ad.
vance, retreat or doggedly hold what
he has won, any or all, with tenacity
and good cheer. He has faith in his
officers and faith in himself. He
- H,rA H.