The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-18
I7ALY'S ARMY HEAD
IS BORN SOLDIER
Zen. Cadorna, Who Grew Up
in War Atmosphere, an
Expert in Tactics.
HIS FATHER TOOK ROME
NJ CAROLYN WILSON.

BONE, June 2s.-ln italy. as in all
o,b.r countries at war. the commander
:, chic, Of the army has sprung over
rlsh, into a worship approaching idola-
nv: into n popularity which even the
,re.ence OF the King at the front has
done little TO dim
Pictures OF him appear alongside those
Of the royal family on the mantelpiece
A, the humblest cottages. And many Il
devcut mother. praying for the safety
o, ner son at the front. commends him
alike TO God and to Gen. Cadorna-
cadorna is not a new man. not an I'M
known man, as was the case with Joffre.
Although without a great deal OF prac-
teal experience. nevertheless he has long
been an accepted authority on things
lacks and on discipline have been man
uals Of all the Italian army officers.
He comes of a military family. and
has never known other influence or en-
dorna who commanded the Fifth Army
Corps at Custozza and Verona during
tho wars Of lS4s and 1863 with the
Auyrians. And later. in 1870. his same
veteran was foremost among those who
fought for the separation Of church anG
state and took Rome from the Pope.
Grew In War Atmosphere.
30 that since earliest days. for the
present Gen. Cadorna was born in 1850.
he has heard nothing but the talk OF
war around him. the hatred OF oppres-
sion. whether that oppression was OF the
church or OF the Austrians. He has
known what 1t Is to go to bed nights
with dread OF the Austrians in his heart.
and not know whether the morning
would find him fatherless, for he was
ls a, the time OF the last Austrian war.
20 that is why the country people say
10 you sometimes: ale knows, our
General. what is IN our hearts. He.
TOO. has gone through II all"
When he was only 10 he was entered
in the military school at Milan. that
same school which turned out The
straight. eager young officers with
whom travelled to Bologna last week.
and then at Is he went to the acaderlv
at Turin.
After that came more severe courses
at the Scuola di Guerra, which Is only
for the ~cleverer Of the students; and
always he did more han was asked OF
him. Always he vas thinking OF new
plans, new strategies. He was the one
TO PROFOUND original theorems. TO sug-
sest new, interesting and hard studies
for his class.
Skilled in Tactics.
He was made Captain in 1879. ano
tust after that he came into grea'
prominence, not only in Italy but ir
France. for his mastery analysis of the
technical side of the Franco-Prussiar
war. Soon after he began. a little tim
div at first in order not TO irritate MS
scperiors. to try to put in practice som
o. his beliefs o tactics.
When he was Major OF the Sixty
second Infantry. and later as Colonel o'
the famous Tenth Bersaglieri. he had ar
opportunity to test some oil tnes'
theories. and won an immediate ioiiow'
,ng of Younger officers. who were only
TOO anxious to develop the ideas OF the
new school OF fighting. 49,
Later in swift SUCCESSFUL a.h
higher grades. Brigadier-General, Gen
eral OF Division in 1907, 1910 Com
mander OF the Army Corps stationed AZ
Genoa, and Chief of staff 1914.
In character he IS very representativ
o, the land from which he comes, fleu'
mont. a section OF Italy radically d'i'
.erent from the rest. Piedmont has al
ways been French rather than Italian.
Its natives have the hrewdness OF 'n'
French. their keenness of insight. com
b.ned with the sunny temperament OF TN
Italians. But they do not live In dreamf
and. above all, they have the unifyins
attitude OF mind. They like ~organlzins
md TO them Is due the unity of the Itai'
an nation Of to-day.
Wrote Omcers' Manual.
Cadorna has enthusiasm tempered
with reflection. He is not n big maj
nor 10 he impressive looking. His droop
ins mus,ache gives MIN indeed an un'
military look and, although he is active
alert with a superb carriage. one doe
not forget that he IL 65 years old.
The one thing for which Cadorna II
admired more than anything else IL th'