The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-19
TURNER FRENCH
 MINISTER LIVES IN RETIREMENT
M. Delcasse in Strong Con trast. With Former
 Associates.

istry of of foreign affairs, M, De1casse has been living very quietly in his modest quarters in Montmatre. His side of the story leading up to there signation has not been told, and he is too worn out with the hard work of the war to make combative in spread ing before the public his version of the rupture. There is a general desire also, to avoid controversies which may create the impression that government officials are at cross purposes. And so the passing out of this prominent fig ure, who was probably better known fin England and America than any man in the ministry. is likely to pass as one of. the incidents of the war.
 Most ministers are surrounded by a, political group which, when their leader meets a reverse, quickly takes. up his cause and presents his side to the public. But Delcasse has never figured prominently in political and group ready to. take up the cudgel in his behalf About all that is known is that French and English diplomacy was rather slow in realizing the Ger man plan of securing an ally in the Balkans. which finally eventuated' in Buigaria's joining the Central Pow CTS. This brought an outburst of French publis sentiment, and Delcasse passed. out as having been the one who should have fereseen and avert
 
 east Just how he could have avert ed it is not clear but the chief 5eriti=1 cisn is that France and England remained passive while the German game in the Balkans was being play ed with great activity. and. success. Some of DeIcasse,s friends think he is too strong a man to remain out of the government very long, at this time of need for strong men. They say that when the Balkan storm has blown over, De1casse VIII be able to ask his successors what more they have done than they expected him to do, in checking German intrigues. The English sentiment would probably be favorable to his returning, as his Balkan course was largely the same as that of the British Foreign Office. The English >also have a warm ad- Iairation for pelcasse, as one of the chief figures in forming the entente cordiaIs between England and France But his strength, and the recognition of his ability, as diplo- smatist, have always been greater abroad, notably in England, Russia and America, than at home.
 The personal side of Ms DeIcasse's slffe, has it's peculiarities, and this has been quite a factor in bringing about his resignation. He works and Hives very much to himself and makes no condolences. Even his as sociates in the ministry knew little or nothing of how he was shaping E foreign policies relating to the war. He seldom joined them except at cab inet meetings when the discussion was formal, and he was in the habit of announcing results rather than invit- ing discussion of what had better be done on various pending questions. Knowing his tendency to work out is
 
 and there was no team work on foreign affairs. At the Foreign Of flee he wrote many of the despatchesJ of instructions much as he would do in his private affairs, often without Keeping copies. and seldom letting their purport generally known among officials. Gradually, it came to be felt in the ministry that DelcasseS was too, exclusive in his methods of car ryfng on the foreign branch. This had d good deal to do in bringing about the recent change.
 Delcasse's systematic habits also differed much from ;. those of other officials This led to a comparison between the habits of MilIerand. the war minister. and Delcasse, the for eign minister. Mi1Ierands is a man 1 of intense application. He gets a,b- sorbed in his work at the War Of flee, forgets his meals, stays, until a l late hour at night attending to vari-' ous details, and finally finds. himself 1 in state of physical exhaustion. Del casse is just the reverse He is a | man of scrupulous regularity. He gets up very early in the morning and | is one of the earliest arrivals at the Foreign Office. Nothing interrupts the regularity of his lunch or other meals. He does his work within fixed hours, and leaves early. He
 
 the restaurant, theatre or gay life. He goes to bed early, and has a standing order that he is not to be4awakened, no matter how urgent the business may be. This was in marked con l. trast to some of his cabinet associates, who were on 'ea1I night and day on anything urgent in their branches of war work.
 As minister of foreign affairs, Del casse had at his disposal the splendid private apartments at the Quay dor say always set aside for the head of the office. But he was the one for eign minister who never made use of -z4zss The quarters include hand so4@ lions, private diningS rooms bed chambers, etc, with an 'outlook on the spacious gardens of tIeN es- tab1ishnent They are. alongside the quarters of Viviani, president of the | council, who has never failed. to use his share of these handsome apart ments. But De1casse has always preferred to occupy most modest apartment on the Avenue de CIichy. The Avenue de Clichy is the main thoroughfare of Montmartre, the. cen tre of Bohemian life, and is a sort | of Coney Island and Midway PIais- ance rolled together. The DeIcasse quarters are in the midst of such bizarre surroundings, on the upper i floor of d building having stores on the street. The artists for a New Y ork fashion journal used to occupy the apartment above. It was aIwaysl more or less of a surprise to officials |