Evening star., 1915-05-16

dineo commanded with success, Henri
Chabrillat. correspondent OF the Figaro.
requested the commanding general that
ne be allowed the privilege or ar-
proaching the exterior lines OF battle.
Gen. ii 'Aurelle refused the request. for
reasons he thought best not to give TO
the journalist chabrillat was very
much veNed and replied testify: Very
Well. general. I will not mention the
battle of Coulmiers IN the Figaro,
The anecdote was significant OF the
press regime of 1870. War was treated
as little more than theatrical repre-
ent and general were the chief per-
sonages; the rest counted for little
The silence which IN this war of 1914
envelops the military operations has
been almost unbear
Necessary able The details from
oehSoisnip' and the heroic siege OF
Liege were given to the press peli-
NELL. cut by the censor into little frag-
ments which were scarcely compre-
hensible. The process was, however.
indispensable because OF the conditions
of the war, in which even the slightest
information furnished the enemy by
the press might entail disaster 1t was
, necessary to repeat without ceasine
that the resistance of the civil popula
tion was one of the essential elements
of victory.
The enemy had counted visibly on the
divisions of the country; its unity and
strength were unexpected. The history
of what had occurred. the prodlgies OF
valor accomplished by the army wer9
yet to be published.
The news that the enemy was at fhH
gates of Amiens after the defeat OF tn"
British wing in August created hour@
of agonizng suspense. During those
terrible days the press was active ~
disseminating the essential ideas oI
the war:
First. that the war by the immensitv
and complexity of its elements. which
were employed. would be long and not
short. it had been assumed.
: Second. that victory was certain " the
army was restrained and held in hand
and adapted to the new conditions.
Third, that everything should he 40
combined in the civil as in the military
to assure the maximum resistance.
Such were the ideas with which the
public was saturated The crucial mo-
ment arrived when the public manifest
ed its appreciation of the lessons I'M
parted by the press. The enemy at
tanned point about twenty miles from
Paris when the prudent generaltssimo
advised government to remove to Bor-
| deaux. where it was followed by the
Paris press.
The invasion of Bordeaux by a hun
dred thousand Parisians was an cpl
sode in the lives of the fugitives, as
well as the Bordelaise press. which eN-
tended its large and cordial hospitality,
| The Temps. the Illustration and the Figaro
were accorded place by the director Of the
great printing establishment of NJ.
Delmas the Echo de Paris. the Mafin
and others were installed in the print
ing house of the Petite Gironde.
NJ. Capus mentions his meeting IN
Bordeaux with two distinguished ia
risians, Albert de Nun
Two Partisan and Clemenceau. the
,,:. first tall. thin and
JouIudAiSlS. pale and bloodless
face, but with exquisite gesture and
gravity of voice impossible to forget
the other endowed with ASTONISHING
| vivacity. his quick. piercing glance. his
nervous movements of limbs. which
give him the appearance of about e.
leap over a barrier. Albert de Nun
composes striking articles every day
for the press-articles that belong TO
the history of the war. Clemenceau
wrote for his "Homme Libre' or Free
man." title which he changed to
"L'Homme Enchaine" or The Man III
Chains" when he fell under the ban OF
the censorship for some infractfon OF
it's rules.
OF what was the bureau of the CEN
sorship composed? No one has ever
known and there is an inexplicahle
mystery. which the press does not pre-
tend to unravel. not even the all-seeinG
and knowing journalist, Clemenceau.
In the first days of the censorship N
manifested great severity. All at once
the public perceived in the columns OF
the Journals large blank spaces, a typo
graphic phenomenon known in the Ian
guage of the composing room of the
French press as "rechoppage the
word echoppe meaning a steel pin en-
ployed to engrave letters, in this case
to erase them.
The operation of the censorship hu
reau is described as follows: The
proofs of the journal are sent to the
bureau and one or two hours later an
unknown voice over the telephone an
nounces that which is permitted to
pass. The person at the phone may
discuss with the managing editor He
NAV request the latter politely to do
him the kindness to cut out such and
such paragraphs which in his opinion
would embarrass the government o.
compromise the truce of parties: he
endeavors to convince the managing
way the editor is coddled into the be
lief that he is following a counsel and
not obeying an order.
The press. concludes the editor of the
Figaro, Notwithstanding its past his
tory, has been purified
French Press it has discovered -
nc, these tragic days the
uAAAeu' depths of its hold OF
public opinion and the Importance Of
its role during this war. All the phases
of patriotic sacrifices are reflected IN
its columns as well all the vibrations
and hopes Of the country. The press
has been more Intimately mixed with
the life of the country than ever; II has
interpreted its sentiments, II has REP
resented French unity. and the collabo
ration of the press cannot be forgotten
Since the victory of the Marine. the
task of the press has been sensibly
lightened. Prior to that event it pre-
dicted victory. but could not prove II
After the victory the army, the people
and the press were one. The names or
Joffre, Foch, Franchet. dEsperey and
press contributed largely to the fusion
will come out of the war reinforced and
ennobled. In looking backward it Will
perceive the dangers at certain hours
through which it passed. The war OF
1914 has been for the press supreme
test. It's role during the war will serve