New Britain herald., 1916-05-02
PETTY DISPUTES IN
 FRANCE FORGOTTEN
Battle Of Verdun Even OVer- shadows Campaign on CleriCalS

ACorrespondence of Associated PresH.s
 Paris, April 20.-The battle of
 Nerdun appears to have had a great
 moral effect in France. It has turned
 attention from irritating discussions ever details of the conduct of the
 war and has cut short a nincipient revival of partisan spirit in Parlia-
 ment and in the press, which had been favored by relative stagnation at the front. Also it seems to have diminished the number of pessimists and hence increased French confi- dence in the final outcome.
 The have shot their bolt is a frequent commentary head in places where two months ago there were nervous complaints as to the pro- longation of hostilities. ''They can dc no more than they have done, which is far from enough ever to shale the French army"
 Shortly before the Germans at tackled Verdun some radical and Socialist papers attacked the priests, the clericals and the 'asy' class, the clericals and the "easy' class, and dangerous missions. No priest CT aristocrat, they said, had ever been in trench. They also accused them of aiding and abetting the Ger mans after having helped to bring on the war in the hope that a dis sster to France would overthrow the republican of Pariam entary regime. They accused them of sending money to Germany to subscribe to the Ger man war loans. A wineshop keeper of the Department of Lot who re- 2eated these accusations was prose T Imprisonment and was fined 1000 francs
 Campaign Against C1cricals. The campaign against the priests and clericals was even taken up by such a conspicuous writer as Mon- sieur Paul Adam, who made similar charges in the leading radical news paper of the South of France, the Depeche de Toulouse, and drew upon himself a storm of protest The battle of Verdun did far more to stop the campaign than the convic- tion of the wineshop man of the Lot and the protests against the articles Of Monsieur Paul Adam. It has. perhaps, accomplished even more than the letter of the Premier, Mon sieur Briand, declaring that all such calumnies should be punished. To- day all parties, including the social ists who have just renewed their declaration in favor of a war to- the bitter end, are working in harmony.
 About two months ago it was pos sible to witness such incidents as that which took place in a little cafe in the center of Paris Two soldiers c.. front, were taking their morning ( office in a retired corner-modestly and inconspicuously as is the way With the men who have seen real service. They were concealed from two civilians who were discussing the war. i've had my fill of it," said one of the civilians. "Its time it was brought to a finish. If the generals in command can't do it they ought to Ee repla
 One of the soldiers rose to his feet and confronted the pessimist, My good friend", he said, you must have had a hard time of it. When were you mustered out. Tell us what you've done in the war and what the wars done to you to give you such a tired feeling" The civilian gulped down the rest of the coffee and rushed out of the cafe replying.
 Today the cafe conversations are ell about some exploit around Yer dun and what will happen to the Germans if they persist in their ef- fort to take the ancient stronghold.
 There is also less discussion of the high cost of living that two months ago, although there has been no appreciable easing of prices. This, too, is accounted for by the heroic resistance of the army.