Norwich bulletin., 1916-06-14
Stories of the War
Joffre's Activity.

The numerous TeVloWS< Wl2I JOIre has had occasion to pass in q months
 of war are not entirely matters of
 show and parade. He first visits the
 installation of one of the battalions
 and inspects the kitchens, the laundry,
 and the organization of the baths. Aft
 CT he has assured himself that the ma
 terial wants of the soldiers are cared for, he passes along tIle line to salute the regimenta1 flag.
 Of all the generals who have confer
 red decorations during the war, none, 1 it is said, do it with such real feeling ! as Joffre. When he gives the 'iacco-
 Jade" after pinning the cress upon the
 brave soldiers breast, whether it be ! the simplest trooper, the blackest Sem | egalese rifieman, or an officer, he kiss | es him heartily on both cheeks, never | being satisfied with a semblance of an 1 embrace as are some other generals. 1 After conferring with the general of | an army, visiting the quarters of the l troops or passing regiment in re- view, Jeffre always consults his little paper, the itinerary of his round. and | this is about the only thing that dis turbs the equaninity of his temper. We are going to be at least twenty minutes late" he often says, impati- 1 ently, and this means that the man at
 the wheel must make up that time in
 order to get back into the generaPs s ' | suit his illustrious passenger.
 The tour of inspection is generally finished about o'clock in the after noon. Then back at headquarters comes the most annoying part of his days work--questfons of displacement promotion, retirement, recompenses of officers, and citations of soldiers, be- sides thousand -and-one questions relating to arms, material, ammuni-
 ton supplies, Nand the sanitary depart
 nient. The reserve supplies of shells for cannon of different cali5re is a matter of such momentous importance
 in :Ils war that Joffre leaves these
 details to no one else; he keeps the
 figures in his head, and he. any can give the exact reserve stock of am , munition in hand. He knows also the exact figures representing the daily
 output of the ammunition factories He personally attends to all trials ot new engines of destruction or pro 2 tection.
 r After the audiences relating to thest t i questions, the general receives th'
 director of what is called the "ser
 vices of tho rear to discuss tranSpor. s tation and plans for the repair or con struction of railroads; still more de ! signs, more figures, all of which ar 2 organized, coordinated, and filed in in prodigious memory of the genera1-in f chief, so accurately as to require m i memorandum.
 c General Joffre has been described b,
 some of his generals as the safet, f valve of the army. While he is tn n directing intelligence of the great ma i | chine, he is at the same time the re n lief for overchanged minds of sub : | ordinates who, under certain con Q tiosencies may be over-affected b i matters of secondary importance. Sur
 prised by some unlooked-for devel
 opment and impressed by a complica
 ton that seems to them decisive an s perhaps irremedia'ble, a simple obser U vation from Joffre often reduces tIl 4 exaggerated incident to it's proper pro r. portions and cools the blood of his sub .s ordinates
 y The general-in- chief is not partis < to the visits of civilians in wartin
 He has resisted with admirable cor = sistency the constant pressure ( .o thousands of influential civilians wh ,55 have no business at the front, bl .tt nevertheless desire ardently to see !! Besides the hundreds of war cores S pondents, the supervising committee ~ of the Chamber of Deputies, ~hundreC of other influential politicians, miniG
 ters, and other governmental officer
 there are the visiting notabilitil TO from the allied countries who new re fail to put in an application for " visit to the front
 e When the general lunches at u t- general headquarters, he manages cc satisfy some of these innumera,ble d. ut mandS by receiving French or foreis o- ministers, generals, other officers, E- allies armies, or notabi1ities, at h n table. The dinner is generally a goS es one, because Joffre eats with an e Q ce1lent appetite, although he drinl IS little and smokes not at all. It is ol no of the hours of the day which he lool ns forward to, because questions relatil to to the service are vigorously barr ag from the conversation and gaiety al the rule. After dinner the geneT r-,I turns over rapidly the leaves of t ! latest illustrated papers and complai
 of the SmultipIicity of photograp nt representing him in all sorts of pos re tions and poses that he rarely finds If his taste.
 at The general-in-chief returns to I s; work at ha1f past eight in the eveni ce toS receive the reports of the day tfl ,uf lshaye arrived in his absence, and n- approve the communfque to the pre- we which is never transmitted to Pa r1- without having received his aprob a., ton. The ordnance officers bring IL fkIe last telegranas and receive tn mt orders for the morrow. At 10 o'cloA rst after the members of his staff have to retired. the general finally, entir. ols alone in his wor1rooms finishes on Fday's task