Evening star., 1916-07-25
Called Big, Savage Man.

"Joffre." said an officer who knows
him well. 'is a big. savage man, vhe
knows his own mind
That might give a wrong impression
of Joffre, just as the nickname Grand
pere" the poilus have given him con-
veys, in its turn, a deeeptive suggestion
of softness and amiability. 1t is quite
true that Gen. Jeffre likes roses. and
days on small farm from which he can
occasionally go fishing, and that he
sometimes gives tired soldiers a lift in
his motor car. and that he is ordinarily
good humored and pleasant in the
midst Of his ofiicial family. But the
skin deep. He attends to his business
in brutally efficient way He sees to
1t that others attend to their business
No doubt he makes mistakes He is
not infalitbie. On the one hand he has
to deal, with French politicians, all OF
whom are supreme1y patriotic, nc
doubt. and none of whom would for a
moment place their personal desires
greediness or enmities above the coun
try's good; and on the other hand he
has to handle the army. He has beer
able to do both by dint of keeping his
eyes fxed on the single target. He
proposes to win this war. Nothing else
matters He ID . simple, singie-minded ed
man with a massive jaw. He does no,
disregard opposition. He smashes it.
Frances Military Star.
1t is probable that Gen. de castelnau
his chief of staf, is the military star O,
the French army. He is subject +,
strokes of genius. He grasps the es
sentials of a situation at a stroke. H.
rejects the non n-essentials. He make,
his dispositions with lightninglike ra
pidity. One hears a faverite maxim O.
Napoleon's quoted with reference to d.
Casteinau. Like chief, like army" tn,
greatest general of all said. The pepu
lar hero OF Verdun is Gen. Petain II,
came up with the superb goth Corps a
the moment to turn defeat into victory
There is no more inspiring leader a
hght1ng men than this lean, brue-eyet
hghting man. A fame leaps from hin
70 MS men They are invincible becaus,
they believe themselves inyincfble Ye
observers say that neither de CasteIna,
nor Petain could hll Joffre's shoes. III,
is not the master of strategy the on,
IS nor the master of battle that is tn,
other. But he can drive the team
serve his force"
HIS cap is down over his eyes On,
sees only a great. square jaw thrustins
out beneath the shadow. He walks witt
heavy, quick steps. shouldering forward
IN a manner to betray the tremendou,
physical force of the man He is a iii
tie overweight in front, so that IN.
could not imagine Joffre in a run. Blu
every motion tells of thick, cablejjk,
rolls OF muscle and a dominatinl
strength. Upon occasion the death o.
thousands means nothing to Joffre. /,
that he Is such a general as was Ma
poleon or our own Grant II rive,
end seems desirable he attains it at an,
cost
Death for an Inch.
The oficer who gives up an inc,
Of ground shall be ourt-martialed
he ordered. when he became aware a
conditions after the first few days a
Verdun.
After that order was issued thar
was not another inch Of .ronpd a,, :.
rendered. Men died in their trench..
They were oyerswept by stabhin,
masses of German gray They wsr
blown to bits by mines But thew die,
ON their ground. Before that orde
was issued confusion had reirnsI
Organizations were in retreat. Som
were cut on. so that they held thei
| little "fortins" in the midst of III
/ enemy. They held them until the
| died. The French resistance at thi
! point was only possible because Of N
| brilliant courage Of the men. Ther
-, are grim stories which shall not re
peat Of the manner in which certai
| organizations were held to their worh
They shall not pass" was the wor
! Of the day.
Resistance Saved verdun,
That resistance cost Thousands q
lives, Of course. But 1t saved Vsrdur
II may be that the officers had
| shrewd idea Of what Gen. Joffr
meant when he said that tie "ahice
who gave UP an inch should be court
msrtiaIed." At other times he ha
| not bothered 70 court-martjaI me
who failed. Hs dropped them. Ther
| is. colony At Limoges Of general
'1nsalidsd 'thers for the duration q
] ths var. They fatisd. o. they fapoel