Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23

At the present many posts arc desig-
mated by numerals. The Celts did like
wise; the Romans called them "bornes'
or boundary, stones. The ''poste de l..
lisiere" indicates a military post sit
uated on the border of "A wood or marsh
and was SO called since the Normand
days.
There are many names derived from
Ewiranda. randa. or randes. benE
Gaulois or Gaelic for limit. frontier.
Ingrande, Eyguerande,
Guerande, Yvrande. Pfyn, Fismes.
Fains; Fenigs: Feins. Fins, Hinx. Fi>
limit, frontier. and served to designate
the relays or places situated the
limits Of n city or a territory. 'Tete a
Nache' Is an expression which repre-
sents a ground having the profile re-
sembling a cows head. These names
subsist. and tenaciously. ''Tete de
Chen is the name of a small island
situated near Saint-Trophez, not far
from Draguignan. la File Morte" is
one of the numerous places which owe
their names to a crime, suicide or as
sassination; the "Bois des Sapeurs.
where the sappers fought and died
the ''Tranchee -Iievre Faisande." or
the trench of the tainted rabbit; vii
lage Negre.' the encampment of negro
troops.
Aumenaucourt is Francization Of
the Latin alamanorum cortis. or Ger
man camp; also
nerivotives "Franconville.' from
Francorum villa
Hiou Adlln. Goudonville, Villegou-
don. Gothorum. villas ancient names
whose modern equivalents may be seen
in the signs "Bocherviile. villa des
Boches." "Repaire des Boches." etc.
A modern sign announces "Batns
Douches.' to indicate shower baths:
also such signs as Mx-iss- bains'
h s.xneux AK. Ra sasneT ssaen afaG' !.
to say, thermal baths.
Opposite these there were signs such
as La Hutte.' also Cab. which is
the Celtic for hut. The ancient Latins
and there were signs such as this for ex--
ample: "Auberge- bistro," just in front of
the aviation camp. a facetious effort. per
haps, to criticise the menus. meaning
manipulate the meat in that auberge. or
that the auberge table linen was "bistre."
not cleano
AT the present, as in the distant past.
employed to designate place. lie
Ravin' was so named because it was
simply ravine or deep hollow. and the
name will thus be perpetuated. The
1t was the derivative of such names as
Nant. Mans. Namps. Nant-sous-Thil
and from which sprang Nansouty, the
name of the Gallo family of Comte de
Nansouty. one of the best generals or
Napoleon I. born in Bordeaux in 1I6s.
Not far away from these labyrinths
appears the sign La Carriere.' a name
which some months ago was applied
principally in this place to carr1ere
or "quadraria." a stone quarry 1t now
L r,;r ftur nf nj d.
ment, a post Of succor, munitions and
indeed other things pertaining to the
war. These troglodytic cantonments
are otherwise known as "Boyau Joffre,
Dumazet," and many others will sur
vive to point the moral and adorn the
tale which will be told by the guides
to the countless pilgrims to these pa
triotic trenches.
Attila. king of the Huns, made des-
perate effort to take verdun (44e ADJ.
but the effort was vain, al
Atti1a's though he spread desolation
and ruin with fire and sword
GnoIt. throughout the valleys of the
Meuse and Saone. Attila was so named
because of the Specification. "Scourge
of God" In the "Niebelungen" At
tila's real name appears as Etzel. Hav-
ing ravaged the cities of Gaul he was
finally defeated by the allied Frank and
Ostrogoth princes. Aetius. Merovee and
Theodore, at a great battle, which has
been fixed as at Chalons-sur-Marne
(45D.
Verdun, as the termination indicates
points to the ancient establishment OF
scl mr. a N
valley. There is a Verdun- sur-Doubs.
of which the Duke d'Enghien wrote
from DIXON July 25. 1898: II appre-
bend much fer Verdun- sur-Doubs, and
I fortify the place to cover the side OF
the city looking eastward, the side
whence will come the Germans" These
"pandours of Gen. Calais, successor OF
Wallenstein. crossed the Rhine and
rayaged the valley of the Saone, fired
the villages and massacred the peas
ants, pillaged and carried Off plumber
leaving imperishable souvenirs of their
invasionS.
In 1886 the Germans were confronted
and defeated at Corbie by an army or
ganized by Cardinal Richelieu, and
among the officers there was YOUNG
Lorrain colonel. Henri de la Tour d Au-
vergne. Vicomte de Turenne
The subsequent defense of Saint Jean
de Losne by NJ. de Saint-Point is cele-
brated in history. Thus is justified the
memorable words of Richelieu: 1t is
no good to fOrtl1N pldceS III tney are
not furnished with resofute men. Place
in each some men of ..uaTity. who are
determined and who know their bust
ness" De Myramont at Auxonne, the
Due de la Motte- Houdancourt at Seurre.
others at Nerdun-Sur-DoubS forced the
hordes to retreat, their men and ma
terial used up. the regiments decimated
by pest and famine. On the borders OF
the Doubs, the Saone and the Mouse the
name Verdun formerly carried bad luck
to the Germans
NJ. Louis Nicolle, president OF the in
dustrial societies of the north, con-
a speech recently delivered To
the Association des Sinistres du
Nord, or those who were victims OF
the disasters in the north. said:
II saw in imagination Verdun on the
Mouse, with its feudal forts, its old
black houses leaning over the banks
of the river, it's magnificent arcades,
the cathedral, the naughty salons OF
the bishopric. where the eighteenth
century had given the last manifesto
lions of the power of the three bish-
oprics.' and j imagined the city crum-
bling under the shells. -
But there suddenly arose before my
eyes the poor church and not far away
the little house in which the poor
humanity whose plebeian humility con-
stituted a glory great, marvellous
and pure that it seemed to me that
there in that little house there was the
soul of Jeanne dare which
awaited the hour marked by God on the
dial plate of history to raise her arm
and lead the invincible battalions OF
France to the reconquest of French
~ stt.aA la