Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-10-03

brought 1t out in the grand maneuvers
Of 1895 in splendid form, practicing,
in fact on the adversary forces that
same type of outflanking and sur
rounding move that works SO capItally
on the Carso today. Again, in 1911,
Che had attained his generalship then
since some years., he led In the
'grandes maneuvers." the Blue party
against the Red. with all the strategic
odds against his party. and astonished
all experts by the working out Of
capital plan first; and when this fell
through on unforeseen circumstances,
by the promptness with which he sized
up the new situation and turned 1t
once more to his advantage.
But nothing then seemed to point
out the magnificent heights to which
he was called. In fact, the breaking
out Of the European war in 1914 still
found him general on the list for the
command Of an army In case Of war.
And the Italian chief Of staff was Gen.
,eral Polio. who. by the way, was
blessed with an Austrian wife. His
timely death was good turn of fate
for Italy, for the king appointed Cen
eral Cadorna to his place.
General Cadorna. 1t may be frankly
stated now, found the italian army in
practically desperate conditions Of un-
preparedness. The way he went to
work and recognized and equipped
1t was as remarkable and as brilliant
an achievement as any of his most
brilliant achievements In the fighting
line; In fact, 1t was only the prepara-
ton Of 1914 that makes victory pos
sible In 1917.
He is the only commander in the al
lied world that has retained his posi-
ton, we might say, kept steadily his
Job, throughout the war, without ever
as much as a hint of breakdown
either In the wholesale confidence that
his country, his king, his army-and
the allies-have placed In him, or In
the lively, energetic, all-around quality
Of his action and command. In fact,
he seems to thrive on his work, and to
gather new strength, as the days go
and as time tests 1t, In the conscious
ness that 1t Is good.
His faith in God supports his faith
in victory. For he is deeply religious
man, his favorite daughter. by the
way, is a nun, and while such feeling
means a good deal to human lives that
are intrusted to him. it helps him to
request of them all the sacrifice that
the higher ideals may require.
It is his firm conviction that 'to
sacrifice one life wantonly Is crime;
to use a hundred thousand If neces-
sary Is a duty" for the commander Of
a nation at war. "If necessary" Is his
condition; and 'if necessary, let 1t be
DONE" his slogan. just as the slogan
Of the officers with heavy responsible
ties is: "When In doubt, 60 to Ca
dorna."
The particular characteristic Of his
mind Is breadth of vision and the
sweeping aside Of all minor issues, not
to speak Of petty details. He is, above
all, practical and simple. The funda-
mental law of his thought is common
sense and a remarkable clearness 10
seeing things as they are"-not as he
might like them to be or as he might
object to their being.
He even has gone the length Of writ
ing that "The art Of war must be gov
erned chiefly by common sense pure
and simple" And by the study Of war
on this basis he has reached deep
knowledge Of the world. on the princi-
pie that "there Is everything in war,
from geology to the human heart"
Given his simplicity and directness OF
thought, the simplicity and directness
of his written words are consequential,
and 1t may fairly be said that since
the commentaries of Julius Caesar"
Italy had heard nothing to compare
with the splendid simplicity and the
Latin Zine" Of his war bulletins.
It Is whispered among those who
know that, in the early days OF the
war. the task of drafting the daily
communique had been intrusted to a
very brilliant italian journalistic Of
flcer. whose headline ran, "Gran Quar-
there Generate" (Chief Headquarters,
or something to that effect, with OBJ
vious reference to the Germanic equiv
alent). General Cadorna, after hav-
ing firmly established his men on
the outer side of the italian border
line and carried the war into the land
Of the enemy "a privilege which the
Italian army alone Of the belligerents
has enjoyed since the beginning Of the
war), turned back and saw that the