The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-11
From the Chicago Herald.

IT OSEPH JACQUES JOFFRE, mar shal of France, was born 65 years ago in the village of Rivesaltes, in the fruit-growing district of south ern France, near the Spanish border. The villagers who point out the cot tage in which he was born say that he was a prodigy-that he fought boys because they wished to drag him away from his study of mathematics. His father was cooper and small fruit grower, and there is sister, Mme. Artus.
 l The ease with which the boy solved the most intricate problems of mathe- matics interested the villagers, but they did not see in him a great man they thought him too slow and me- thodical to be notable success in any thing. But his habt of system and lthoroughness saved France The boy was sent to school at Lyons. His father was too poor to pay for the schooling and an uncle provided the funds. The boys taste for mathematics 1 led to a desire to be an engineer in
 
 old he was admitted to the Ecole Poly ltechnique-the only student ever ad- mitted at that early age.
 | While he was still at the Polytech- nique came the Franco-Prussian war and he took part in the defense of Paris. In September. 1872, he was graduated into the engineering corps of the army and went to work on for ltifications outside Paris Later he built Notifications at Tonkin. China. In China the natives called him sThe Man With the Eyebrows"
 l From Tonkin Joffre went with an expedition to Formosa, where he built Notifications under fire from the na- lives.
 | Then he was sent to the Island of Madagascar, and there he left monu- ment-the Qualifications and naval base at Diego Suarez, described as won ders of their kind.
 l Next Joffre went with an expedition 1 to Dahomey as aid to the commander. The commander was killed and Joffre succeeded him. He rallied retreating force, led 1t against superior numbers and took the city of Timbuctoo. l After Timbuctoo, Joffre remained in France. He was professor at the mili- ltary school, director of engineers. gen. eral of brigade. general of division. commander of an army corps. It was during this time he worked out, the strategy that in 1914 won the battle. of the Marne.
 1 In July. 1911. the superior war coun- cil of France selected Joffre for com mander in chief of the army. Immedi- ately upon his appointment as com- mander in chief he began organizing the staff which three years later as- sisted him in winning the battle of the Marne. He built the staff for fight ling purposes, wedding out all weak clements, and when the crisis came he lhad the army's fighting genius where lit would do the most good and the men were acquainted with their duties The mobilization plan which worked so smoothly was his.
 His thoroughness was illustrated in | the whole action schemed out on Au- gust 27, orders written. etc., and spent five days going over it again and again before he gave the word to begin.
 When the battle got started on Sep ltember it ran like clockwork. Every thing had been provided for.
 A French officer described Joffre as a man "who wants what he wants when he wants it and who always knows what he wants and why he wants it."
 After the battle of the Marne there lwere few who feared the possibili- ties of Joffre,s popularity-that he might become "the man on horseback" But Joffre soon eased their minds. He seldom was seen on horseback. is not Ia parade general and carefully avoids any dazzling public display of him self
 The revival of the office of marshal