Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1917-06-02


of battle single handed.
From many of these recently
made statements it is apparent that
France was fully awake, and very
much alive to the enormity of her
task. And there she stood, too, a
willing opponent of Germany on any
sort of terms that that country might
elect to asseverate. France had long
been patiently waiting for Germany
to throw down the gauntlet. She
was possessed Of tremendous effici-
ency, as she has so far proven in the
war as it has progressed for almost
three years. While Germany and
Austria possessed 115,000,000 popu-
lation, against 100000 for France,
and should have walked all over
France, they had to violate the neu-
trality of Belgium to make any sort
of showing against the great agility
Of her Gallo neighbor-enemy.
And on this question of German
violation of Belgian neutrality France
almost hung her fortunes. She did
not believe Germany would really
make "scrap of paper" of the Bel
gian treaty, and was, perhaps, taken
unawares when Germany hurled her
massing legions through that level
country and within gunshot of Paris.
At that time England had not
more than a mere handful of men to
aid in meeting so fercocious an attack.
On came Germany like an avalanche.
No parallel case in all history could
compare with the fierceness of that
onslaught. There was the feeblest
resistance from English troops which
melted before the Prussian regulars
like snowballs in furnace. France,
too, fell back, but her retreat was in
order. It was far from rout.
Then suddenly, when the world
looked on with amazing wonder,
Joffre flung out his phalanxes through
the grating gates of Paris, and there
at the Battle of the Marine, he gave
Germany her first object lesson on the
full meaning of modern, efficient
warfare. In moment triumph be-
fore Paris had been turned into a
slaughter pen. The Prussian theory
that unnumbered myriads of troops
in laundering masses could not be
halted, received shock so rude, SO
sudden, so decisive, that the whole
world, and all Germany in particular,
marvelled at what had happened.
The answer was: France was ready.
In her own way she answered the
audacious charge of the Kaiser. In
her own right and title she replied
20 an on-looking world that the rapier
of France was as keen-edged as the
sabre of Germany.
And there they have stood and
fought back the German hordes these
three years with the cool, determined
bravery of the leopard against the
tiger. It has been an inspiring
sight-a spectacle of achievement
never before equalled since Adam.
That France alone would have
been worthy foe to Germany alone
is now easily believed. That she
could tame both Austria and Ger
many combined cannot readily be
comprehended. But with Belgian
neutrality remaining intact the
escarpments of the Paris Basin
would have given France all the adj
vantage. Germany could never have
conquered France as she did in 1877.
It would have been a physical impos-
sibility.
And bearing upon this all-interest-
ing topic comes an important tribute
from recent writer in New York
newspaper which follows:
JOffre and His Army
To the Editor of the Tribune.
Sir: "The Literary Digest" of last
week quotes your editorial in which
you greet the arrival of our beloved
Marechal de France, General Joffre.
For this we are all thankful indeed.
But when you attempt to go too far
in praising our beloved France We
must call out an energetic halt to
you.
You say of Joffre that with an
army insufficient, ill-equipped, etc.,
he won his victory. Parbleu! You
offend the French Republic. The
French army was well organized and
equipped. We learned lesson since
Sedan. We kept standing army as
large as Germany under enormous
sacrifices, though only one-half of
Germany's population. Our conscrip-
ton was most severe; we, for in
stance, don't know the exemption of
college graduates or teachers, as the
Germans with their Einjahrig- Fret
willige (one-year volunteer). Our