New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-16
(From an article By Frank N. Smonds IN
The Tribune of Sunday, April 80. f9l6D


The Tribune of Sunday, april 80. f9l6D
Since | saw P6tain in the little Marie at
Souilly | have seen many photographs OF
him. but none in any real measure gives 'ne
true picture Of the defender OF Nerduh' lie
saw us in his Office, the bare upstairs toom'
two years ago the Office of the Mayor OF
Souillv. Think of the Selectmens office IN
any Ncw England village and the picture will
be accurate. A bare room, a desk one ena'r'
telephone. nothing on the walls but TWO
maps. one Of the military zone, one OF the
actual front and positions of the Nerdun
fighting A bleak ROOM barely heated by the
most primitive Of stoves. From the single
window one looked down on the cherries
street along which numbered the caravan OF
autos. On the pegs against the wall hung
the generals hat and coat, weather stained
faded, the clothes Of man who worked IN
all weathers. OF staff officers, Of uniforms
of color there was just nothing; of war
there was hardly hint.
At the door the commander in chief met
us. shook hands and murmured clearly and
slowly. with incisive distinctness, the for
NAL words of French greeting; he spoke no
English. Instantly there was the sugges-
ton of Kitchener, not of Kitchener as you
see him in the flesh, but in photographs; the
same coldness. decision. The smile that ac-
companied the words of welcome vanished
and the face was utterly motionless, express
sioness You saw tall, broad-shouldered
man, with every appearance OF physical
strength, a clear blue eye, looking straight
forward and beyond.
A Quiet, Calm, Silent Man
Ny French companion, NJ. lie Roux, SPOKE
with Petain. He had just come from Jofre
and he told me an interesting circumstance.
Petain listened. He said now and then yes
or mo" Nothing more. Watching him mar
rowly, you saw that occasionally ms eyes
twitched a little. the single sign of fatigue
that the long strain OF weeks OIL reSpo"s'-
bility had brought.
1t was hard to believe, looking at this
quiet. calm. silent man, that you were IN
the presence of the soldier who had won
tho Battle of Champagne, the man whom the
war had surprised in the last OF his hftles' "a
colonel. a teacher Of war rather than SOL
der. a professor like Foch.
No ore Of Napoeons marshas had COM
manded as many men as obeyed this French
man. who was as lacking in the distinction
Of military circumstances as our own Grant'
Napoleon had won all his famous victories
with far fewer troops than were directed
from the telephone on the table yonder
Every impression of modern war that comes
20 one actually in touch with 1t Is de-
struction of illusion; this thing is thing Oh
mechanism rather than of brilliance; perhaps
Petain has led a regiment, brigade or
division TO the charge. You knew instinc-
lively in seeing the man that you would go
or come as ne said, but there was neither
dash nor fire. nothing of the suggestion OF
elan; rather there was the suggestion OF the
commander Of great ocean liner, the man
responsible for the lives, this time Of hun
dred5 of thousands, not scores; for the safety
of France. not Of ship, but the man OF
machinery and the master OF The wisdom OF
the tides and the weather, not the Ney or
the Murat. not the Napoleon of Arco'a. The
impression was of a strong man whose life
was a life beaten upon by storms; the man
on the bridge 10 keep TO the rather rldlcu-
lousy inadequate figure. but not by any
chance the man on horseback.
Ny talk, our talk. with Petan was the
matter of perhaps five minutes. The time
was consumed by the words of VI. lie Roux.
who spoke very earnestly, urging that more
American correspondents be permitted TO
visit Verdun. and Petain heard him pa
tiently. but said just nothing. Once he had
greeted US his face settled into that grim