El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-06-04

! crowning vindication Of what / have
7 told you"
Believes in French Superiority.
4 Professor major Foch, who had met
I the German in the field as a boy. be-
! ieved, and made his pupils believe.
( the French staff officers today. be-
/ lieve in the superiority of the French
] soldier over Fritz Our fighting
[ man. he would say, "is incontestably
superior to the one beyond the Vosges
/ by his qualities Of race-activity. in
: telligence. spirit, zeal and national
sentiment He praised the individual
[ initiative Of the Poilu. All that has
happened IN this war must have
I seemed to him to confirm his views.
After the var of 1870. French staff
Z officers were hypnotized by the theO-
ries and military writings Of the vic
torlous Germans, Maj. Foch, by his
teachings before this war began,
changed all that His main cOnten-
ton during all his career as a theO-
retical warrior. before he COM
menced so brilliantly TO put his
/ teachings into practice. was that
within the limits of the general prin-
clples which apply to all wars. there
was q special development of the art
Of war suited TO the genius, traditions
and temperament Of France. and that
imitation of Prussia was wrong.
Saved France in 1914
The system OF strategy which saved
France in 1914 was developed by the
French staff in accordance with the
teachings OF Foch. The Germans.
Fcch would declare. studied NapO-
Icons campaigns with great thorough
ness after their defeat in 1905 at
Jena Their victories over Austria
and France in 1864 and 1870 rewarded
them meanwhile. the study OF NapO-
leon languished in France. However.
Prussian soldiers had adapted the les
sons learned from Napoleon to their
own temperament and their own sit
UatiOn- and, consequently. the French
were wrong, after 1870. TO go to Ger
man theory for guidance. FOch taught
them TO ignore the Germans. 80 back
70 Napoleon themselves, and work
out Independently the problems Of the
coming great war without being
blinded by German theories derived
from the same source.
Now, when generalissimO Foch is in
the field. directing all the British
and American forces as well as those
Of France. il is comforting to turn
back 10 the inspiring sayings Of the
professor FOch Of long ago. treasured
in the memory Of his pupils, who now
themselves. many Of them, are teach
ing American officers
Believes in Himself.
There are many great theOreticiaEs
in all walks OF life who cannot put
their theories into practice. FOch
proved he was not one Of these when
he broke the German center at Marine.
And his teachings show him a man
with the belief Of a scientist in organ
ization. preparation, study. qualities
he shares with Ludendorff. but with
something more in his character
something no German has or under
stands-an almost mystic belief in
himself and his men. 1t is the soul
that wins"
When Fochs on September s. 1914,
wired Joffre: Ny right is broken
my left is retreating; / attack with
my centeri" his staff thought him
crazy. They told him so. He rose
and remarked: Il do not care 10 dis
cuss the matter" and walked out in
the garden with an aide-de-camp. and
while the attack that was TO decide the
destiny of France was being delivered
he debated for two hours with ami
nation and intelligence. the latest de-
veIopments in French pOetry.-(COpy-
right, 1918, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate-)
Store your coal now-it viii help
the government
Held Bros. Gnc.l-Phone 56--Adv.