New Britain herald., 1918-12-27
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau, Prime Min
lister of France

elder Clemenceaus liberty, and as he
was being led away handcuffed to
prison, his little son whispered into
his ear, Never mind. papa, 1 will
avenge you"
IF you wait to avepge me, work"
was the somewhat cryptic reply.
AT that period, except for his revo-
lutionary tendency, there was nothing
in Georges's activities to justify hope
of his future greatness. Of all her
children, Georges was accounted, by
his mother. the least promising
AT sixteen he knew scarcely more
than any normal boy of twelve, al
though it is said that he made an eff
fort to master the English language
about that time. Another boy had
told him the story of "Robinson Cru
soe;" and to be able to read it in
it's entirety and without tho glazing
htatuses which he felt that his com
panion's narrative contained, he set
about to acquire the authors own
language.
When he attained his seventeenth
year his sudden mental awakening
was almost startling in its effect. IIe
began to read omnivorously and, Az
he had developed an amazingly rcten-
tive memory, he remembered nearly
all he read.
Al nineteen he went to Paris to
study medicine. He lived ir the Omar.
tier Latin, and his room was the rem
devious for kindred-spiritcd revolu.
tIonarles. Hidden there, too. was =
small printing press, from which a
constant stream of anti-kingcraft
pamphlets was poured forth. Collab-
Grating with Emile lola and Jules
Maline, he published a small newspa
per, Travail C'Work"), which landed
all three into the Mazas Prison.
Seeks Fortune in America
Some weeks later, when they were
released, young Clemenceau's high
spirit vented itself in a shout of "Vive
la Repubique," in one of the busy
streets of Paris. An uneouivocal hint
was thereupon dropped from official
sources that, perhaps, the air of
America might suit his health better
than that of France. He had already
obtained his degree of M. D.. and so,
without further delay and equipped
with no assets beyond sufficient money
TO pay for his way across, and a
boundless ambition, he set sail for
America.
He lived for while in West Twelfth
street, New York city, cking out a
ocio
medicine. He had plenty of spare
time and great deal of this he spent
at the Astor Library, storing his mind
with literary and philosophical treas
ures of antiquity and the scientific
discoveries Of modern times. And, in
return, he bestowed upon the great
library, which has since become
merged with the Tilden and the Lenox
Libraries into the great Public Library
of New York, a small volume entitled,
DE la Generation des Elements
Anatomiques," and bearing the follow
ing inscriptions:
presented to the Aston Library. by
the author. New York, October II,
1867. G. Clemenceau."
Tt was the thesis with which he had
won his doctors diploma in 1855.
Recognition of his ability as a ply
stefan was too slow for so ardent and
impatient a. nature, which craved for
quick results.
Accordingly, having heard that a
young ladies' academy in Stamford,
Conn, was looking for competent
teacher Of the French language and
literature, he applied, was accepted and
without the least regrets closed up his
New York office to enter upon the new
career.
1t was q Hateful step. Among the
pupils was Mary Plummer, a New
York heiress, for whom the eloquent
projections of the new professor had