The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-28

is perfection. He is imbued with the idea of his own value to such an extent that any serious interference is out of the question"
 Georges Mandel is a spare, slightly built man. He is clean-shaven with piercing blue eyes, and a fresh complex ion His hair is dark. During his bril- deputy for the Gironde his Gascon con stituents were much shocked at the fru- gality of his habits. Not to drink wine in the Bordeaux region. where a de- canter is served free with meal just as cider is provided in Normandy. seemed something near a crime. Big eaters and lovers of good cheer. the Gascons con sidered Mandel, with hint of delicacy in his gait and a decidedly fragile appear ance not their ideal of a man at all The news that he did not smoke and was his i'll health did not endear him to them.
 When he got up to speak at the first electoral meeting, however. the con stituents changed their minds. His language was simple and lucid, his views clear and logical. He has great powers of persuasion and put his case well, con vincing them that the Clemenceau cab N@ national peril. As he himself said, "he wished to appeal to the heads and not the hearts of his hearers and he certainly succeeded with his quiet humor, not lac&- ing a touch of malice.
 His words fell like Jumps of frozen snow," said a man who was present. They chilled us to the very heart. lie has queer trick of looking at point above the heads of his audience Hts chest thrown forward, and his arms back, he gesticulates somewhat too freely. There is no magnetic sympathy between the speaker and his hearers. He invites crit icism rather than admiration. But he could never pass unnOticed."
 Very polite and somewhat subservient with his chief, Mandel is accrsed of oeing short with subordinates. while his peers complain of his "icily courteous manner.
 The socialists detest Mandel. Every French paper devoted to the cause has constant references to the man they cal Mandel alias Rothschild, alias Rasputi- nette Whole columns are devoted to Mandelinata, or "odes (of hate) on Man del" Their dislike is so bitter that, when Mandels life was attempted at Bor- deaux during the elections, they even hinted that it was a ''put-up" job. and that the whole thing had been engineered as part of the electioneering campaign. As a matter of fact, the bullet missed the candidate by a very slight margin.
 A most popular caricature depicted Mandel as Mephisto tempting Ciemenceau u with the costume of President of the republic. The socialists said that Mandel was the mouthpiece of European high finance. that his influence with Clemeh- ceau was used for the needs of financiers. They said that he was a little Rasputln and would work the ruin of France The n,orerates admitted that Clemenceau was surrounding himself more and more With reactionaries, and that the older he got the farther he strayed from his origirAl rarty. But they pooh-poohed the idea of Mandels having anything to do with this most recent departure.
 Mandel greatly enjoys the mass ot abusive literature that his enemies hava showered down on his names while the wonderful caricatures give him real cause for satisfaction. For Mandel ob- jects to nothing so much as opscuri'y.
 Yes he will bear watching.
 (Copyright, 19lS.)