Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-06-04

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everything from God a. II all depended
on Him. Piety Is often supposed to
be a sign Of some softness Of character
but the marshal Of France who beat
the Germans used to pray daily. was
often seen in little chapels along tho
roadside. yet proudly declared THE
country calling herself France cannot
disappear. To be beaten is to disap-
pear" Now we look back and see that
he. moro than any other. Is responsible
for the first victory Of the Marine, for
victory on the User and at Ypres and
for the second victory Of the Marne.
1t is easy to understand then that
when the baton Of ma ehal presented
by the Knights Of Columbus Of Amer
lea came to him. Marshal Foch de-
clared to friends that nothing had
quite touched him so. deeply as this
token Of honor. Here were nearly
half a million of lay Catholics like
himself recognizing the supreme task
that he had accomplished for the al
lies. He knew their work among the
soldiers and knew how much it had
meant for the maintenance Of morals
and morale among the soldiers and
more than any other he appreciated
how much this maintenance Of mo-
rale meant for ultimate victory. The
Heights of Columbus as a body has
perhaps never done anything that
reflected more honor on them than
this recognition of the greatest of
modern soldiers. He was true
knight in his thorough-going readi-
ness to do and risk everything for
the right and they were only sorry
that they could not do ever so much
more to express their admiration.
The man who did all this is describ-
ed by those who know him best as
simple. unassuming. human and
companionable, interested in many
things, polished and erudite, a sa-
want. an exquisite writer. the sort Of
a soldier the French Academy loves
to honor by membership" His intel
ligence is Of the highest, but his will
power is the climax Of his character
He is quiet man Of placid spirit
who in crisis takes on a mood Of
fierceness SO that his ofncer0 almost
fear him. He has no PATIENCE with
fumbling nor half-hearted obedience
and above all. none for weakness. He
is marvelously kind but pitiless to
those at fault if the fault is lack of
will in any way. Though he resisted
SO successfully the fierce German at
tacks when they held the key of Of
fensive attack. Foch is essentially
combatant. At times he feels that it
is fatal to give ground. He once told
the Belgian king that he would lose
his throne if he lost his foothold on
the Yeer river. He told Lord French
at midnight when the British line
| had been pierced that retreat was
! impossible. He promised him that
! the French would hold at the cost Of
all their lives.
His favorite expression is that Of
Napoleon: They only are vanQuish-
ed who believe themselves to be"
For him. "a battle is the struggle Of
two wills" In the words Of Joseph
de Maistre "a battle is lost only when
defeat is accepted" 1T cannot be
lost otherwise, no matter what the
material setback. A battle is won
when defeat is steadfastly refused"
His own will is impregnable. His
fomous telegram at the first battle Of
the Marine is the Best evidence Of
that. my center yields, my right
falls back. situation excellent. I at
tack with my left" His very audac-
ity so surprised the enemy that re-
treat and confusion had begun be-
fore anything could be done proper
1x To yooof tho nv IN
almost defeated enemy.
Foch was horn at Tarbes in South
ern France. not far from Lourdes in
1851. He has contradicted the uni
versal impression with regard to pi-
ETY. and great military genius being
incompatible quite as the cave-man
Of the district in which he was born
has contradicted our notions of the
savagery of our early ancestors. The
cave-man proves to have been an
artist. very leader among men.
Thousands Of years later this very
same district produces the greatest
leader Of the modern time. He went
to school to the Jesuits and was a
universal favorite among his fellows.
The boys gave him j ST. Clement at
Metz the Grand Prix de Sagesse con-
ferred by the votes of the students
on the one of their number whose
conduct they considered the most
admirable in study and on the pay
ground. He has always been a IA
vorite, though sad to relate, his ad-
vancement in the French army was
slow because his firm faith was a
handicap for the French govern
ment of the time. When finally Pre-
mier Clemenceau offered him the
position Of director Of the French
School Of War. Foch reminded him
that he had a brother a Jesuit. Glenn
enceau said: What do care about
that: You are appointed and all the
Jesuits cannot change it," He fore
saw clearly the course Of the next
great war. He foretold that future
soldiers would use the spade and the
pick az much as the rifle. He declared
that the great war to come would be
long. dur, sur. long. hard, but GER
tain. He has foresight that enables
him to foresee what an enemy is
about to do and then checkmate it.
Duty and discipline are his watch
words in life. He is the nnest exam
pie alive of an all-round man, fulfill
ing Horace's words. Totus teres atque
rotundue-whole. complete, rounded
and it is wonderful to think that he
should now be looked upon as prob
ably the greatest character among
mankind.