The New York herald., 1921-03-13

fidence. He always believed that victory
was imminent and he knew how to com
municate the same feeling in calm way
and as a matter of course to his subordi-
mates. Col. Penelon came in November
1914, to propose an improvement in the
casque for his troops, and Joffre replied:
Useless; we would not have time to man
ufacture them l shall destroy the Boches
in couple of MONTHS
Had Joffre really a conception of mod
ern war; had he in his mind early
1914 an offensive plan? 1t is difficult TO
say Joffre kept his thoughts to himself
so obstinately that no one can affirm exact
ly what he thought about this or that"
The "crepuscule" (twilight) of Joffre oc
cupies a chapter, but we must hasten or
he will receive disproportionate space here
and the author still has to speak of Petain
his great admira tion-of Foch and Nivelle,
to say nothing of lesser military men. He
breaks up his biographical contributions by
describing in full detail the engagements of
the Somme and Verdun. The Nivelle por-
ton he calls The tragic adventure of Gen.
Nivelle."
when Gen. Nivelle took command of
the second army in place of Gen. Petain
the encourage began to speak of him in
way that astonished me. "A doctrinaire i'm
possible to see things as they and in love
with himself 1 could not explain to myself
the reasons of this change in their opinion
which had been at first generally favorable.
But I soon was convinced that Nivelle was
one of those men of fixed convictions COM
bined with a powerful personality who
makes more enemies than partisans because
he refuses to make the least concession on
things he believes in. In December 1916,
Nivelle was no longer entrusted with vast
projects, and he was already at odds with
fortune. Without consulting him and against
his protest the G. @. G.. was ordered by Par
lament from Chantly to Compiegne, and
the moment had come to witness Ihis fall,
de Uoir crdquer Pediice de grandeur"
OF Ferdinand Foch possibly remembering
that he is still in supreme command of the
Allied armies Pierrefeu is guarded in what
he says both Of praise and blame. He does,
indeed, discuss the difference between the
methods of Foch and the methods of Petain.
and it is not difficult to see where his ad-
miration goes. That they came together in
policy he admits, saying that for three
months and a half Foch remained resolutely
on the defensive. and Petain. at the moment
of the SHOCK when Foch should have COM
pretended that the enemy was lost, urged
Foch to bluntly force the denouement."
Not only did Foch not think of throwing
himself into the adventure but he applied
himself with all his powers to foresee the
next blow the enemy was preparing. and
what he sought was the knowledge of the
exact place where the blow would fall. What
passed in the brain of Foch and what passed
in the brain of Ludendorf, a psychological
duel of brains, is the only romance that
modern methods of war has left u.s." 1t is
with these words that our author introduces
a dramatic chapter headed "The Surprise
of May 81"
1t was during this exciting period that
the editor of the Communique frequently
had opportunity to penetrate the encourage
of Gen. Petain and to admire, as he says,
"the simplicity of manners and the cordiality
which prevailed there" The Generals head
quarters stood in the midst of spacious
park but access, to it was easy and not as
in the days of Joffre, when several guards
had first to be pacfied
Gen. Petain rose about and went every
morning to the kitchen garden in corner
of the park where he inspected with minute
attention the vegetables and marked the
approaching maturity of the fruits He al
ways said that once out OF the army he
would devote himself to agriculture.
"Petain went to bed late, about midnight
but frequently he was still reading at 2
o'clock. great picture was shown in
Illustration of his workroom at verdun. A
book lies open before him. / asked him one
day what this book was He told me it was
the Plays of Pierre Cornelle, his favorite.
once / asked him for the best book treat
ing on the command of an army and ne
referred me to The Grafton at the Funeral
of the Prince dc Condc. He requested us to
mark the valuable articles in the various re-
views and having done so he read them all.
What distinguished him among military
geniuses was sort of philosophy almost If
not quite pagan. a fatalsm of a very ele-
waited quality, comparable to the state of
soul that Marcus Aurelius calls equanimity.
Petain believed in the power of the human
will and in the virtue Of effort, but thought
both were influenced by great principles
which could not be contradicted except with
resulting disaster The relations of Petan
with the Americans have always been most
cordial"
The author closes his book with a copy
of the last communicate to the press signed
by Gen. Petain on November IL, 1918. with
these words at the bottom of the page:
"Fermer pour cause dc Victoire" (closed be-
cause of victory) The office of the war press
bureau no longer had reason of existence
and ii is evidently n source of pride to Jean
de Pierrefeu that this last official order
binding him to the army, or rather severng
his connection with 1t, bearssthe signature
Of his hero.
II should be interesting TO follow the
reading OF this book with the sketches by
the French journalist Stephane Lausanne,
published under the title Great Men and
Great Days" The editor OF lie Mdtin, who
writes in English in a facile style gives
light but firm pen pictures of various men
also limned. but with an etcher's point by
Pierrefeu. Among these are Marshal Joffre
whom he calls by his popular title, The