The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-12-10
Tarbcs: Birthplace of Foch.

America OF Marshal Foch inciden-
tally lends interest to his native
city. Tarbes. il the south OF
France. This GOWN which Is des-
tined to be q shrine Of France
henceIorth already has contributed
in ether ways 10 the military pro-
wess ef that country. according to
a bullatin from the Washington. D.
c. headquarters of the National
Geographic Society.
'"iIonored by conspicuous statue
and by the name Of one Of its prln-
cipal streets is Dominique Jean
Larrey, who introduced the flying
!ield hospitals adopted and de-
vcloped by Napoleon, the genesis
Of the modern ambulance. More
recently it has been a center for
the breeding Of the famous Pyren-
can horses, an Anglo-Arabian
breed, valued primarily for their
light cavalry use 1t also has an
important arsenal.
IN Sight OF Pyrcnees.
''Tarbes is q place Of scarcely
more than 25,909 people. a little
less than q hund:e ed miles south
west of Toulouse. from which the
majestic Pyrenees are plainly Wis
Ibiv. Standing out boldly from the
principal range is the Pic du Midi
dc Bigorre, bare and precipitous
and rugged. The strength Of the
Mills is in the people Of the depart
ment Of the Hautes, Of which
Tarbes is capital.
This region is the home Of the
Basaues, speaking a language
whose origin is a puzzle to scilol-
ars, and possessing a Spartan char
acter which has given rise to the
saying Every Basque a noble DR..
Edwin a. Grosvenor in The Races
Of Europe notes that Marshal Foch
is q typical Basque and recalls that
Ignatius Loyola, founder 70 the
Jesuit Order, was Basque. One
brother Of the Allied Generalissimo
is Jesuit priest.
Town "a Miniature Venice.
''Tarhes is a miniature Venice. It
is situated on the Adour and chan
nels have been cut into all parts
Of the town through which flow
the waters Of this stream. Ply
sically the location is important be-
cause from it radiate three valleys,
those Of Lourdes, Arreau and
Bigorre.e The plains about the city
are fertile and verdant. Agricul-
tufe and cattle raising are carried
on. Beyond them are forests were
wolves, bears and boars may yet
be found.
'One traveller called Tarbes the
! most truly Pyrenean town OF the
plain A landscape gardener who
directed the arboreal and floral ar
cangements Of Versailles gave to
this native town. the Jardin Massey,
3o-acre tract, long before modern
city planning made parks mu-
niclpal necessity. Herein is a mu-
scum and a cloister which has a
bust Of Theophile Gautier, remind
er Of another famous native son
Of Tarbes.
Parks, Gardens and Running Wa
ter.
AS one surveys the industrial
establishments of Tarbes, its tan
neries, and mills and tile works. and
its arsenal, he notes that they are
not permitted to mar the beauty
Of its major garden and many
lesser parks, its houses with fruit
trees and flowers growing about
them, and becomes conscious Of the
never ceasing murnur Of its many
artificial rivulets. Then he realizes
why a Frenchman was called upon
when George Washington conceived
the ideal Of beautiful capital city
for this republic.
Its fairs are noted. It's market
days present never-to-be-for-
gotten picture. In the Place
Maubourguet are tree-shaded
booths. where women from coun-
tryside sell produce and poultry,
and the splashing fountains and
statuary that form the setting for
the scene do not seem incongruous.
Another square, given over to auc-
tions kof horses, IS shaded by tall
plane trees.
"Tarbes lacks the architectural
treasures of the towns Of northern
France. It's ancient cathedral Suf-
fers from heaviness and a mixture
Of style. The only remaining part
Of the castle Of the Counts Of BIZ
GORE is q tower which latterly has
been converted into a prison.
.Turba,- some miles away from
the present-day Tarbes, was capi-
tai Of Roman state, and the
bishopric of Tarbes appears as
carly as the fifth century. 1t ap-
pears in later history as sufferer
from the religious wars in the six
teenth century, and the scene of a
victory by Wellington, over the
French, in 1914"
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