Evening star., 1921-10-26
CHAPTER Y.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END.

Not satisfied with continuing his
full support to the man he had
picked out from the very first months
of the war, NJ. Clemenceau continues
his effort to increase this mans au-
thority. On June 26 he decides that
the right given at Beauvais to the
allied commandersin -chief to appeal
to their governments shall be abol-
ished as far as the French armies
mander-in-c chief shall be purely and
simply placed under the orders of
Gen. Foch. On June 80. complying
with desire frequently and force
fully expressed by the latter, he r
moves the chief of staff of the
French armies and appoints Gen.
Buat to this post. In August NJ:
C1emenceau suggests to the cabinet
the elevation of the commander-in-
chief to the dignity of marshal OF
France. Thus. from the first day to
the last. single thought had dom
ernment. From the first day to the
last France and her prime minister
had Willed the unity of command
realized in the person of the great
soldier whose unqueStioned genius
insured its acceptance. History will
tell how great the part played in
our common victory by this decision.
to which all our allies adhered.
43 Per Cent Under Arms.
1 should be woefully remiss if l did
not add one more word. 1 have spoken
of French genius. But. France is also
great of heart. This it was that made
our brotherhood of arms. Forty three
per cent of all the men of France
were mobilized. Thus our military
commanders governed half of our
male population. They governed them
with tender care. They were SparinS
of their soldiers lives. They took full
advantage of the increasing poten-
tialities of modern engines of war.
At Charleroi and the Marine we lost
5.41 per cent of the forces engaged;
during the first six months OF 1919,
2.39 per cent; during the second SIX
months. 1.6S per cent; during the hrSt
six months of 1916. LAT per cent, and
during the last six months OF the
same year. LIS per cent. Our losses
fell in 1917 to .46 per cent of the
forces engaged and in 1918 in our
final effort they did not exceed 10
per cent. A splendid showing, in
deed. But this is not all. France,
more than any other county. despite
the demands of her war industry. and
thanks to a firm and just policy,
maintained a high percentage OF her
fighting men in the divisions in line
Sc per cent in 1914 and a per cent
in 1918. France also had the secret
of inspiring mutual affection between
her officers and men. France under
stood-and here again IL justice 1
must write the name of Marshal Pc
tain-that a democracy in arms fight
ing a five-year war is undeServlng of
the rigid discipline that can be i'm
posed upon a professional army fight
ing a five-month war.
V,I,,a Of Nuf,,,v SneriAoA
France understood the inestimable
value of mutual sacrifice whereby Of
ficerS and men art welded together; of
that subtle bond which makes of
discipline personal and living
thing, consciously or inStinctively ac-
cepted out of gratitude or admiration
or love-a bond the more binding be-
cause unforced and forged in the
heart of the soldier. The French
army-thanks to the spiritual union
of men and officers. thanks also to her
non-comS. sprung from
tisans of the victorious effort planned
by their leaders-has no need, like
the German army, of being picked
over in order to find shock troops.
The French army remained itself all
through the war. adapting itself to
changes, each of which was
a fresh test of it's endurance.
Just as in 1914, it had been almost
the sole bulwark of civilization with
its twenty-five army corps, its twen-
ty-SiX reserve divisions. its ten divi-
sions of cavalry, against the on
slaught of an empire of prey with a
of fourteen million men, SO
to the very end. by the side of its
great allies. the French army did
what it had to do. What praise could
be higher? Puisqu'Il fallait yaller. on
trait. This saying of our French
peasant-whom 1. lige SO many others,
had the honor of leading into action
sums up our ideal of
war. With it l will end this brief
sketch of what France in arms con-
tributed of her own free will to vic
tory.
The armistice of November II, 1918,
WAS n unconditional SlIrrender ON fh,