Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1922-11-18
|CLEMENCEAU In
NEW YORK; WILL
START ON TOUR
Former Premier Of France
Again Visits City Where he
Lived During Days Of Exile
From France


NEW YORK. ". Y. Nov. 1s.--Georges
Clcmenceau. former premier Of France.
today set foot on American soil. The
Tiger" Of France was visibly impress
ed by New York's skyline on one side
and the Statue Of Liberty on the other.
Clemenccau left this country more
than fifty years ago a young medi-
cal student, and has returned to win for
his countrymen the sympathy Of Ameri-
ca. Thousands Of persons awaited the
rocking Of the boat and cheercd him as
he stepped ashore.
Assistant Secretary Of State Bliss
welcomed him on behalf Of President
Harding and invited him 10 visit
Washington. Clemenceau accepted the
invitation, expressing delight.
In response 10 the address Of welcome
by the acting mayor Of New York. Glenn
enceau said France did not know what
was going on in America and America
did not know what was going on In
France. He said he wished 70 make the
position OF France clear "as free man
speaking to free men,"
Georges Clemenceau. the French
Tiger" who came TO this country for
the first time more than so years ago
to see what n republic really looks
like" j. hack IN town again
He dropped in on New York from
Paris today. ready to start out on tour
of America. but he will remain here
little while first. for he has n number
Of old metropolitan acquaintainces to
renew-some Of them with persons. but
more. perhaps. with streets and places,
and familiar old landmarks which he
learned TO know and revere while yet
boy.
The maker and breaker Of ministries.
Clemenceau has come to be known be-
cause Of the tremendous power he once
held in the political affairs Of his
country. is here on his own hook and
unofficially TO represent the case OF
France to the American people. and this
he will do in the language Of the mas
ses. for not only does he speak Eng
lish, but he speaks real American Eng
lish-flawlesslr and without effort. He
is master Of ur idiom and has kept
up with American slang for more than
five decades
II was back in 1866 that young DR..
Clemeneeau. just turned 25 first step
ped ashore At New York. His meagrs
wardrobe spoke -loquently Of his pow
erty, but the case Of shiney new sur
gical instruments, his only other pos
session. held his future-or so he
thought at the time.
Back Of him, he believed, lay his
political career. which was not much 10
boast Of. lie has served short term
in prison for activities in behalf OF
the republic, and had been invited to
leave France for failing 10 resist fur
ther temptations along the same line
upon gaining his freedom After all he
concluded. the medical profession.
which had supported six generations OF
Clemenceau's before him, was superior
10 politics.
Promised a small remittance from his
father. the future war premier OF
France established himself in what IN
now the Greenwich Village section of
New York and began to practice medi-
cine His field was the large Frcn-n
population then living smound Wash
ington Square. and while he succeeded
indlfferently well in obtaining patients,
his collections fell hopelessly below his
needs.
This prompted him to communicate
with the Paris TEMPS. for which he
subsequently, wrote a series OF brilliant
letters describing conditions in Ameri-
ca This correspondence boIstered up his
income TO certain extent but the
remittances from home had stopped in
the meantime, hence he still was in tho
meshes of poverty.
Forced TO strike out on n different
tack. he obtained u position in "a libra
nv. where he remained for two wears.
the happiest ones Of his life, he said
not long ago. Libraries were not much
used in those days. and the young
Frenchman had ample time to secluds
himself among the books. reading the
best philosophers and historians while
he perfected his English.
There my mind acquired what it
lacked. and my intellect completed its
formation" he wrote years afterward.
In the evenings the young student
would inveriably he found M Pfaff's. n
famous old German restaurant in Low
er Broadway, where in the early sixti~.
met the little group Of celebrities pre-
sided over by Henry Clapp. The DAYS OF
Fritz James O'Brien. Walt Whitman.
George Arnold and Charles Dawson
Stanley at Pfaff's were gone. but there
stili was an atmosphere OF romance
about the place that attracted a young
er generation of intellectuals, and to
this coterie Georges Clemenceau was
introduced
Once he ~as tempted to da n ,ittls
travelling in the New World. He went ~
the middle west and journeyed a. far
south as Richmond. Va. but did not
penetrate farther into Dixie. The state
OF the country. he said. just recovering
from defeat in the civil war. was 50
deplorable that il filled him with sad