France's Man in Essen.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 March 1923, Page 4

France's Man in Essen.

• By one who know- Ilimt. i If am i long tin tie r wet m dd m I diipo e ol the absurd attempt to oxj die vinnniiiy for Germany over the j s ppi I luii'-biii'.ss e| the French oe- ! <•!!]■'•:!tion her coal area- ii would la J .supplied by the eiiaraiTct of General j H my-, the distinguished, hut quiet i ;ii | :"nniing soldier nlni i.- in i omnium! | ol th: Freneli lorccs in tin- Ruhr, lie is as far removed from what the average Gentian general would he in such a situation as one man possibly could he from another. I mol General llonrys -everal times in .Macedonia, where he was in command of the French Armt". l d’Ori nl. acting under Mar.-hal Frau- • lift d'Fspetvy. Willi his mild blue eye- and quiet manner one would not at lir-L a'-siiuiintam e take Gem ml llenrv.s to he a leader of men. Like many other French generals, lie ivery simple in his ways and most accessible. | remember his giving me a lucid exposition of the French operations in the Allied victory of 19|N in .Macedonia which was s 0 simple and quietly done that he might have been describing tin. most prosaic matter of business routine. I did not meet him again until three and a half years later. Last summer, (oming up llte Daniila in a passenger boat front Belgrade. I noticed at our very tnix'ed table a quiet and rather elderly Frenchman whose lace seemed ’.agilely familiar, lie "ax dressed in a rusty iiliick jacket and waistcoat and a pair of khaki trousers! There was a very voluble German woman at the table who never ceased talking. There was also a Balkan individual who did ala ruling things with iiis knilo and fork. The elderly Frenchman (hatted politely with everybody in general about the sort of things people . do talk about oil a voyage. ! exchang'd a few words with him. and lltcn suddenly he came back to lUC. The quiet Frenchman i- the dowdy civilian clothes was < enteral Hanrvs. returning li'om the mvai wed ding 'at Reign'd", where lie had been a special guest of tin' Serbian Government. . Nobody else on board. 1 think, bad i anv idea he was a t'"reoeti genera! at alt. Me got off at Budapest next (lay. still wearing the satin unimpressive clothes j mid with a couple o| suit-eases ns sole; baggage. No tourist on a cheap hidi- j day i mi!.l have travelled with le-s ns- j lomntimi. Fur tliis r.nsnu alone l think that the gou.-l Herman people ol Iv-sen and elsewhere will have little tonset! to I* at' • unpleasantness from the inva-i u of a ; foreign soldiery. General ilenrys K ( not of the type who "ill give German novelists cf the Tutu re such material as do Afaiip.tisant used against Germany . in “]?o tie do Suit" and "Mademoiselle J Fifi.” AYiih such simplicity as his at the ! head of the occupying troops Germany .stands more chance ot being civilt.-ed than brutalised.