THE DEAD POILU.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1676, 17 February 1917, Page 4

THE DEAD POILU.

“WOULD BE A FINE FINISH.”

GLEMENCEAU’S ELEGY,

The “Cri de Paris” relates an incident that occurred during M. Clemencau’s recent visit to the front as chairman of the Senate’s army committee.

The section was very quiet, nothing bad happened for days there. Earlier there had been some hot fighting and the “Tiger” could see the dead body of a French soldier still hanging on the barbed wire between the trenches.

M. Clemenceau gazed at the poor remains with admiration, sadness, and then fury. His eyes clouded over, and words of vengeance came indistinctly from his lips. At this moment an explosion was heard close by, and then another. Clouds of smoke arose from near where M. Clemenceau stood, and the explosions came nearer and nearer. Ho continued looking at the corpse of the poor soldier.

An officer hurried up. “Monsieur le President,” he said, (a President of the Council or Premier remains “monsieur le President” all his life), “the Major has sent me to warn yon (hat it's a pretty had place where you are. It is probable that they have sighted you. It’s certain that a barring fire is beginning. The Major begs you to get under shelter.” “And why so?” asked M. Clemenceau. But, Monsieur le President, you may be wounded, and then ” “And if 1 were," replied the “Tiger,” “would it not be a line death at my age; the finest a man could dream off" And he went on in that semi-sar-castic vein that lie enjoys, “dust think, Monsieur, I no longer love women, and men disgust: me; it would he a good time to make a fine finish!” Then, turning towards the dead body, lie apostrophised it with: “You were young, you had a long future before you; yon had done ill to no one; women pleased you and yon had faith in men. How much better it would he if you were alive here and an old body like mine were hanging out there in place of yours!” The artillery finished before M. Clemenceau moved on, and the staff captain who accompanied him told the story afterwards, declaring, “1 tell yon he was wonderful! wonderful!” repeating (he word “epatant,” which ’means so much in a Frenchman’s month. M. Clemenceau is 7.1, and was Mayor of the Monimartre district at the time of the last war with Germany.