The Noble Spirit of France.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 245, 26 January 1917, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Noble Spirit of France.

MORAL SPLENDOUR WHICH WILL ILLUMINE THE PAGES OF HISTORY.

By JAMES M. BECK, (Author of "The Evidence] in the Case")

From the shores of my native Amenta, whither I have returned after a visit to England and Fiance, I take this first occasion to express my most grateful appreciation of the many courtesies which I received in both countries. I regard these, favours as the method that England and franco ciioso to recognise that very large group of Americans, of whom I was but one, who disdained in the greatest moral crisis of civilisation to be inte.lectuallv or morally neutral. To anyone who has been privileged, as I was, to have the spiritual revelation of seeing that great country of franco transfigured in its noble for the basic principles of civilisatidon, any words of praise seem pitifully inadequate. I looked into my Shakespeare to find what the great writer said of Fiance, 'and in "King John" I found these, lines, which I think sum up what all lovers of freedom and justice feel :

it, Frame, without counting the cost. without vacillating or hesitating for a moment, with no direct interest whatever in Servia, knowing that the burden of the attack would fall upon Tier and that her very existence depended upon the immediate outcome; knowiii" that tho nation about to attack her was the first military Power of the world and twice as great in population, and even more than twice as great in tho equipment of arms—France, I say, never hesitated, but immediately, when tho first cloud arose upon the horizon, took its side with Russia in defending the right of little Scrvia to live as an independent nation. Thus France and Russia stood from the very beginning for the great principle of reason ana justice in international controversies. If that attitude were heroic, what must be said of the decision of that groat commander who, on August 28, look upon his broad shoralders the exclusive and supremo risk of retreating to the line of the Marne, knowing that if he failed and his army lost its morale in the retreat, his place in history and his fate might oe more ignominious than that of Bazaine. With tho Fabian tact'cß of AVashingtimj and with tho same superb moral courage, ho slowly retreated, and when he fintlly turned and faced his powerful opponent upon the Maine, his forces did not exceed, even with his reserve*, ],000,000 men, while opposed to him were at least 1,500,000 men, flushed with victory. In a battle, one of the most glorious in all tho history of the world, possibly greater in its future consequences even than that in which Charles Martoel hurled back the Saracens at Tours—France's army, under Genertl .Toffre, scored one of the greatest triumphs in his-tory and saved the basic principles of civilisation from destruction.

France, whose armour conscience buckled on. Whom zeal and charity brought to the field

Am God's own soldiers! What nobler tribute could an English po(t pay to what was onco the immemorial enemy of England than to call the soldieis of France- "God's own soldiers?" And I, who have seen these soldiers in the trenches, on the farflung battle from Verdun to Rheims, can testify that, from tfhe humblest poilti up to the great Commander-in-Chief, whom it was my exalted privilege to meet at headquarters, they are truly, in their willingness to lay down their lives for France and its cans; l , "God's own soldiers.' They solved a problem for me. I once wondered whether it was Napoleon who made the Grand Army, or the Grand Army Napoleon. Now I know the great conqueror was the product of the soldiers of Fra:ice.

FRANCE AS MOTHER

1 realise what Miss Aldricb meant m that charming little book, "A Hilltop on the Maine," when she asked a young IFranch wife, whose husband had just left to join the colours, "Do you not grieve at losing your husband!''" and the young wife bravely replies : " Why, I am but his wife; France is his mother." The motherhood of France is not a mere Wr'bal affectation or a rhapsody of words. To the French soldier it is a very real fact. When he dies on the field of battle, it i e to those who mourn for him as though a mother had gathered him for ever to her maternal bosom.

It is that spirit of motherhood, and the fact that every soldier is a child of hi.s country, that have given France that exaltation of patriotism, as line as any that the history of the world has ever recorded, which even more than the generalship of J off re, Foch, Manoury, and Gallieni won the great victory on the Marne; it was that spirit that enabled a milli >u men to achieve the miracle of the Marne by decisively defeating the greatest and best equipped army then existing in the uorld. Tho decision of France to align itself with Russia in defence of Scrvia was, to my mind, one of the most roio decisions that any nation ever reached. France knew that she would have to bear the immediate brunt of the attack. She knew that she had only Lii)0,()00 immediately effective soldiers to face over SOO.OOO of the bestequipped soldiers in the world. She knew that not merely did this disparity exist in numbers, but a graver disparity existed in time. For political reasons, France could not mobilise beforn July 31, while Germany had been quietly mobilising at least seven days hefore, as is shown by the letter of tho Kaiser to King George, in which bo stated that on August 1 he was stopping by telephone and telegraph his troops from crossing the French frontier. This advantage in time of mobilisation was a serious, an almost fatal handicap. Yet, fully conscious of

Also, they paid the cost! I visited a part of tho battlefield of the Marne. and only too frequently I would see, in the beautiful golden harvest-fields of France, a little cemetery, and when I read tho names over each grave I would often find this fonder, beautiful sentiment, that shows the moral_ grandeur and beauty of France: "Cn enfant do France ,mort pour la Patrie." "A child of France, died f or his country.") I went to Verdun, now the most heroic place in all tho world. There ha* never been a battle in all history like it. Tho men there have fought continuously for two hundred days and nights. Like a stone wall the French joilu has stood for 200 days at this Eastern gateway of Franco in the most desperate battle of history, and lie can still say to a brave and powerful invader: "Thus far and no further; and here shall thy proud waves be staved."

1 wish I were at liberty to speak or the Commanding General of the Frencn forces at Verdun, but I .'•••i'i violate the regulations under which 1 was privileged to visit the trout if 1 mentioned him by name. I sho-ad like >•• name him hcotuse ho is cue 'f '■■■- most delightful persona.lties 1 m Such is the democratic com 1 , ideship i the French Army that ll.j only thin* that distinguished this ,'iviC !•■• 'or f a quarter of a million o: nu-i 'rom h> humblest soldier in the tnpcii?s was three stars upon his sloeo; otnervir..lie was dressed in the regulation b'.in uniform, with his iron casque on bis head. When ho went with me through tho streets of Verdun, everywhere he soldiers' faces lighted up, tnd they would say, "Bon jour, mon General!'' And bo would give them tha same fraternal greeting they gave him. I am satisfied that Joffrc and V? companions in arms feel, with complete sincerity, that they have this war for c ivilisation won. They have passed the crisis of a titanic conflict. They drove back the invader at the Marne. They have- shown at Verdun that they could repel the most terrific onslaught that history has recorded, and on the north and south of the Sommo they are showing that thev can successfully attack. -Tha "War Budget."