"
In his intricate work of reconstructing the army, he revealed another,
and surprising side to his nature. From being cold and aloof, he showed
a human sympathy for his men, down to the last private. It was as though
the man who had held himself aloof from intimates wanted to take the
whole French army into his heart. And the men responded with an
affection and a confidence which were later to produce the fine results
of leadership in the War. He was no longer "Joffre the Silent," but
"Papa Joffre."
Says one writer: "Joffre is the soldier of democracy. That is why he
sets America aflame with enthusiasm, as he did France. His thickset
frame, firmly knit and vigorous, his clear eyes, which observe you from
beneath bushy eyebrows, his firm and kindly mouth, his bristling
mustache, the simplicity of his manners, his clean-cut, reserved
language,--all that goes to show that there is nothing in him of bluster
and affectation. He is truly 'Papa Joffre,' the father and even the
grandfather of the _poilus_. It is the _poilu_ himself beneath the white
_panache_ of this unique Marshal of France."
When in 1914 the Germans struck, they anticipated an easy march upon
Paris--such as that of forty odd years before. But this time a different
Joffre stood in their path.
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