"Le Capucin Botte"

General Castelnau, celebrated Royalist soldier, chose a bad place to make a pro-Vatican speech when he addressed a Catholic mass meeting, last week, in the Theatre des Nations at Marseilles in the south of France.

The recent action of the Chamber of Deputies in voting to quash the credits for the French Embassy to the Holy See (TIME, Feb. 9) has caused heated controversy between those Catholics who are not Socialists and those who are. The Communists of Marseilles capitalized the dispute for their own violent ends. Armed with stilettos and revolvers, they caused a riot at General Castelnau's meeting, attacked many priests.

Police arrived early, on the scene, but so obstreperous were the Communists that it took an hour to quell the riot. The most serious part of the disturb ance was when the Communists, who had failed to break up the meeting, took pot shots in the dark at persons leaving the Theatre des Nations. This caused cavalry to charge with drawn swords and the net result was two persons killed and about 100 more or less seriously wounded.

Next day, the General mounted an other rostrum with the local bishop, was cheered by devotees, was hailed by the bishop: "Hero of the Church!"

Noel Marie Joseph Edouard, Marquis de Curieres de Castelnau, was born on Christmas Eve, 1851, the year of Louis Napoleon's coup d'etat. He was taught to be a good Catholic by the Jesuits and in the 18th year of his life entered the military academy of St. Cyr.

In 1893, he went to the War Office and during his seven years of staff work perfected a system of mobilization which in 1914 saved France.

In his religious beliefs, the then Colonel Castelnau was, as always, a devout Catholic, while in politics he was a sincere Royalist; but his Royalism was of a brand that placed France above everything, as his long career under the Third Republic has proved. His Catholicism and his Royalism made him many enemies and he is known throughout France as le capucin botte (the booted Capuchin*).

At the outbreak of the War, which he had long before foreseen, he was appointed to command the Second Army in Lorraine and in that capacity became the "heros de Nancy". Not only that, but by his brilliant offensive against Crown Prince Rupprecht's Army (the same Prince who is now virtually King of Bavaria) he undoubtedly (in the opinion of eminent military critics) made possible the famed Marne victory. Later General de Castelnau reorganized the defense of Verdun at a time when the Germans had almost smashed it. In the space of a few days, he inspired the dispirited troops and handed over the defense to the then General Petain in a state which defied the Germans for two years.

His political enemies prevented him from becoming Marshal Joffre's Chief of Staff and later, when he was slated tc. succeed the latter as Commander-in-Chief, he had the chagrin of seeing General Nivelle, many years his junior, promoted above him. Again, in 1921, political intrigue prevented him from being promoted a Marshal of France with Generals D'Esperey, Fayolle and Lyautey.

Today, in his 74th year, he is regarded by many as easily the most distinguished soldier of France, bar none.

*The Capuchin order of friars, famed for preaching and ministrations to the poor, sprang from the Franciscans. They became a separate order in about the year 1520 when Matteo di Bassi decided that the habit worn by the Franciscans was not the one that St. Francis had worn. He made himself a pointed hood (capuche), allowed his beard to grow, went barefooted.