A Meeting With “Forain”

We lunched with General Petain and his Etat Major.  A charming and most interesting addition to the party was M. Forain, the famous French caricaturist, and now one of the Chief Instructors of the French Army in the art of camouflage—­the art of making a thing look like anything in the world except what it is!  He has established a series of schools all along the French Front, where the Poilus learn to bedeck their guns and thoroughly disguise them under delicate shades of green and yellow, with odd pink spots, in order to relieve the monotony.  Certainly the appearance of the guns of the present time would rejoice the heart and soul of the “Futurists.”  It was most interesting to hear him describe the work in detail and the rapidity with which his pupils learned the new art.  For one real battery there are probably three or four false ones, beautiful wooden guns, etc., etc., and he told us of the Poilus’ new version of the song “Rien n’est plus beau que notre Patrie” ("Nothing is more beautiful than our country").  They now sing “Rien n’est plus faux que notre batterie” ("Nothing is more false than our battery").

It was M. Forain who coined the famous phrase “that there was no fear for the ultimate success of the Allies, if only the civilians held out!”

I was much amused at M. Forain’s statement that he had already heard that a company had been formed for erecting, after the War, wooden hotels on the battlefields of France for the accommodation of sightseers.  Not only was it certain that these hotels were to be built, but the rooms were already booked in advance.

Value Of Women’s Work

It was strange to find there, within the sound of the guns—­ sometimes the glasses on the table danced to the music although no one took any notice of that—­surrounded by men directing the operations of the war and of one of the greatest battles in history, how little War was mentioned.  Science, Philosophy and the work of women were discussed.

The men of France are taking deep interest in the splendid manner in which the women of all the different nations are responding to the call to service.  I described to General Petain the work of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals.  These magnificent hospitals are organised and staffed entirely by women and started, in the first instance, by the Scottish Branch of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage.  He was deeply interested to learn that what had been before the War a political society had, with that splendid spirit of patriotism which had from the first day of the war animated every man, woman and child of Great Britain, drawn upon its funds and founded the Hospital Units.  I explained to him that it was no longer a question of politics, but simply a case of serving humanity and serving it to the best possible advantage.  The National Union had realised that this was a time for organised effort on the part of all women for the benefit of the human race and the alleviation of suffering.