STRONG BUT SIMPLE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18583, 9 December 1920, Page 10

STRONG BUT SIMPLE.

In these days of interdependence ot tho nations, when the quality of the men at the head of affairs in each country is of such moment to the average man and woman in all other countries, in that it may affect profoundly the course of their own Governments, even the most insular have been compelled to learn something of the personalities and policies of Europe's leaders, and, greatly helped by the untiring film and newspaper photographers—for wo are all, consciously or unconsciously, students _ of physiognomy—most of us have a fairly definite idea of what is signified, so far as politics and statecraft aro concerned. bv the name of Millerand. But (says “Tho Times”) under the exterior of the statesman there is always the man, and ono cannot understand the world figure if one knows nothing of tho human being. Very often the threat man remains an enigma; the musk of public wear is impenetrable. ' The new President of the Republic is not »uch a man. He wears no mask. Whether in the ClinmheV, presiding over the Cabinet, speaking in one of tho desolated villages of France, or patiently negotiating at some Allied Conference, he is the same —strong, simple, carelessly dressed, tolerant, reasonable, with an instinctive and tenacious grip on the essential. Ho 19 the same in his home. ,<■ In his home life M. Millerand is the vory type of the industrious, thrifty, threwd, domesticated good French citizen. The Frenchman is more of u family man than the average Englishman. He goes to his cafe in the evenings, but bo takes liie wife with him. aud hia home is oven more his, castle than the Englishman’s. Hi» domestic life is an enormous factor in his existence, and M. Millerand with his family is very French. A FAMILY MAN. ' A great part of his leisure, whether actually at homo or at his favourite form of exercise, walking, he spends with his .wife and some or all of his children (there arc four of them—two boys and two girl*, the eldest a young mqn of about twenty). , He makes no secret of bis dislike of functions and his preference for a simple dinner with his family. In two things, however, M. Millerpnd is not French, lie does not like wine and he does not believe in the “little breakfast” of roll and coffee. He believes in eggs or cold meat on which to start the day’# work well. This is, perhaps, not to be wondered at, as ho gets up at six and goes for an hour’s tramp before sitting down to breakfast at eight. For lunch, on the other hand, which comes after work from nine till one, he takes uothmg but a cup of toft. After that, work again at 2 until 5, and from 6 till 8 sees a' rapid succession of callers on all sorts of quests. For tho moat part ho is talking to a new person on a new subject every five or ton minutes, and it is said that < ho never answers “ I’ll see.” He decides then and there.

At half-past eight there Is dinner, and after that, whenever there is a chanco M. Millerand indulgea in his favourite game—dominoes. Many a Sirne he has had with another devotee, arshal Foch. tln fact, both are so fond of the game, that, after the last Boulogne Conference, they eagerly began to play in the lounge of the hotel. They were, indeed, so extremely serious over it that a passcr-by, unable to see exactly what they were doing, owing to tho number of people standing round, but impressed by the solemnity of their faces, eexclaimed, “Ah w?o them. Always at work.” But dominoes is for the evening. By day, when he can escape from the cares of work, his grofit©3t plo&suro is to go off on a ’brisk, plodding walk, either alone or with some of his family or intimates —and his dogs. HIS POLITICAL CAREER.

Politically M, Millerand’s recent line of policy lias been too clear to require mudv exposition. He has been determined to got out of the Treaty of Versailles as much benoiit for France as he can. . . . M Millerand 1* ono of many men who, starting their political career as a Socialist, have gradually drifted towards t*ie sanity of central ideas. He has a tremendous passion for work, and brings to it a lucidity of brain which alono enabled him to make a creat euccess at the Bar in the treatment of extremely complicated commercial cases. He has for many years nast been a prominent member of Parliament. Ho held office, m tlie early months of the war as Minister for War, and, after a long period of retirement, returned to public affairs. . Since M. Millerand became Prime Minister he has steadily pursued a noliev by which he lias so uglit to give France some guarantees against future aggression which were contained in, hut not realised by/tho Treaty of VerW At *times, to many Frenchmen, it has seemed that the official British view oi the Versailles text has been too nairow end has been inspired by ignorance of the special French interest revolved In these conferences, too. M. Millerand has had to fight, interpretimr the footings of the great mass of tho French people, Mr Lloyd Goorge s coquettish curiosity re regard to the Bolsheviks. In the treatment of all these matters M. Millerand has been implacably logical.