with his regiment through the war of 1870. Since then he has
distinguished himself in Tonkin, Senegal, and Madagascar. Everywhere he
has shown exceptional qualities, both as a soldier and administrator.
His brilliant career finally led to his appointment as a member of the
Higher Council of War, and, in acknowledgment of his great services, he
was maintained on the active list after passing the age limit. He is a
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.

President Poincare to-day confers further extraordinary powers upon
General Joffre, authorizing him to exercise the almost sovereign right
of promoting officers on the spot, just as Napoleon did, by simply
naming them to the posts where he thinks they may be most useful. Thus,
General Joffre can make a captain a colonel or a full-fledged
general-of-division, by word of mouth. This privilege was not even
granted by Napoleon to his marshals. These promotions are, however, only
provisional during the war, and when peace is made, must be ratified by
Parliament. This renders it possible to replace general officers, killed
or wounded, by officers selected on the battlefield, and above all
enables important commands to be filled by young officers, who give
proof of their qualities in face of the enemy.

An idea of the infinite tragedy of war was brought home to many
Parisians by a visit to the Cirque de Paris, where twenty-five hundred
Belgian refugees, men, women, and children, have been provided with at
least a temporary shelter.

The vast building, where so many famous boxing-matches have taken place,
is now completely transformed. The ring has been cut in two, and
hundreds of fauteuils have been placed in small groups so arranged as to
form substitutes for beds. The boxes have been reserved for the many