ed with the
British field-marshal, Sir John French, the Allies prevented their lines
being overwhelmed by the superior numbers of their foe, but the German
right flank and center, strung out over a line more than 150 miles long,
northeast of Paris, kept smashing on. Losses were frightfully heavy, but
the Kaiser's order was "Take Paris!"

It was believed certain that the German general staff had staked
everything on investing Paris immediately, by completely breaking down
the opposition massed between the German lines and the city. Paris
had therefore prepared for the siege, with her great circles of forts
strengthened and her food supply replenished. Many of the residents fled
the city in panic, fearing a repetition of the dread days of 1871, with
their privation and distress, but the spirit of the French people
generally remained unshaken and General Gallieni, military governor of
Paris, assumed complete control of the situation in the city.

GOVERNMENT MOVED TO BORDEAUX

On August 26 the French cabinet had resigned in a body and it was
reconstructed on broader lines under Premier Viviani to meet the demands
of the national emergency.

German troops were reported within 40 miles of Paris on September 3, and
at 3 A. M. of that day a proclamation was issued by President Poincare,
announcing that the seat of government would be temporarily transferred
from Paris to Bordeaux. The minister of the interior stated that
this decision had been taken "solely upon the demand of the military
authorities because the fortified places of Paris, while not necessarily
likely to be attacked, would become the pivot of the field operations of
the two armies."

The text of President Poincare's proclamation was as follows:

"ENDURE AND FIGHT!"

"FEENCHMEN: For several weeks our heroic troops have been engaged in the
fierce combat with the enemy. The courage of our soldiers has won for
them a number of marked advantages. But in the north the pressure of the
German forces has constrained us to retire. This situation imposes on
the president of the Republic and the government a painful decision.

"To safeguard the national safety the public authorities are obliged to
leave for the moment the city of Paris. Under the command of its eminent
chief, the French army, full of courage and spirit, will defend the
capital and its patriotic population against the invader. But the war
must be pursued at the same time in the rest of the French te