The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-04

Paris. September 26.-The King of the Belgians has come and gone. He came as emperor or sovereign Cor whatever his African status may be) of the Congo Free State. A note to the powers from H.
 B. MS government about the condition of the blacks under his sceptre had tickled him unpleasantly. He, being universal boss in the misnamed Free State, had no call to bring any of his Congo min isters, who are merely administrative agents. Leopold sets up against King Ed ward to be the most Parisian of mon archs, but supports the character less we'll King Edwards good humor' grac- iousness, well-bred manner and faultless tact, go home to Parisians. Leopolds
 1ippancy is not joyous. The man Of money is a prosaic, uninteresting being and money matters fill Leopold's mind
 The French regard his conduct towards his married daughters in the same light as the Emperor Francis Joseph, who
 has always shown himself such good Christian in forgiving those who trans- gressed against him in the hope Of be- ing forgiven when his turn comes to be
 judged. M. Loubet naturally received Leopold with every mark of protocolar cordiality, and listened to the monologue which came so trppingly from his tongue. He laid himself out to convince NJ. Loubet. and then M. Delcasse, that he and France are, in regard to Great Britain. in the same situation in Af- rica. Business is business" in Leo- pold's eyes. French explorers knew all about the business horrors of the Congo Cfnf nd fha falr to oblige the natives to bring In india rubber and ivory to Leopolds adminis- trators. There is really not much to choose In the way of cruelty between the methods of Belgians in the Congo and those 'scientists' who vlvisect anil mals. The advantage Is on the side of the cats. dogs and guinea-pigs in this respect, that the Congo cruelties are merely in flicted to satisfy European greed
 It sometimes seems to me that Leo pold's passion for gain has a morbid cause somewhere. His civil list allowance is incomparably less than what he makes out of the Domain estates. He has prac- tically no family to inherit his wealth his only unmarried daughter intending when he dies to go into a convent. We all know how he stands in relation to the other two. Too many women have come into his life for him to care much for any of them. His phenomenal appear ance. which so hits the eye, has made me wonder what Lombroso might think of it. Certainly Leopold is not heavily weighted with a sense of moral responsi- bility, as evinced in his conduct towards his two elder daughters and the Congo negroes He is now busy developing a district to the north of Brussels. uni- versal exhibition is to be held there
 The pope's household have sienced his family. Its members talked too much to newspaper reporters from all quarters of the globe The spnster sisters are now in Rome, but not in a convent. They lodge in street near the vatican, which Is in a popuous quarter of the city, on a third floor. The brother, who keeps an inn at Riese. is about to sell It. The Curia think that if it is no harm to be of humble birth, it is not a thing to par ade, and that all the talk about the pope's lowly origin is getting on the nerves of educated Catholics They fear that the simple ways of his holiness will bring down the prestige of the pontifcal