The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-27

the world. 1t is admitted that he has
an inordinate ambition for the acquisi-
ton of wealth., in common with many
other men of power, but it is said that
he never buys new property without
expanding large sums of money inn
proving and identifying it.
Curtis Brown, 7 h e G o b e CORE
spondent in London, calls Leopold the
ablest king in the business--not even
excepting his German neighbor." Mr..
Brown recently made an exhaustive
study Of the home life and habits of
King Leopold. with the result that he
characterizes the kings life as hard
working. regular and ascetic." He dis
covered that the king arises regularly
at O'Clock in summer and but little
later in winter; that he is extremely
simple and domestic in his tastes, and
that he works like Trojan on affairs
of state the, livelong day, attending
personally to a large amount of mail
matter and official business.
Another fact that increases Amer
lean interest in Leopold is that he is a
brother of the Empress Carlotta, the
widow of the Inflated Macmillan, of
Mexico, who was the only North
American monarch imported from
Europe. It is interesting to learn that
Leopold visits his unhappy sister, who
has been afflicted with madness since
the tragic fate of her husband, twice
a week or oftener in her castle at
Bouchout
According to a creditable CORE
spondent at Brussels, the king has a
double, who dresses exactly like him,
and to whom may be attributed the
responsibility for the frequent esca-
pades that result in stories coupling
the kings name with the names of
Cleo de Merode and other French
women.
Having obtained this new insight in
to the character of this interesting
king, one is more DESTROYS of know
ing something about the participation
of Belgium in the Worlds fair, Byron's
famous lines:
There was sound of revelry by night,
And Belgium's capital had gathered" etc.
and in the fact that the battle of
Waterloo was fought on Belgian soil
furnish the chief information as to
that little kingdom possessed by the
average American reader. Some of us
may remember that the celebrated
pedestrian, Weston, once set out at
daybreak and walked across the king
dom of Belgium by nightfall. But that
Belgium has inherent power and i'm
portance, and that her ruler is man
Of strength of character, is indicated
small area has been permitted to re-
tain it's sovereignty in the midst OF
gigantic European powers that are no.
table for their gobbling-up propen-
stiles.
Belgium at the Worlds fair is rep
resented by a building remarkable for
size and style. of architecture. 1t is
one of the most striking structures on
the foreign reservation. Located di-
Of q
building, to the east, it occupies a
tract 310X200 feet at the corner of In
ternational avenue and the AdminlS-
tration plaza. 1t is one of the few
built structures on the grounds.
The building is in the pattern of a
festival hall, and is built of steel
trusses covered with lumber and or
namental staff. 1t is 204 feet long by
sixty-two wide The arched steel
trusses were made in Belgium, as also
were the staff models. After the eX-
position they will be returned to Bel
GUM, where the building is to be re-
erected for use at the exposition at
Liege, in 1905.
The semi circular or arching con-
tour is maintained on the outside OF
the building, which gives it an ap-
pearance distinct. from all other struct-
ures in the foreign group. Over the
center of the structure is a tall dome.
also of steel construction, surmounted
by the crown of Belgium. Around the
outside of the building are paintings
syInbolieal of the cities and provinces
of the kingdom. Brussels, Antwerp,
Client, Bruges, Iiege and other quaint
and historical cities are thus repre-
scented.
Partitions divide the big building in
to a number of stately apartments,
wherein a large part of the Belgian
exhibit is to be. installed Such prod
ucts as jewelry, laces. etc., for which