The Detroit times., 1910-02-17
.BELG|ANS LOVE
KINGS MOTHER
Countess of Flanders Has Always
Shown Sympathy For the
~ Nations Poor.

compiished artist In water colors and
In embossed leather work She has
just promised TO exhibit number or
her paintings az the coming Brussels
Worlds Fair.
The Countess is greatly beloved In
Belgium because OF her simple, hu-
EsisiIa-& NAYS ss.aa her -%hele-heaFtea sy fft-
pathy with the poor and needy. Her
paintings to be exhibited Al the Brus-
sells Fair will IL Is announced, be sold
for the benefit OF the several hospitals
for INDECENT tuberculosis patients In
which she takes hearty interest
The Countess's literary salon has
been n feature OF Brussels social life
for over forty years. OF this salon an
oldtime Belgian diplomat, who has
served mis- country at home and
abroad, gives the correspondent an
interesting account. The habitues OF
her salon In the Flanders Palace. Rue
dc la Regence. have included Alex
andre Dumas Ais, Victorien Sardou
Guy de. MHupassant. Robert Browning
the Duke d Aumale. Prince Napoleon,
Carmen sylvia. Arsene Houssaye. King
Oscar OF sweden. Queen Amelie OF
Portugal, and Prince Henri d'Orleans
The salon has been essentially dem
ocratic and gathering place for
authors Of every social status
King oscar of Sweden and Alex
andre Dumas hls were often to be
seen together az the Countess's gath
erings. ON one occasion the author
OF La Dame aux Camelias" explain
ed in detail his process OF playwriting
He related how he followed people in
the street listening 10 their private
conversation, trying TO wrest the most
hidden secrets from their casket III
the human heart that he might use
the impulse Of mortal motives In his
dramas Oscar H. listened attentive
~ 10 Dumas explanations and pro
ceeded few days later literally to
carry out the dramatists precepts
The result was tragedy which
Dumas fills himself read aloud at one
of the Countesss soirees. This initial
attempt of the king as dramatist
was considered a decided success by
those present
one OF the most gifted and by all
means the most sympathetic of the
Countess's guests was Queen Eliza
beth of Roumania. Carmen sylvia OF.
ten loctured on historical and philos-
optical topics at the Flanders Palace,
but always for he benefit or some
charity These soirees were by far
the most brilliant given by the Coun-
tess Of Flanders.
Roumania's Queen has for many
years taken a motherly interest in
the blind and has done much 10 re
lieve their sufferings in Roumania. II
seems that her sympathy for these IN
fortunates was first aroused by "A half
starved flower girl who had but re-
Gently lost her sight The girl was
selling flowers In the Place Roya1e
Brussels at stone s throw from the
Flanders Palace. Carmen sylvia. ar
ter being a purchaser from the girl
for several consecutive DAYS. gradu
ally became interested in her. and on
leaving Brussels made a handsome
provision for her in state savings
bank.
The Duke dAumale was one OF
the most versatile and entertaining
habitues of the Countess of Flanders s
drawing room A brilliant converse
tionalist, his talks ranged from his
experiences in the Franco Prussian
war TO the innumerable personal
souvenirs of his fellow members In
the French Academy. The Duke. not
withstanding the fact of his being a
son OF Louis Philippe, was none the
less an admirer OF Napoleon.
In a memorable lecture on Napo
Icons last campaign, the Duke An
male completely disproved the story
that the Belgians ran away at Water
loo (This story has more recently
been shown by French and German
historians alike to have been the pro
duct OF some imaginative British
WriterD The Duke d'Aumale was the
first TO dwell on the fact In his lee
ture that il was the Belgians and
Dutch under the command OF Per
poncher and Constant who decided
the campaign by keeping back Ney at
Quatre Bras on June L. ON the fol
/ lowing day AT the beginning OF the
battle it was they who withstood
d'Arion's assault on Saint-Jean
Dumas Ais. in personal appearance
differed essentially from his father
he was fair-haired and had nothing tc
( indicate his African blood His man
ners were distinguished, and he was
always Al his ease. however aristo
cratic might be the assembly at the
/ Flanders Palace At the beginning
OF his career, ii may interest many
90 know. he had decided preference
/ for Action 1t was only after the sue
cessful dramatization OF La Dame
aux Camelias" that he turned to play
writing. which he realized was in
Anitely more profitable than the pro
/ duction OF novels.
Queen Amelie of Portugal was ar
habitue o. the salon before her mar
rage The following story is told OF
7 the INCIDENT wrtCh prompted ttrt
/ future Queen 10 take up the study oi
medicine. The young Princess was
al that time a keen horsewoman. One
morning while riding in the Brussels
Bots she was thrown from her saddle
/ and injured her arm badly. She was
nromptly taken to the Flanders
! Palace, where the Countess proceeded
/ To bandage the arm herself while
waiting for the doctors arrival. The
skjllfuI manner In which she perform
ed this go struck the Princess Amelie
+ that she thereupon decided TO study
medicine herself Later on. as We al
know. she took her-degree OF NJ. y
and performed hospital duty in Lis
/ bon
Macksy System Declares Dividend.
/ NEW YORK Feb 1.-THE Msckay
companies the syndicate which con
trolls the Postal Telegraph and Com
mercial Cable lines, will yield 10 the
clamor that followed the announce