Imperial Valley press., 1914-09-01
BELGIAN KING is
PRAISED BY PEOPLE

Albert of the Belgians in this war has
astonishcd the world as mich as has
he bravery of the Belgians, who de-
ended Liege so valorously agains;
ne Germans. A month $50 neither
the Belgian army nor the king had
v particular reputation as fighters.
se world knew little of King Albert.
lis father, King Leopold, was almost
.lways in the limelight for one cause
or another, but Albert has lived rather
quietly.
Belgium has belonged to the Bel
gians only since 1880 when the people
carried out a successful revolution
against Holland, by whom they had
been ruled.
When the country was invaded by
Napoleon I. on one side, and by Eng
land and Germany on the other, for
the battle of Waterloo in 1915, the peo-
pie cid not defend their country.
There was no cry of neutrality being
violated. The difference is now that
the Belgians are fighting for their
own.
King Albert does not belong to them
by any bond of blood. He is the
grandson of the first king of the Bel
gians. a German prince of Sake
Coburg-Gotha, who was invited to rule
as Leopold l. His sovereignty lasted
for thirty-four years and that of his
son, Leopold II. lasted for forty-three
years. King Albert ascended TO the
throne in 1909.
The king and Queen Elizabeth have
had to sacrifice their nearest and
dearest family ties to remain loyal
TO Belgium during this war. Both are
as German as centuries of German
blood can make them. The queen, who
is the daughter of Duke Carl Theodore
of Bavaria, one of the most celebrated
eye specialists of his generation, is
the aame-sake and god-daughter of her
aunt, the murdered Empress Elizabeth
Of Austria, who was assassinated at
Geneva. She has, up to now, main
tanned the most cordial relations with
her aged uncle, Emperor Francis Jo-
seph of Austria Hungary
King Albert, on his side, has many
ties in Germany. His mother was
Princess Marie Of Hohenzollern, of th5
family of the Kaiser. His sister is
the wife of Prince Charles of Hohen-
zollern, kinsman of the Kaiser, who
lives in Berlin and is helping the Ger
mans to plan the control of Belgium
King Albert's most intimate friends
lave been the German Crown Prince
and the other sons Of the Kaiser.
The King has been with his soldiers
in the field, since he gave his defan-
reply to the Kaiser's demand to givl
Ger nan troops free passage througl
his country. The royal palace at Lac
Ken, where King Leopold spent large
fortune on the gardens alone, has beer
turned over to the Red Cross in whicl
the queen herself has been enrolled
She is a regular graduate nurse anC
holds a doctors certificate also. Kine
Albert is thirty-nine years old anC
Queen Elizabeth a year younger
Many Americans have met the King
He spent several months in this coun
+ry sixteen years ago.
He had dinner in Washington will
resident Mckinley, was entertained
Newport by Mrs. Potter Palmer ant
spent considerable time in New York
n st. Louis he spent three days in
eognito al d hotel as "John Banks
New York"
lie has a private fortune of som,
twenty odd millions besides sufficient
~ liberal grant made by the Belgian
government.
He and Queen Elizabeth did no
have any formal coronation such a
Other sovereigEs have, following IT,,
example of Leopold H., who gave tn,
people the large sum, many thousand
Of dollars, for which they had bee,
taxed, to pay for the coronation. TIL,
new King and Queen, however, had ;
state entry into Brussels the day be
fore Christmas five years ago, whe,
the cannon doomed a salute ar1 tn
church bells rang out as hundreds O
thousands OF their subjects thronge'
the streets to receive their new rulers
They have three children, Prince Leo
pold, Prince Charles and little Princess
Marie
The King and Queen have been very
dem ocratic, easily accessible to al
classes of society and they have be
come so popular that the Socialists
who used to demand a republic fol