The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-24
KING ALBERT
A DILETTANTE,
SAY GER MANS
ellis People Now Suffer Con-
sequences of His
Ignorance.
CALL RULER TOOL OF
BRITISH WAR MAKERS
sp,c.al cgr,..pona.ncc 10 tn, srx.

Albert is u striking illustration Of the
way the Germans fee. toward the Bel
E.lu monarch
This king. who is now stubborrLy de-
foudlug IN, las. few square miles Of his
country. viii some dag give to future
Shakespeare material for tragedy. II
WI bc th, tragedy OF e ullsr who wanted
To- make hig little nation great and pros
porous ard happy and who was shame
i,.sI. hrtfiEyI o., his friends In whose
honesty and fairness he had trusted.
"Nlhcr, I trusted pcrhd'uos Albion he
s,eered his l'tl' vessel into the wake Of
the French ship ~ state. not knowing
that this proud ship OF state was being
stc,red by for".gu pilots Joe foreign pay
into q flttfu', ruuous uudcrtow
Albert OF the House of Cpburg. whose
scions are Justly famed for their cum
ring. did not develop after his kiu's ira
di'ion lie proved q dilettante on the
throne. FOR did he not light hcartedly sac
rlH.c BolGIum's most sacred palladium, its
neutrality most sacred palladium OF
all small nations to vague promises?
That Is uudeuiahle after the German
authorities have found the documentary
evidence In the secret pgeonholes OF the
brussels government But 1t ~ not yet
quite conceivable just why Belgium linked
its cause 'W-u or lose with the cause OF
France and OF England The solution OF
this puzzle lies TN the person and aspira-
lions Of the King.
1t may be stated at the outset that
Belgium was not exactly overburdened
with sympathlcs for Germany French
was trump In Belgium since French had
become the FIRST national language. The
nation developed "a gradual dependence
upon France. and Brussels felt like
second PARIS, the good citizen OF the Bel
Eian capital being very eager to appear
even more Partisan than the Partisan
himself
Hatred OF the Germans was a sort OF
Qualification for being In fashion. as was
the apiug Of all the habits and customs
OF the city on the Seine. King Albert,
unlike his uncle. WAS always extremely
eager to become popular and could I've
sure to win the approval and good will
OF his pople by conducting his policies
n ia mode de Paris More significant
for IN intimate Belgian leaning to-
ward the Western countries. however.
was Alberrs ambition to max, his cOun-
try a sea power.
Albert always had been Interested IN
questions Of technique. commerce and so
Cial economy. II was his Intention 20
continue the colonial policy begun by
King Leopold II. ard to develop II, though
In a different direction than had been
done by his predecessor.
Albert had watched the tremendous
growth of rhe German navy and OF Ger
many's foreign trade. He wa- convinced
that Belgium must take the same course
position OF Holland and social-politiCdl
conclusions may have led him to the coI-
viction that II was absolutely necpssa. ~
for the development of his densely popu-
lated country. with It's great industries, 10
carry the Belgian trade under the pro-
lection OF a mighty fleet over the seas
The possession Of one OF the greatest sea
ports In the world stil siren Ethened the
King in his conviction.
"He was wise enough 10 realize that
the British Empire would not stand by
and silently look on and watch the rising
OF new sea power Tor he saw how Eng
Iand WIS continually trying 20 throw
rocks into Germanys way. In an attempt
20 avoid such rocks iu his own road he
showed himself willing toward Englands
will Another point IL that Albert found
hi, policy pretty well lined out when he
became king. iulsmuch As KING Leopold
as early as 1906 had made those agree
mantS with France and England tho de-
tails OF which have been explained At
length by the German Government
yet We may well assume that wise Old
Leopold, Il he had seen the year 1914,
would have acted differently. King Leo
pnId's sole purpose in his agreements with
England was to have a free hand IN the
Congo State and to get EnElands rccog-
milton there. And there Is no doubt he
later would have found ways and means
to rid himself Of the obligations toward
the two Western Powers.
"Ieopold II was too shreWd business
man and he knew the British too well
TO uncouditionally surrender to them as
did Albert.
ALBERT may have really imagined that
England would simply protect and defend
Belgian neutrality and integrity and after
the Job was done take her troops back TO
England Any one who has only scln-
tlla Of knowledge Of the history OF Brit
ish imperialism must know that England
1. a.. Ia mo ny 10
protect small nations and small states
and for this purpose to directly or in
directly force its own government upon
them.
suppose the case that the war had
taken different turn, then Belgium
would have become a sort Of second
Portugal, a vassal State. and the great
British Empire would have made her feel
every day that she owed her existence
only to Eugands mercy.
AN this King Albert did not realize.
He ana his people are now suffering the
consequences of his Ignorance. He made
tho fatal mistake Of considering himself
wiser than hH uncle was. He thought he
would avoid the lattyrs mstakes-which
certainly were not few-by governing In
an entirely new fashion. He played the
crowned bourgeois. He catered to the
savants, artists and engineers.
40 doubt this has something to do
with the fact that ne continually doc
tored around with his outward appear
ance. once the hagEard, short sighted
king wore "a beard, then again he went
around smooth shaved and again at other
times he wore little mustache, He al
ways emphasized his democratic senti-
meuts which made a big hit in Belgium,
for n is very much behind in a sociolog-
cal respect Unlike his uncle, who was
nearly always invisible to his people Al
bert showed himself daily In Brussels.
Leopold did not care so much about his
people To him il mattercd not what
.hey thought or said OF him; only one
-SinG had anpcred him, the witty nick
rame Clcopold.
king Albert gave no cause to such
foxes. Soon after he assembled To the
throne he did everything in his power 10
settle the ugly heritage quarrel with the
daughters Of the dead king. All that ana
many other things we're indeed plausible
But Albert, by industTiously trying n
avoid All that which had been damnable
In Leopold H., forgot that his predeces-
sor, despite an his personal faults, had
been an extremely clever business mana
ger who had increased Regiums welfare
WY considerably and who for decades
had ably aud firmly held the rudder Of
his countrys fate.
I'm his ignorance Albert the dllettantc,
lout himself as tho tool ~ the British