Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-11
Constantine Discusses Prob
lem Arising Out Of Tide
to United States.
GRANTS AN Interview
TO ASSOCIATED PRESS
King an Interesting Monarch and Is
Keenly Interested in Euro
pean Conflict.

| Correspondence of the Associated Press.
| ATHENS, September 10.-The King
| of the Greeks received the Associated
Press correspondent at the Chateau OF
Dekeleia, the summer residence of the
royal family at Tatoi, some sixteen
miles northeast of Athens. this noon.
The road to Tatoi lies through the al
most barren Attic valley, with its low.
square, infrequent adobe houses set in
the dusty, sun-parched plain. Gradual
lily, however, the way extricates itself
from the furnace Of the valley. climbing
through a prepared park, where we'll
tended gardens freshen the air. The
summer place of Constantine I Is at
hand. A gate Is passed, quick turn
of the drive. and before a building that
might be a chalet in the Harz noun
tains the motor stops. butler Shoes
the visitor away from the main build
ing to a sort of guardhouse to one side.
Here Col. Lewidis. abide camp to the
king, chats with the correspondent un-
til his majesty's pleasure is expressed
by telephone.
When the summons came the colonel
preceded the correspondent around one
corner of the chateau, in reality the
residence of the "diadochos' or Crown
Prince George, Duke Of Sparta, and his
wife. the Princess Marie Bonaparte.
The king is occupying it temporarily
palace in the same wooded park is
being made ready for him.
Man in Gray Flannels Seen.
Down a shady side alley covered by
trellis, tall rather slim man in gray
flannels, hatless and quite bald. was
making signs to some one in the house.
Discovering the colonel and the CORES
pendent. the map in gray fannels has
tened out Of sight around an angle of
the pergola. When seen again he was
seated in a pleasant little retreat be-
side a wicker table covered with books
and magazines. German. French. Eng
lish. Tucked away In this> quiet shell
ter the King of the Greeks might have
been a college professor on vacation.
Constantine ! is just turned forty
seven-an affable, pleasant looking.
fine-mannered gentleman. whose prin-
it he does not look it. After his ia
Tiers unfortunate war with the Turks
In 1898, when the then Prince Constan-
tine received his baptism of fire, the
lutely to work to create a Greek army
capable of achieving victory.
1t has been the work of his life. He
studied in the war college in Berlin,
where he became thoroughly trained in
the Prussian theory of modern warfare
"a theory which he is generally be-
lieved to regard as far the best. From
1895 to 1902 Prince Constantine and The
general staff worked out plans for an
entirely renovated military establish
ment in Greece In 1904 his plans were
adopted. Tvo years later. however.
they had to be partially abandoned for
lack of funds to continue them. But in
1910 Eleutherios VeniZelos. aided by
LII. ha frn NH
A. Coromilas. now Greek minister in
Rome, effected reforms in the internal
affairs of Greece that enabled the gov
eminent to complete its plans for mill
tary preparedness.
Good Showing in Balkan Wars.
Then came the two Balkan wars and
the truly remarkable performance of
Greece in putting more armed men into
the field than her agreement with Bull
garia called for. This is the pride of
King Constantine this achievement
and the army that it represents.
March 3. 1918. his father was as
sassinated at Saloniki and Constantine
1 came to the throne. With all the in
crease of responsibilities the position
brought, the army has been his first
indeed are most of his subjects, that
a decisive struggle between Bulgaria
and Greece is still on the cards. He
does not propose that the opening of
that struggle, should 10 come, shall find
Greece unprepared.
King Immensely Popular.
AS a soldier who has led his armies
to two victories and who permits his
subjects to dream of further conquests.
Constantine is immensely popular
with his countrymen. They do not
share the belief, with which he is gen.
orally credited. that the armies of the
central empires in the present Euro
pean war are unconquerable. They feel.
on the contrary, that should their king
be right about this their dream of a
greater Greece is over.
They do not always approve the active
part which he Is said to have taken in
politics and are quite frank in their ex
pressed desire that he stick more strictly
to his constitutional prerogatives. His
court is not altogether favorably regarded
despite an active cult of royalism long
fostered in Greece. But for the man him.
self--the soldier and the thorough Greek
admiration
Discusses the War.
The king rose at the approach Of the
Associated Press correspondent. There
was a warm handshake and an invitation
to be seated. Straightway the king
plunged into the subject uppermost in his
mind-the war. With unquestioning con-
fdence in the correspondents pledge not
to quote him he expressed his views with
the utmost frankness: he asked ques-
tons which revealed that he followed
| daily the movements Of all the armies and
followed with especial interest the cam
pagn in Russia. He speaks English per-
fectly. but with slight lisp. On the
whole, he is an agreeable, versatile, de-
| lightful talker and interested listener,
| taking keen pleasure in conversation
Slowly the talk veered through Greek
foreign politics to the sovereign's own
subject-the Greek army. And from
that. by a natural enough traverse. to
the Greeks everywhere. For. after all.
Constantine / is officially. not King OF
Greece. but king of the Greeks, a
dlstinc elton which he shares with his
wife's cousin. Albert King Of the Bel
gians. And he takes the distinction
seriously He feels himself King of the
Greeks whether they be in Greece or