The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-02
KING IS
 ALWAYSATF FRONT
Has Returned to Rome Only
 Few Times in Year
ENTIRELY FEARLESS
Penchant for Remaining in Front Trenches Is Despair of His Officers and Delight of the Soldiers-Is
 Widely Beloved in the Army

Widely Beloved in the Army
 Headquarters of the Italian Army, June 21-(Correspondencc of tine As sociated ss.)-King Victor Emman- uel has now been at the front with his soldiers for a whole year. He left the Quirnal a few hours after midnight, or May 25 a year ago, when war was declared. and he has returned to Rome but two or three times since that date and then only on important state or military business. On the front the King is the most familiar figure, and the man most loved by the soldiers, not only because he is King, but because of his personality.
 It is common information that at home King Victor is man of family liv- ing with Is children and the Queen in only small part of the immense roy al palace. Before the war. he lived more like middle class Frenchnan Of family. playing with his children for many hours at time, loathing pomp and show, using his nonpolitical hours for reading and study. or for his hobby of collecting old coins. When he re- ceived either politicians CT ordinary friends. it was in the easy manner of the man who likes men and their com pany. In such intercourse it was his custom to refer to his four children by their first names. and not !nfre- quently uses the phrase: My wife was telling me the other day"
 NEW SIDE OF CHARACTER
 At the front the King has shown a new side to his character. Here ne has developed a love for the firing line that is at once the admiration of his sol diers and the torture of the command ing officers and in particular of his faithful aide, Gen. Nugo Brusati, who has been the companion of the King since the latter was Prince of Naples Should it ever so happen that the King disappeared from his quarters without telling anybody where ne was going, it is pretty certain the first place we should look would be up near the front lines.'' said an officer
 The fearlessness of the King was not ed by a group of Italian Journalists one day in the following manner, as rcla ted by pr. Giovanni Miceli. a newspaper man who has himself engaged as vol unteer officer in several of Italy's wars. An action was going on at a certain part of the front which several of us wanted to see. When we got within rife range of the action. we were for bidden to go further. As we were halted by the roadside protesting heat edly that it was our business if we got killed, the King whizzed by in his car and went right on into the firing zone that was considered too danger ous for us."
 At mess time, it is the Kings invari- able rule to invite whatever group Of soldiers or officers he meets to eat witt. him and during the meal he does not stand on his rank, but speaks with them of matters that interest them, asks news of their families, of their homes On the other hand. he is apt to speak of his own family and per sonal matters il the same easy fashion, as if his personal affairs were public property. It IS hundreds of such meet ings that go to make the soldiers fec. that their King is one of them Be- cause of his custom of always carrying numerous boxes of cigars and ciga- rettes ard pipe tobacco in his automo- bile, there is a lot of unsmoked tobac- co scattered throughout Italy today, to- bacco that will dry to dust before it is smoked. While the King makes pres ent1 of this tobacco to the soldiers and under officers. and insists that they S.nOke II, they Keep It as a souvenir and send it home to be framed and hung up as a family treasure.
 DOES NOT POSE
 Although the constitutional head Of the army, with right to make war and conclude peace the King does not pose as great soldier or military genius He is Italy's first King who has not interfered in military matters. He leaves that work absolutely to General Cadorna and his staff It is freely claimed that he has a rather wide un- derstanding of military matters and has studied them closely. but for all this he does not attempt to impose his opinions or his will.
 That the King is able to stick at the front, endure its trying life and the physical hardships of mountain work, is due to his strong physique. As a boy he was weakling, but partly be- cause of his own determination to be- come strong, partly because of the Spartan training given him by his tutor. Colonel Oslo. he has built up .a body that can climb mountains with the professional Alpinists. Colonel Oslo was man of the old school and when the young prince was turned over to himl he set in to give him a ter rife training. It was either kill or cure. He had the little prince up at 5 o'clock in the morning. winter and summer, taking baths and exercises of the most rigorous kind.