Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1917-08-17
He Transformed an Entire Floor
of His Palace In Madrid Into a
Postoffice and Bureau of In
quiry In an Endeavor to Reunite
Soldiers and Their Families.

Soldiers and Their Families.
If you were king would you have
done what Alfonso Mi. of Spain did!
Undoubtedly you would. However.
this IS what has caused soldiers and
their sweethearts to lavish praises
upon him and the reunited missing
TO offer prayers for his we'll being:
Soon after the war started his maj
esty turned over an entire floor of the
royal palace at Madrid for use as a
bureau for the handling of mail. pleas
and Inquiries of all descriptions. COM
ing alike from the lowliest peasant
and the lady of royal lineage. There
has been an average of 10000 pleas
daily pouring into this great bureau Of
relief.
Needless 70 say this gigantic work
of mercy has cost a fortune. but Al
fonso counts il. he says. but a small
contributions part of what should be
his share in lifting the heavy burden
of sorrow and suffering from the shout
ders of the women.
alfonso MIL. Messenger of Hope
and Knight of the Tender Heart -
such is the new title which has been
conferred by the women of Europe
upon him, for the young monarch. clad
in the armor of his country's neutral
ity, bore at his lance head the colors
of love. rode into the lists of war to do
battle. not with any of the nations at
strife. but with that ominous word
''missing." which follows the names of
so many soldiers in reports at the war
Offices.
Sometimes il has been that an I'M
identified body lay in a nameless grave.
sometimes that a wounded man lay
unconscious in the enemy's country;
sometimes that the soldier was safely,
though perhaps not happily. lodged in
a faraway prison camp. But which
ever of these things has happened. all
the wealth, the power and the diplo-
macy OF Spain. TO say nothing OF the
Hapsburg win of her king, were brought
into play TO lift the veil of mystery
and send home TO the waiting wife.
sweetheart or mother the news of the
loved one.
From the greatest lady of high rank
and vast wealth TO the lowliest peas
ant who must get the village priest TO
write for her-mistress or maid. Ouch
ess or shopgirl-each has called upon
Alfonso for aid. sure of his personal
interest and help.
Fifty thousand such pleas have pour
ed In daily TO the royal palace at Mad
rid. Here are sorted out the letters
from French countesses or little mil
liners. from English shop girls and
British gentlewomen, from Russians
and the tragic Belgians, and these are
then read by specially engaged secre-
taries familiar with the various Ian
guages, who list them with the facts.
Alfonso was not satisfied with this
and read as many of the letters as
possible himself and, what is more, in
sisted that every letter be answered,
that the woman who wrote may know
that the king enlisted all his powers
IN her service.
Every Spanish ambassador In the
various capitals of Europe was In
structed to keep, as fully as the gov
eminent would let him. the lists OF
wounded men and prisoners, and the
instant that the king received through
them or through his many private
agents working along the battle front
news of any man he has been asked TO
find he at once telegraphed to the wait
ing wife, then sent the fuller details
by wire.
The young king grieved personally
when bad news had TO be sent of some
missing husband and father. and as
often as possible he himself has writ
ten the tactful letter that. tells of a
brave death in the forefront of battle
or in the trenches.
To find the beginning of all this,
however, one must go back not merely
to the start of the war. but TO the days
when Paris was the gayest city in the
world and Alfonso was still a slender
lad who spent happy holidays in the
French capital.
he was the idol OF France as we'll as
of Spain and tales of his chivalry. OF
his daring and his youthful braggado.
clio We're always on the lips of the
French people and are still told like
fairy tales TO the children. On his
part, Alfonso considered the French
capital the most wonderful playground
In the world and was as familiar with
it as with his own beautiful Madrid.
The Adventure In Paris.
His friends there included all classes
and among those he met on one visit
In particular was shy and pretty
little Parisienne just out of the con.
vent. who was greatly awed at being
introduced to royalty. His majesty
seeing her shyness. put himself out tc
be kind and to help her enjoy what
was, as ii turned out. her first party
As result, the Spanish king reignet
In her mind In all the years that fol
lowed as a dark haired Sir Galahad
and when war come and her husbands
name was on the tragic list of the gal
liant men who were missing" 1t was
to the king of Spain she turned feeling