Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-09-27
:: The Truth About Belgium .:
BY BRAND WHTTLOCK

Bavaria, who commanded that dis
trict, had invited us to dine with
him that night. VilIalobar had
scented the function from afar and
we had taken dinner jackets, alb
surd as it seemed to do so with a
visit to the trenches in prospect,
and, 1 dressed that evening in my
room overlooking the courtyard of ;
l'Hote1 de l'Europe, the typical cara
vansary of the French provinces,
with the sound Of booming guns
in my ears.
An old servitor in long dark-grey
coat with two rows of brass but
tons, his bald head bowed in an
habitual servile stoop, descended the
steps to- meet us when at twilight
we entered through the great gate
between bearded sentinels and drove
up to the chateau which the prince
occupied outside the town. The long
salon into which we were shown was
furnished in the execrable taste of
some new rich manufacturer, and
ornamented with a portrait bust of
the proprietor, which, as a last
touch of taste and to lend an air
of artistic verisimilitude, the re-
semblence so much desired in por-
traitiSm, wore a pince nez on its
marble nose.
The officers who composed the
suite of the crown prince came one
after another into the salon, paus-
ing in the doorway to click their
heels and bow formally; and, one
after the other, were presented. and
presently we all fell back and there
entered a slender, tall, rather weary
man, in a gray fatigue jacket,
whose dark blue trousers, with very
wide red stripes, were strapped I'M
der his long military boots. And
everyone bowed before the crown
prince. He. entered with little
smile on his face and Won der Lanci-
en- presented Villalobar and me. He
spoke to US in French with an ac-
cent more refined, think. than the
accent of the Prussians when they
speak French. He seemed sincere
and cordial in manner, with moth
ing of exaggeration in his bearing,
a thin, grey man, weary, as 1 have
said, with a lean, smooth-shaven
grey face and a little brush of grey
mouStache. He seemed to be about
fifty years Of age, though I be-
lieved he is not SO old.
We stood about uttering the Gus
tomary banal;ties until the wide
glass doors between the salon and
the dining room swung open and we
went in to dine. Villalobar was seat
ed on the right Of the crown prince,
/ on his left. I had on my left the
Count A, a tall, well-set up, red
dish man, with a pleasant manner
and a good deal of intelligence, and
we chatted pleasantly throughout
the simple dinner that was served
There were but five courses, indicat-
ed on the menu by their German
names, a pastry, bit Of salmon, a
roast chicken, a salad, great mounds
of ice cream and white and red
wines. The old ssrvitor handed
about cigars and cigarettes at the
table, and when we had gone into
the salon, continued to hand them
around. bearing the while a candle,
from the yellow flame of which we
lighted them. The footmen served
no coffee but instead large goblets
Of beer and these they continued to
serve throughout the evening, while
the old servitor passed gravely
around and around with his tall
lighted candle.
The crown prince withdrew with
Lancken into aI corner near the
window and they talked in low tones
for as long time, while 1 chatted
with the affable count about all
sorts of things. trying to avoid the
war, for the notes on the LEsitania
were being exchanged in that mo-
ment. But the conversation by the
Irresistible attraction of the SUBJ
ject with which the very atmosphere
throbbed inevitably veered round to
the war, as the needle, oscillating an
instant, turns unerringly to the
magnetic pole. And the count intro
duced the topic by saying:
Isl vous autres en- Amerique
n'aviez pas fourni les munitions aux
allies, la guerre aurait etc fine il Y
a longtemps." eff you in America
had not provided ammunition to the
allies the war would have been over
long ago.D
I decided TO end it there and then.
1 looked at him and said:
me lie prenez pas sur ce ton, je
vous prier' C''Don't use that tone,
beg of you.") He laughed and we
did not discuss munitions of war,
nor war at all.
The crown prince finished his chat Fl
with Lancken AFTER aWnle anu
seating himself, signed to US all
that we might be seated, and beck
oned to me to come close. Villalo-
bar and then sat on either side Of
him and he sent my count out to see
what the news of the day was. His
royal highness was very amiable.
He addressed me. in English, with
an apology. saying he could not
speak the lagnuaget very well; that
he had been out of practice for a
long time; but as a matter Of fact
he spoke it remarkably well,
though presently he drifted into
French. He told us about his many
voyages, specially about his visit to
America; and said that he hoped
afted the war was over to make an
other visit to America, for he was
deeply interested in many of our in
stitutions. He said that it was good
for us to have come down to visit
his command and that he had tried
to arrange an interesting itinerary,
for us, that naturally it was difficult
to see everything in the course OF