Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-11-07
War.Worn Army Is Electrified by
Work Of Pershing's
Soldiers.
KING ALBERT ENTHUSIASTIC
Every Bit Of News Regarding the
American Army Is Eagerly De.
voured-RoyaI Family Lead
Simple Life.

worn Belgian army, from the gallant
king, to the brave little privates in the
ranks, Is eating up" every bit of news
concerning what the American army Is
doing, what America is preparing to
send over in the near future and what
money she Is raising to bring the war
to q successful finish.
This Is the Information brought by
faul Van Den Ven, formerly professor
10 the University of Louvain and now
professor at Princeton university and
director OF the Belgian information
service. Professor Van Den Ven has
Just returned after long visit at the
Belgian front. He had a two-hour chat
with the king.
"You can't begin to imagine" he
sayA "the electrical effect the coming
Of your Americans has upon our pco-
plS.
1.-THE men in the trenches get the
French and Belgian papers. I was
there after Cantignv and Chateau
Thierry ind bcpn fought and won By
your, mel.
Delighted by the News.
Sour Belgians were wild with dc.
light. In one sector the lines had be-
come stabilized because each side had
turned loose floods against the other.
Tie wet trenches were perhaps 1000
y4fds apart. Each side had boats, but
there were few raids. But while |
WAS there the Belgian army was be.
ginning to stir. One morning | saw a
p6rty Of my countrymen returning in
bonts. They had been out on In all
night raiding party. They were dead
weary, but they were singing. They
Ind taken some Hun prisoners and
their trench knives had blood on them.
You know what has happened since.
THE king makes his headquarters
at La Panne, little village On the Bel.
CLAN seacoast. Here he lives like "a
modest citizen Of moderate means in
a simple two-story brick cottage The
house faces out on the sand dunes. J
remember there were two nSyer beds,
which did not thrive wen in that sandy
soil.
'The Interior Of the house is as sim.
pie as the exterior. The king has
tiny salon fitted out with some old red
velvet chairs, very much the worse for
wear and years. There Is a small ia.
bic, on which were lying some French
and English newspapers. At this table
the king does his work.
The queen and the children have
their plain bedrooms upstairs Prince
Charles, a. one Of the sons, is still
schoolboy. The Duke OF Brabant. sew.
enteen. heir to the throne. ut the age
when most boys are in high school, /.
serving as a private In the army. As
Twas coming in ! saw the pretty blonde
Princess Marie jose, twelve, rompine
10 after q walk on the dunes.
Its a sweet. wholesome family life
TINT 10 led there at La Panne, broken,
Of course, by the necessary absences
Qf the king with his men, and the duke,
who takes bis turn In the trenches.
II had - 'wo-hour talk with my soy.
tfelgn. 1t is, Of course. difficult to get
toLa Panne. It Is quicker to 60 there
bvaut0 than by train and your papers
haye to be unexceptional But once
you get there little ceremony Is OBJ.
served. went into the kings cottage
and found him waiting for me- He re.
ceived ME standing and we shook
hands and stood there for two hours
talking.
4 Fighting King Described.
"The king Is very tall and soldlerly
looking. He is forty-three, and his
face shows the cares that he has borne
for the Inst four years. He wore the
khaki uniform OF general in the BEL
gjan army. And 1t was not the show
uniform that so many soverelgns put
otpfor occasions. / remember some of
the gold braid was dull, and the whole
suit looked weatherbeaten. II had
evidently seen long service in the wind.
rain and snow. Our sovereign when
atlad OF eighteen. was In America, and
he asked me many questions about
places aud men he had known quar-.
ter Of a century ago.
He was especially interested In the
6rst.hand impressions I rave him of til