Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1918-10-11
king ALBERT LIVES
SIMPLY At FRONT
Family About Him When
He is Not With His
Army in Field
AID OF AMERICA
INSPIRES FORCE
lBy Newspaper Enterprlse AssociaiiOnl

(By Newspaper Enterprise Association
WASHINGTON. Oct ii.-Everybody
in the war-torn Belgian army, from
the gallant king to the brave little pri-
Yates in the ranks, is "eating up"
every bit OF news concerning what the
American army is doing, what Amer
lea Is preparing 10 send over In the near
future, and what money she is raising
TO bring the war TO successful finish.
This Is the information brought by
Paul van den Ven, formerly professor
in the University OF Louvain and now
a professor at our own Princeton Uni
verslty, and director Of the Belgian
Information Service. Professor van
den Ven has just returned after a long
visit at the Belgian front. He had a
two hour chat with the kirg.
You can't begin to imagine" he
says, the electrical effect the coming
OF your Americans has upon our peO-
pie.
"The men in the trenches get the
French and Belgian papers. was there
after Cantigny and Chateau hierry
had been fought and won by your men.
Our Belgians were wild with delight.
Belgians Return Singing
"In one sector the lines had become
stabilized because each side had turn
ed loose floods against the other. The
wet trenches were perhaps 1900 yards
apart. Each side had boats. but there
were few raids. But while l was there
the Belgian army was beginning to stir
One morning l saw party Of my coun-
trymen returning In boats. They had
been out on an all-night raidng party.
They were dead weary but they were
singing. They had taken some Hun
prisoners and their trench knives had
blood on them. You know what has
happened since.
'sThe king makes his headquarters
at La PanDe, a little village on the Bel
CLAN seacoast. Here he lives like
modest citizen OF moderate means in
simple two-story brick cottage. The
house faces out on the sand dunes.
remember there were two flower beds
soil.
"The interior Of the house is as
simple as the exterior. The king has
4 tiny salon fitted out with some old
red velvet chairs very much the worse
for wear and years. There is a small
table on which were lying some French
and English newspapers. At this table
the king does his work.
Picture of Family Life.
"The queen and the children have
their plain bedrooms upstairs. Prince
Charles, a., one OF the sons is still a
schoolbOy. The Duke Of Brabrant, II,
heir 10 the throne at the age when
most boys are in high school, Is serv-
ing as a private in the army. As l was
coming in, saw the pretty blonde
Princess Marie Jose. ~, romping in az
Ger a walk on the dunes. It's a sweet,
,.'0l.some family life that is led there
Panne. broken, Of course, by the
arv absences OF the king with
.en, and the duke who takes his
in the trenches.
i had a two-hOur talk with my SOW
oreign. II IS, Of course dirlcui 10 se1
TO La Panne. II IS quicker to go there
by auto than by train and your papers
have to be unexceptlonal. But once
YOU get there, little ceremony Is OBJ
served. went into the kings cot
tsge had found him waiting for me. He
received me standing and we shook
hands and stood there for two hours
talking.
The Fighting King. -;
"The king is very tail and soldierly-
looking. He IS SO and his face shows
me cares that he has borne for the past
four years. He wore the khaki uni
form Of a general in the Belgian army.
And It was not the show uniform that
SO many soverelgns put on for occa-
sjons. / remember some OF the gold
braid was dull and the whole suit look
ed weather-beaten. It had evidently
seen long service in wind, and rain
and snow. Our sovereign, when lad
Of a. was in America and he asked
me many questions about places and