The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-12-14
YANK VICTORIES
CHEER BELGIANS
War Worn Army Is Electrified by
Work of Pershlng's
Soldiers.
KING ALBERT ENTHUSIASTIC
Every Bit Of News Regarding the
American Army Is Eagerly De
voured-RoyaI Family Lead
Simple Life.

| Washington Everybody In the war
worn Belgian army, from the gallant
king to the brave little prtvates 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 successful finish.
This is the Information brought by
Paul Van Den Ven, formerly professor
IN the University of LOuvain and now q
professor at Princeton university and
director Of the Belgian information
service. Professor Van Den Ven has
just returned after long visit nj the
Belgian front. He had q two-hOur chat
with the king.
You can't begin to imagine" he
says, THE electrical effect the coming
Of your Americans has upon our PEG.
pie.
The men in the trenches get the
French and Belgian papers I was
there after Cantigny and Chateau
Thierry had been fought and won BY
your men.
Delighted by the News,
Our Belgians We're wild with de-
light. In one sector the lines had be-
come stabilized because each side had
turned loose foods against the other.
The wet trenches we're perhaps 1900
yards apart. Each side had boats, but
there were few raids. But while l
was there the Belgian army was be.
ginning to stir. One morning I saw a
party Of my cOuntrymen returning in
boats. They had been out on an all
night raiding party. They We're 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.
THE king makes his headquarters
gian seacoast. Here he lives like
modest citizen of moderate means in
a simple two-story brick cottage. The
house faces out on the sand dunes.
remember there were two flower beds,
which did not thrive well in that sandy
soil.
THE interior of the house Is as sim
pie as the exterior. The king has
I1ny salon fitted out with some old red
velvet chairs, very much the worse for
wear and years. There Is small ta-
BILE, 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
The Duke Of Brabant, sew.
enteen, heir to the throne, at the age
when most boys are in high school, Is
serving as a private in the army. AS
! was coming in l saw the pretty blonde
Princess Marie Jose, twelve, romping
In after walk on the dunes.
Its a sweet, wholesome family life
that IS led there at La Panne, broken,
Of course, by the necessary absences
Of the king with his men, and the duke,
who takes his turn In the trenches.
II had two-hour talk with my SOW
ereign. 1t is, of course, difficult to get
to La Panne. 1t Is quicker to go there
by auto than by train and your papers
have 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
Fighting King Described.
''rhe king is very tall and soldIerly
looking. He Is forty-three, and his
face shows the cares that he has borne
for the last four years. He wore the
Khaki uniform Of general in the Bel
gian army. And 1t was not the show
uniform that so many sovereigns put