The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-11-06
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-Royal Family Lead
Simple Life.

worn belglan 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 a successful finish.
This Is the information brought by
Faul Van Den Ven, formerly professor
I'm the University of Louvain and now a
professor at Princeton university 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 king.
"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
Thierry had been fought and won by
your men.
Delighted by the News.
sour Belgians were wild with de-
light. In one sector the lines had be-
come stabilized because each side had
turned loose floods against the other.
The wet trenches were perhaps 1000
yards apart. Each side had boats, but
there were few raids. But while I
was there the Belgian army was be-
ginning to stir. One morning l saw a
party of my countrymen returning In
boats. They had been out on an all
night raiding 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.
THE king makes his headquarters
at La Panne, a little village on the Bel
gian 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. ]
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 a
tiny salon fitted out with some old red
velvet chairs. very much the worse fol-
wear and years. There Is a small TIA
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, IA, one of the sons, Is still q
schoolboy. 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 I'm the army. AS
l was coming In saw the pretty blonde
Princess Marie Jose, twelve, romping
In after a walk on the dunes.
TITS a sweet, wholesome family life
that Is led there at La Panne, broken
or course, by the necessary absences
OF the king with his men, and the duke
who takes his turn in the trenches.
II had a two-hour talk with my SOW,
ereign. 1t is, of course, difficult to get
to La Panne. 1t Is quicker to so there
by auto than by train and your papers
have to be u~nexceptional. But once
yeu 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.
"The 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 a general In the Bel.
gian army. And 1t was not the show
uniform that 30 many sovereigns put
on for occasions. / remember SONS OF
the gold braid was dull, and the whole
suit looked weatherbeaten. 1t had
evidently e e long service In the wind
rain and snow. Our sovereign, when
a lad of eighteen, was in America, and
he asked me many questions about
places and men he had known a quar-.
ter OF a century ago.
He was especially interested In the
first-hand impressions I gave him of the
young giant of the West and how
American democracy was raising men,
money and supplies to end the war. He
has what so many really brave men
have, a modesty that amounts almost
to shyness. And amid his cares he has
retained his sense Of humor. With a
twinkle Of the eyes and a gentle laugh
be told me many stories of his verbal