Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-02
pisited the United States as
an Observer in His Care.
free Days
His Royal Consort, Queen Eliz-
abeth, Kno,on as Angel of
Mercy"

modern times. When the issue was
forced he decided instantly. Some called
him foolhardy. The Germans made
that estimate of him the subject Of
their most intensive propaganda among
the Belgian people.
The End Crowns the Work
But the end crowned the work when.
not long after signing the armistice.
and after four years of incredible hero.
ISM and fortitude, the king returned to
MS capital accompanied by his queen.
MS two sons, the Princes Leopold and
CHARLES, and the little Princess Marie
Jose.
Inc royal party entered Brussels at
'he forte de Flandre and proceeded at
once TO the Place de la Nation. All the
way was lined by singing, shouting
crowds. Such an ovation had never
oeen known even in Brussels. Flowers
were strewn in the streets and troops
OF all the Allied armies acted as escorts.
Every Inch a Soldier
And amid it all King Albert was
apparently unconscious of the fact that
he was one of the commanding figures OF
war that. had rocked the world and
had carved for himself niche of fame
in the hall of the immortals of Belgian
history.
Tall. of soldierly bearing. but visit
full eyed, he is a strikingly handsome
man. In times of stress he seems even
more than ordinarily erect. The visit
iulness vanishes and his eyes flash. He
becomes dominant figure.
a modest, unassuming man who did
not want to be king. and did not ex-
pect to be, whose kingly honors were
forced upon him by two deaths, and
whose reign has made little people
great
1t has been said that King Albert
has filled the role of an American
newspaper reporter, and this is the ex-
act fact.
1t was in the days when he had no
thought of ever coming to the throne
occupied by his uncle. King Leopold.
Between him and the throne stood
Count de Hainaut, King Leopold's son,
who died at the age of ten: Prince
Baldwin. his own brother, who was
mysteriously killed; his own father,
Count, of Flanders and in line for the
succession. but who renounced his
claims. Albert, son of the Count of
Flanders, was the only remaining male
! offspring of the Belgian Coburgs. The
Count of Flanders was the younger
brother of King Leopold.
A Newspaper Reporter
So in those care free days Albert
started on a tour of the world. He
came to America incognito and found
keen enjoyment in working on a Brook
lyn newspaper, actually covering such
assignments, fires and the like, and
later going to the middle west, where
he also obtained employ as a re-
porter on newspaper. largely through
the influence of the late James j.
Hill, whose acquaintance he had formed
and through relationship with whom he
was able to make study of the rail
road problems of the northwest, which
proved so useful to his people not long
after, when he ascended to. the throne
on December 30, 1900, when he was
thirty four years old. None of the young
princes fellow reporters knew ythe
identity of their royal colleague.
Queen Elizabeth, Angel of Mercy
Queen Elizabeth, who accompanies
King Albert on his visit to America
and to whom she was married in 1900,
as the Duchess Elizabeth, of Bavaria,
was described at the time as "a strik-
ingly handsome woman. The marriage
was quite generally supposed to have
been a, genuine love match.
Highly educated and fond of litera-
true and art, music is said to be a
passion with Queen Elizabeth, and she
is an accomplished violinist. She also
plays on the piano and mandolin. with
much ability. 1t is said that she has
marked preference for the old reper-
toire but confesses to abominating
Wagner. Some years ago she developed
talent as a dramatist and In 1905
wrote "Rosamund," play which was
produced in Brussels in March of that
year and caused q decided stir in the
Belgian capital. She is also skilled
horsewoman.