Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-10-03

condemnation of the civilized world, were abolished and the king and his beautiful consort faced the prospect of 2 long and happy regin ir country where '.tramps, idlers and soup houses are unknown"
 Never Spared Self.
 Then came the war. The king of the Belgians might have yielded and escaped much of the hardship and suffering that was the lot of himself and his people for more than four years. Heeding not the spacious promises of the Germans to pay Bel gium huge sums for the privilege of crossing her soil to attack France, the gallant king rallied his army of 350,000 men and placed himself at their head to fight the invader. When the German armies violated at Wise the neutrality of the little na- tion they were pledged to protect, they met with the most stubborn re- sistance from the valiant but numer- ically inferior Belgians at the forts of Liege and Namur.
 During the great conflict King AL bert spared himself none of the ri gors of the soldiers. Often he ex- posed himself to shell fire and ava- tors bombs burst about him. Once a German shell tore off the wheel of the automobile in which he was riding. At another time a chauf fer who had been promised S200,0O0 to deliver the king to the enemy was shot dead as he endeavored to drive the royal car into the German lines. Hardly a day passed that he was not in jeopardy of his life and futile eff forts were made by his ministers to induce him not to expose himself.
 His German Blood.
 My skin is of no more value than yours," he told his heartsick sol diers on their retreat from Antwerp. My place is on the firing line,"
 Although his mother was a HOh- enzollern princess and his wife a Bavarian princess, and although in his youth he had been educated in Germany, he maintained an indepen- dence of character that irritated the former emperor of Germany. The latter, among other honors before the war, conferred upon Albert l, the title of honorary colonel of the Mecklenburg regiment an act which the Belgian press construed as an effort of the German ruler to gain an influence over the young king.
 An indication of Albert's spirit came when Belgium was invaded. In taking command of his troops on August 6, 1914, he said: "A neigh bor, naughty in it's strength, without the slightest provocation, has torn up treaty bearing it's signature and has violated the territory of our fathers because we refused to forfeit our honor. It has attacked us. Seeing it's independence threatened, the nation trembled and it's child ren sprang to the frontier, valiant soldiers in sacred cause. l have confidence in your tenacious courage. l greet you in the name of Belgium, a fellow citizens who is proud of youW
 Paris Appreciation.
 One year after Belgium's heroic resistance to the German flood, the people of Paris, in gratitude to and affection for King Albert presented to him a gift sword of Sainte- -Etien- ne steel. the design of which was wroupht by the sculptor, Fetu. Upon the blade, ornamented with pano- plies of steel upon gold. was tri- bute written by Jean Richepin.
 No thorofare,' is the inscription upon the guard at the foot of the foot of the hilt in the form of a sta tuttee, in massive gold, represent ing a youno athlete upon the defen- sivn brandshine a club,
 On Friday, November 15, 1918 after wears of bitter privations Kine Albert returned with his vic torious troops to his devastated but beloved capital amid the loud ac- | claim of the peonle
 Queen Elizabeth, who was married to Kino Albert in 1900. as the Ouch ess Elizabeth of Bavaria, was de scribed at the time as "a strikingly handsome woman" The marriage was quite generally supposed to have been a genuine love match. Three children have been born to them the heir apparent. Prince Leopold 1 Duke of Brabant, born November 3 1 1901: second son. Prince Charles ] ter. the Princess Marie Jose, borr in 1906
 Queen Musician.
 The queen is hiehly educated anc fond of music, literature and art 1 Music is said to be passion witi her and she is an accomplished vio linist She also plays the piano ant mandolin with much ability. It i said that she has marked prefer ence for the old repertoire but con fesses to dominating Wagne1, Some years aoo she developed tai ent as dramatist and in 1906 wrot "Rosamund." a play which was pro duced in Brussels in March of tha wear and caused decided stir il Beleian captial She is also a skill ed horse-woman.
 During the war the queen nurse' many wounded soldiers. A dauehte of Duke Charles Theodore of Bava ria, a renowned oculist, she began l +to st,d,y If ,,,odioipo harcalf os th