The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-10-02


King of the Belgians. the only news
paper reporter who ever became q
monarch, is a years old and is one OF
the most picturesque figures of the
great war.
course in newspaper training in
1908 when, somewhat like Peter the
Great, he visited the shipyards OF
France, Great Britain. Italy, Ger
many and Scandinavia, to learn every
thing possible regarding ocean carriers
with the expectation at some future
time Of putting Belgium high in the
class of maritime powers. Several
years previously. it is said. when mere
ly the son of the Count of Flanders, a
nephew of King Leopold. he came to
the United States and worked as a re-
porter on one or two newspapers in
the Northwest.
/ Succeeding to the crown on De
cember 20. 1909 Albert 1. endeared
himself to the 100000 people of his
little kingdom. The abuses of the
| Congo, which had brought upon the
! head of his aged uncle Leopold the
condemnation of the civilized world,
were abolished and the King and his
beautiful consort faced the prospect
of long and happy reign in a country
!
are unknown
Then Mars Knocked.
Then came the war The king, of
the Belgians might have yielded and
escaped much of the hardship and suf-
fering that was the lot of himself and
| his people for more than four years
Needing not the specious promises of
/ the Germans to pay Belgium huge
sums for the privilege of crossing her
soil to attack France. the gallant king
rallied his army of 100000 men and
placed himself at their head tc fight
the invader When the German ar
mics violated at Wise the neutrality
OF the little nation, they were pledged
10 protect, they met with the most
stubborn resistance from the valiant
but numerically inferior Belgians at
the forts of Liege and Namur.
During the great conflict King
Albert spared himself none Of the
rlgors OF the soldier. Often he ex-
posed himself to she'll fire and avia-
| 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 chauffeur who had
been promised 100000 to deliver the
King to the enemy, was shot dead as
| ne endeavored to drive the royal car
into the German lines. Hardly a dav
passed that he was not in Jeopardy of
his life and futile efforts were made
NJ 70
expose himself.
My skin is of no more value than
yours, he told his heartsick soldiers
on their retreat from Antwerp. INV
place is on the firing Ine!''
Prussian Family Ties.
Altho his mother was a HohenzoI-
| lern princess and his wife a, Bavarian
princess, and altho in his youth he
had been educated in Germany, he
maintained an independence of char
acter that irritated the former en-
peror of Germany. The latter, among
other honors before the war, con-
ferred upon Albert the title of hon
| orary 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 shirt
came when Belgium was invaded, In
taking command of his troops on An
gust s, 1914, he said: "A neighbor,
naughty in its strength, without the
shghtest provocation. has torn up a
treaty bearing its signature and yio-
lated the territory of our fathers be-
cause we refused to forfeit our honor.
1t has attacked us. Seeing its indie
pendence threatened, the nation
tSembIed and its children sprang to
the frontier, valiant soldiers in a
sacred cause. I have confidence in
your tenacious courage. I greet you
in the name of Belgium, a fellow citi-
zen who is proud of you''
mo Thorofare.r
One year after BeIgiurn's heroic
resistance to the German flood. the
people of Paris, in gratitude to and
ahection Tor King Albert. presented to
MIN a gift sword of Sainte-E tienne
steel, the design of which was wrought
by the sculptor. Fetu. Upon the
blade, ornamented with panopIies of
steel upon gold, was a tribute written
by Jean Richepin.
mo thorofare." is the Inscription
upon the guard at the foot of the hiIt
In the form of statuette, in massive
golo, representing a young athlete
club. q
On Friday, November Is. 1918.
| aIter years of bitter privations, King
Albert returned with his victorious
troops to his devastated but beloved
people.
Queen Elizabeth. who was married
70 King Albert in 1900 as the Duchess
| Elizabeth of Bavaria, was described at
the time as "a strikingly handsome
woman" The marriage was quite
generally supposed to have been q
genuine love match. Three children
have been born to them. the heir an
parent, Prince Leopold, Duke of Bra
dant, born November 3, 1901; a sec
ond son, Prince Charles Theodore.
born in 1903; and a daughter. the
! Princess Marie Jose, born in 1906.
Queen Highly Accomplished.
The queen is highly educated and
ffond of music, literature and art.
Music is said to be passion with
her and she is an accomplished violin
list. She also plays the piano and
mandolin with much ability. 1t is said
that she has a marked preference for
the old repertoire but confesses to
| abominating Wagner. Some years ago
she developed talent as a dramatist
and in 1906 wrote "Rosamond," a play
which was produced in Brussels in