The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1919-10-11
BELGIAN KING ONCE
BOOK AGENT IN
new ORLEANS
Score of Years Ago the Young
Prince, Incognito, Rubbed
Elbows With Public
New Orleans Times-Picayune.)


sell you a set of encyclopedia.
When ne presented himself, with
his satchel under his arm, he handed /
out a card engraved C. A. Harris.
Because he was well-mannered and
tactful in his handling of prospec-
tive customers, he doubtless receiv-
ed more courteous treatment than
is accorded book agents, and
was not elected by force.
In New York today he is receiving
quite different reception.
If his New Orleans customers had
been glIted with second sight they
might have read beneath the &c. A.
Harris" on the card the name of AL
bert Leopold Clement aMrie Mein-
rad, King of eBlgium, Duke of Sax
ony, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and
Gotha.
When the young prince came to
New Orleans during his 'incognito Wis
it to the United tSates in 1898, there
was one man in the city with whom
he had previous acquaintance. That
man still is, here among his flowers
and plants that surround crosse
Villa" on Gentilly avenue, where A.
Alost, Belgian subject and former
florist to the dowager queen of Bel
GUM, maeks his home.
AS to the stay of the young ruler
in the city he is reticent. He was here
and he sold books land his name was
C. A. Harris, just as in st. Louis his
name was John Banks, and he piled
his profession of civil engineer.
For further details-who is SIM
pie servant of eHr aMjesty the queen
that he should speak of what his
prince did under an incognito as
sumed for the obvious purpose of
avoiding just such publicity? That
the time is twenty years past and that
the king doubles swould enjoy re-
cital of the visit today, does not en-
ter in the scheme. Loyalty to the
letter comes first.
Mr.. AIsot came to America thirty
years ago and has made his home in
New Orleans with his daughter for
almost the whole of his life in Amer
lea.
In Brussels, where he worked in
the florist shop of relative, he was
assigned the honored task of daily
decorating the bedroom and boudoir
of the dowager queen, the wife of
King Leopold, with fresh flowers and
growing plants.
The duty was much sought after
because of the honor and the dignity
of service in the royal household. To
the eBlgian boy it was sacred priv
ilege still hallowed in his memory af-
ter the passage of long years.
The home of the Alsot family was
near the grounds where lived the
duke, brother of King Leopold and
father of Albert. The young prince
and princesses, who were children at
there under the guardianship of nur-
ses, and there was strong friend
the time, took all their recreation
ship between the royal children and
those of the Alost family.
"a wonderful boy "a wonderful
man, wonderful kingw is the trib-
ute of the old friend who has been
privileged to watch the development
of his sovereign into a new type of
ruler than that the Old World knew.
When Albert came to America in
1898, he was seeking, as did the
princes in old fairy tales, to fit him
self for the throne and to prove him
self worthy of his crown
Instead of Staying dragons, he set
himself to learn the wishes and ne
cessities of his fellow-man. Incog-
nito, he mingled with men and wO-
men in all walks of life; studied the
oil fields of the South the maniac
turing towns, the commercial and in
dustrial interests, cheat" tlips on
ranlroads to view the inside work
ings Of the system, and carried on
his sociological Investigations in the
great laboratory of the world. He
was % years of age at the time.
Two years later after he had re-
turned to hsi country he met the
Princess Elizabeth Of Bavaria, while
he was visiting her father, Duke
Charles Theodore of Bavaria, scien-
fist, eye specialist and philanthropist.
They were married in October, 1900,
and nine years later assembled the
throne with a simple ceremony in
keeping with the democratic ideals
of both rulers.
Like her husband, Queen Elizabeth
viii be remembered always as a war
time ruler. She was the first woman
in eBlgium to enter war work tax
ing charge of the Red Cross hospital
at Laeken land at the beginning of
the war she said she would take a
/ rifle if need arose. "and all the eRI.