Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-25

MERE daE;E. is land which has been
49,. deliberately robbed, burned and
blown up by the Germans
,.' worse than any other-Bel-
GUM. Its business men have had their
factories Quilted and their banks bur-
sled by business rival. Seven hun
dred and forty thousand workers are
without work in population OF 1900
900. Yet Belgian workmen do not turn
bolshevik.
They are too honest. And they have
confidence in Albert.
Last month, when pessimistic ru-
mors from around about the peace
conference threw France, Belgium,
Poland. Rumania and Serbia wellnigh
into despair. an airplane rose from a
damaged Belgian city and flew to
Paris In an hour. King Albert was
the passenger. His hasty trip was to
talk straight goods to President Will
son. Lloyd George and others. Some
say that he arrived just in time.
Others don't.
This man. p.
In a town of north France In the
earliest days of the war November.
1910. French troop entered. 1t was
on the edge of the fighting line. They
saw some German uniforms. Halt.
Hesitation. "Sapristi!" said the cor
poral, they're prisoners"
The German prisoners were pitiful
to see. white. bandaged. bearded. rag
ged bareheaded. trying to sell their
pointed helmets. They stood under
the windows OF the town hall.
Suddenly. the crowd looked up. In
an old carved window stood a young
man in dark blue uniform, of pale
face and sad eyes. Pensively he look
ed down on the German prisoners, as
IL wondering why they did it. as If
ashamed for the human race at this
monstrous attack on his blameless.
Industrious little land. .,-
Silence. All looked up at him. His
personality impressed all l. for one.
had never seen him before. There was
no cheering. yet all seemed to know
and venerate the pale young man in
dark blue. who looked down so
neutrality-suspicious. three months
previously few would have recognized
him and still less have cared bean
to see his face. But now
He was Albert. the young King of
the Belgians, who docs not quit his
soldiers"
HE eats the ordinary"
He changes his shirt when he cant.
He sleeps in his automobile"
So ran the whispers. ,.,-.
He was the king without kingdom
the world knew it. He was the
king without a dwelling place-the
soldiers knew 1t. No one knew
where he was. yet every one had seen
him. j..
A call Of bugles. The scattered
French troop reformed. and stood fac
ing the window whore the king was.
As the flags rose a band Of trumpets.
bugles and comets started a gay tune
and while the bright refrain danced
in our ears. sudden booming OF can
non, four or five miles distant, seemed
to interrupt and change the measure.
The king turned rapidly and spoke
with some one inside. The fanfare
stopped short. The king waved an
''au revoir'' and disappeared. Cav
airy messengers galloped up. Then
the kings motor car glided away
with him and a French colonel. Not
cry or word was uttered in the
crowd till then.
HE has gone to fight" said the ap-
pie woman.
'The queen is a lucky woman" re-
piled her gossip.
Hes u mani" exclaimed the hump
backed boy.
So since; SO today.
No other king in modern times has
won such popular respect. affection.
- interest. confidence, from his own
people and the world at large. in SO
short a time--unknown to most, In
different to all, previously.
From the day when faithless
neighbor smashed his cities, burned
his cathedrals and bombarded his
ibraries; from the day when the