KING ALBERT.*
BEFORE the war the King of the Belgians was—outside his kingdom at any rate—little known and less talked about. Students of physiognomy were favourably impressed by his pleasant, serious face, and his marriage to the daughter of the philanthropic Duke Charles Theodor of Bavaria, perhaps the only Duke who ever practised as an oculist, was somewhat out of the ordinary run of Royal alliances. For the rest, he was known to be very tall, reserved, and rather gauche in manner, a good family man, and of blameless private character. The contrast between him and his predecessor was indescribable, and yet his country did not all at once appreciate the blessings of the change. King Leopold IL, though a sinister, was a commanding figure; he had promoted the aggrandisement of Belgium and the foundation of many fortunes, and, in view of the expansion and prosperity of the kingdom, his many subjects were ready to overlook the irregularities and scandals which tarnished his fame. He defied criticism or paralysed it with a cynical wit ; and so it came about that, keeping detraction at bay till the last, he died in his bed, old but not venerable, unabashed, impenitent, and, in a material sense, successful. To his nephew, who, until he was grown up, never expected to succeed, Leopold II. bequeathed a certain amount of the suspicion with which he had caused the monarchy to be regarded. And the newcomer was further hampered by his own temperament. He had none of the ingratiating arts which his predecessor knew how to employ so effectively on occasion. Yet in a few short years he has entirely eclipsed the dubious renown of his predecessor, and inspired all classes and creeds with a passionate devotion. How this miracle has been achieved cannot be better expressed than in the words of the Socialist Minister, M. Vandervelde. In his article in this month's Nineteenth Century on "The Belgium of To-day and To-morrow" he says :— " If Belgium beano longer a capital, she has an Army and a King. Yesterday those who imperfectly understood Ring Albert saw in him only a shy, studious, rather awkward young man. They knew him to be courageous, and they were not unaware that, following the example of other young Sovereigns—such as the Rings of Spain and Italy—be held liberal views and dreamed of reconciling Royalty with democracy, perhaps with Socialism. But the war was needed to reveal him to himself and to others, and to emancipate from the leading-strings of Royalty a Man, firm, upright, intrepid, who compels the admiration of his enemies, and in whom the Republicans—and wears of their number—salute the military and civic, virtues of a Roche or a Marceau."
Other admirers will vary the histotia parallels according to olio Life of His Ifilosty Albert. 10110 of the lisIgiam. By Jobs Courcy Mac-Doane% London: Toles Long. Els oda their political predilections. "Pierre Loti," in the account of his recent visit to the King written for the Ness York American, speaks of him as "without fear and without reproach," and compares the two Sovereigns " placed at either pole of humanity—one at the luminous pole, the other at the darksome pole, one . . . still surrounded with insolent pomp, the other retiring without a murmur to a village cottage on the last strip of his martyred kingdom." Though King Albert has been justly acclaimed as one of the greatest heroes of the war, he remains unchanged in bin aversion from publicity. What struck "Pierre Loti" most about him was "his sincere and exquisite modesty. He is unconscious of having behaved admirably. He does not think he deserves the veneration of the French nation, and his popularity with us, so much as the least of his soldiers killed for our common defence." This tribute is well deserved. King Albert has risked his life again and again in the fighting line since the beginning of the war. Indeed, it is said that when his Ministers begged him to be more cautious, he replied that he set no more value on his life than on that of any of his soldiers. That may be, of course, the outcome of his Socialistic leanings. But, whatever the cause, his action has enormously enhanced the force of his example. The Belgian soldiers recognize him as a brother as well as a King. Even the Germans have exempted him from their all-embracing obloquy, and probably no more fervent desire is felt by the Allies and the neutrals than that he may be spared to witness the emancipation of his country from her oppressor, and to preside over the rebuilding of her ruined cities and the restoration of her prosperity.
The brief Life of King Albert put forth by Mr. MacDonnell adds very little to the tributes already quoted. It lacks the literary distinction of a coissummate artist, and the weight attaching to the testimony of a Republican and Socialist politician. Mr. MacDormell, who writes frankly as a Royalist and a Roman Catholic, has had the advantage of a residence in Brussels, and we gather that his work was submitted to the King and passed by him for publication. This fact lends importance to what is politically the most valuable passage in the book—the confirmation of H. Jules Cambon's historic despatch of November, 1913. recounting the conversation between the German Emperor and the King of the Belgians in the presence of General von Moltke, the chief of the German General Staff, in which, while the Kaiser revealed himself for the first time as a believer in the inevitableness of war with France, and a convert to the views of the war party, the King of the Belgians protested against his misinterpretation of France's intentions as a travesty of the facts. The author is not always accurate—e.g., he speaks on p. 16 of the Princesses Stephanie and Clementine as the King's sisters— but he gives us some useful information about King Albert's upbringing and education, his special interest in the wel- fare of the Belgian fishermen, and the moderating influence he has exerted in domestic politics. And he does well to recall the speech delivered by King Albert to the Belgian Parlia- ment on the day of his coronation, to the spirit and letter of which he has faithfully adhered alike in peace and war. After a judicious reference to his predecessor, King Albert continued :— " Gentlemen, I have a very clear conception of my duty. The duty of Princes is dictated to their conscience by the spirit of the people, for if the throne lass its prerogatives, it has, above all, Re responsibilities. It is necessary that the Sovereign should hold' himself with entire loyalty, above all parties It is necessary that he be watchful for the maintenance of the vital forces of the nation. It is necessary that he should be ceaselessly attentive to tho voice of the country, and watch with solicitude over the welfare of the poor. The Sovereign should be the servant of the law and the upholder of social peace. Kay God help me to fulfil this mission. As for myself, I shall always be ready to second the efforts of those who work for the grandeur of the country and who, filled with the spirit of concord and social advancement, raise the intellectual and moral level of the nation, develop educa- tion and instruction, and assure to the masses greater well-being. I love my country ; the Queen shares my sentiments of unalter- able fidelity to Belgium; we imbue our children with them, and we awaken in them at the same time love of their native land, love of their family, love of labour, love of good. These aro the virtues which render nations strong."
In council, in his daily life, and in his borne, King Albert has never swerved from the principles here laid down, and he commanded the respect of all parties before he earned the undying devotion of his people by his unobtrusive but
Indomitable heroism in the field. For King Albert is resolved to go on to the end as he has begun. His tenuity is perhaps his greatest quality. As "Pierre Loti " observes, in spite of all that Belgium has done and suffered, and in spite of his confidence in the ultimate victory of the Allies,
"the King is determined that his soldiers shall co-operate to the last man in the deliverance of the country and that they shall remain to the °ad at the post of danger and honour. Another less noble than he would have said, 'I have fully paid my debt to the universal cause. It was my troops who raised the first rampart against the barbarian. My country, the first to be trampled underfoot by the German brutes, is only a heap of ruins. That is enough for me.' But the King wants Belgium to have her name inscribed with a yet finer page alongside that of Serbia in the golden book of history. That is why, approaching his head- quarters, I met these valuable troops, alert, fresh, and miraculously revived, proceeding to the front to continuo the holy struggle. Let us bow low before the King."
This is not the attitude of the courtier; it is the rightful homage due to the unconquerable spirit of a nation incarnate in a brave and good man who happens to be her King. Merses profited°, puterior email.
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