ALBERT OF BELGIUM: THE DE : FENCE ',OF RIGHT
By Emile Cammaerts
M. Canunaerts emerges with flying colours from the ordeal of writing a royal biography. His Albert of. Belgium (Ivor Nicholson and 'Watson, 21s.) is not, strictly speaking, an official biograplw. No claim is made to have 'tapped secret archives, whether personal or governmental. • But M. Cam.; macros has been in close touch with those who were nearest to the. late King ; and the picture he draws has clearly been influenced by this inspiration. • • It is a tribute to his literary skill that he has, nevertheless, made Albert I a thoroughly • human and likable as well as an admirable figure. Albert was simple, even conventional, in his personal tastes. But he was sufficiently unconventional in his conception of kingShip to win the affect ion of 11 nation -syfi lel' has, by tradition, little, love for the pomp and eiretunstmee Of monarphy,.. mid .wludi. had been alit agonised by the cxtrava. ganees, both personal and political, of his predecessor, Leopold II. He handled with eonsummate skill the delicate situation which arose after the War, when the severed halves of 13elgium came together. again; and both socialists and flomiiigatits were airing their angst- extreme demands. M. Cam rune rts naturally devotes much space to. the role of Belgium and her King during the War.; and there is a long' chapter on the history of Belgian neutrality from 1880 onwards which, thimgh it occupies perhaps a dispr9portidiutte amount of, spaee: in this bffigraphy, is in-itself at efear and useful piece of 'work. M. (%itiiiillieris is anximrs ta'eMphasise that Belgium was not merely in the'position of a. &Mall State overrun by a big. neighbour, but that' sheLwas Under a treaty obligation to the guarantor Powers .to defend; herself to the best 431 her ability.
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