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Show UNDAUNTED BY TIOEJF WOES Lines of Care Furrow Brow of Monarch, but He Does Not Give Way Under Terrible Strain PRAISES COURAGE Or HIS SOLDIERS Expresses Deep Gratitude to American People Who Forwarded Foodstuffs for Belgium GEAND HE DQL TTFES OF THE KINO OF THF BELQI N8 IN WEST FLA NT) ERA Delg urn Dec 20 via Lon don Dec S3 8 10 r m In the co ncil chamber of an ancient Flemish town hall from which he a directing under Gorman shell f re the resistance of his warworn little army blocking the road to Dunk rk and Calais 'hunt, Al bert of Belgium today told the Asso elated Fress of the stand h s sol 1 era are making aga net the German n al ers The king s headquarters is )o atrl on one of the rrn a ing lry areas of t&at small corner of Belgi un left unde his .rule King Mbert also requested the io elated Press to convey to th peo e of the United btates his deep gratitud for their effort to feed his subjects nuw. under German ruilitarv rule The monarch was alone when the cor respondent was admitted to the co ncil chamber not e e an a de be nc p cs est. The kln, s tall, angular L on like form was clothed in the simple sajittai uniform of a general of artil kry which wai without insignia, beyond be-yond braided shoulder straps to dis tinguish him from a staff officer King Looks Care worn rhyeically King Albert looks hard ened but lines of care show in his other wise youthful face. In manner he is deeidedly shy and he apologited for his English which however was very fluent. The light from a smoky oil lamp barclv penetrated the recesses of the great beamed hall from the walls of which empty picture frames stared down When the king saw the eyes of the correspondent fixed on these blank spaces, wbero a few months ago inval uable Flemish canvas hung he smiled and said he no longer expected the Germans to even be in a position to take the frames. Modestly he praised the courage of his soldiers speaking of them with great kindliness aa though he wcro talking about his own children Praises His Army I believe, he said my army is courageous. My people however are too democratic for the same d sciphne that prevails in the conscr pt European armies ou will see something of the bravery of my people when tomorrow you shall have the chance to witness the peasants work ng in the r fields under shell fire concerned only for the losses of their homes the destruction of which causes them great gr ef hen Edgar Sengeer Belgian attache to the Amer can commission for the re 1 ef of Belgium entered and presented Kmg Albert with a report from the comm sslon, showing that enough food was in s ght to feed his people unt 1 I ebrnary 12 the king turned qn ckly to the correspondent saj ng Will vou be k nd enough to con vey to the Vmericaa people my deep gratitude! Message to Americans lie then wrote in English the follow lng message The mag-nlf ce t generosltv of the American peop e in forward ng lm menee quantities of foodstuffs to my Buffering people affords me intense satlsfact on and toucl en me very deep y In this my country s hour of trial, nothing has supported mo more than the ejmpathy and the superb gen eroelty of thoce who have ass sted ln materially lessen ng the same and I des re to offer my deepest thanks and at tho same ti ne con ey a message of good wi 1 for the new ear (S gned) ALBERT King of the Be gians Unparalleled Heroism King A bert a so iaa anxious to ha e the Amer can people know as le put it, the facts of the story of how his troops demora laed and d sorganlzed by the r d shearten ng retreat a most to the U n ta of their owi country turned at bay a ong the Tser a d he d bacl the Germans there at frightful cost n k He 1 and wounded to the r arm and of the almost Incal cu ab ft loss suffered ln 1 e de berate In un la on by a owners of the n oat va uab e agricu tural part of the country In one of thOBe ten-lb e n no days ln the trenches a ong the 'iBe the k ng said I knov that 00 of ou bra e Bel g an so diers we e k ed out lght With the mod sty a d shyness wheh ma ks is who ma ner of add ess X Albert cont nued I be ove I an not clain ng too much to say that our army saved Dunk rk and Ca a s at ie batt e of he Tser The king spoke n th the warmeit af (Con inned on Pass Eibt ) BELGIAN MONARCH 1ISMIC1S (Continued from Page One ) fectlon of his sold ers now in the trend ea pra s ng thel good spirits "When the cor respondent pxpressed a desl e to see the Be gian so d e- s actual y n the trenches he sa d You ma but I cannot prom se t Is w be w hout r sk Mrs Asqu th pressed the same des re wh e she was s ng my w fe a sho t t me ago W en the pa y was aken to the Be ond ne of renc es a b g Cerman s el fe 1 near by and d d not make our g es s fee com fo ab e When he co respondent nqu ed as to the king s own safety King ber sn ng v repl ed W m st ve nder she 1 f re ere Later nspect dn a owed th s ema k o be e a y ue aa s arce a squa e e of Be g um eft unde he e of e k ng s f ee from t e dange of s e f e Expresses Gratitude K ng A bert repeated his express o s of app ec a on of Ame can re ef fo s peop e as he correspondent was a out to ea e espec a y a ng lng ou B and vv o k he America minister o Be g um and Hugh S G bson secreta of the ega on for the r efforts in Be gi m s beha f He deo a ed that Mr Wh t o k had done sp end d work In Erusse e as the med a or between the Be gan peop e and he conquero s and exp eased the hope ha M ht ock w ou d e na n a h s pob un e end of he war And I u de s and hat M WTi ock came to B see s fo a s marked the king w hag n sne I King A be ecp essed pai cu ar warm adm ration for Air G bson who he dec ared had de vered son e d p on at c messages o him unde a evere f e He was ave &e to d scuss ng t e ru n w ch has overwhe med the country saying s mp To w know someth ng of t our se f omo ow w en jou see ou de t o ed owns Expects Victory I Tour ma es y t has been pred cted . a ou e en e you ap a w th n e .non n he o espondent a d 1 k hook sed sad sa g on b ome I s e n o B se a a of he Be g m B d g h o ond o d g a wa ak k g e e n e 1 gibe a he onadrofho arn y in fact asj we 1 as n name Its o gin za on into a co npact f ght ng fo e of ess han ha f of its former size u f e superior n shee eCf c enc s due pr nc pal y to t e k ng s wo k and nspiiatton He as surrounded h n se f w th young and enthusias c off ce s w 0 alreadj are veterans n exper ence and t Is new personnel works With the ut most harmony The k ng s chief -support is Queen E za beth who Hies only a few mi es away at a p ace also on Belg an sol whe e sho ha co np e e cha go of one of the a gest n tary hosp as "Vo o er women ex. cept t a ned nu sea are pe n itted to ap p oach p Be gian tnes Even the wives of eh ghes off ce s are not a owed to pay br ef visits to the r husbands K ng Albe t s llv ng as s mp y as any suba ern of h s staff In the en ranee o he town ha is a rlcke y armv cot on wh ch e seeks short naps w en o casoia y t e Ge mans e ax the r ef fo s When a few le sure ours pe n e k g and t e quee n ee but ey a e ng v rtua y nder oampa gn con 1 d ons The queen is the patron sa n of he Be g an wounded who prefer er hosp a o any of those o ated on he safe bases T e queen occas ona y goes 0 Eng ado see he c 6 en but a e y se as eoedvruav e ee wak ng mom o e osp a Ne e e k ng no e u e has pe ona e h hen Kgb sa d e ok a aff she f es den t, e uu i. 6 nb ou osp a a aL |