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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1903)
King Leopold II of Belgium and His Royal Family .- ..... ' " k " 1 ' a j5 I Vti . jr tvrr- 9- - , ' : y r. SU! i!: 'ii i - i 1 1- KINO LEOPOLD II OF BELGIUM. PALAIS DE JUSTICE AT BRUSSELS. (fopyrlKht. Ii2, by Frank Q. Carpenter.) 1RUSSELS, Jan. 7. (Special Corre I apondence of The Bee.) I law tho King oi ueiKium warning aiuus iu the park near bis palace tbla morntna. Yea, alone! He wai printing along with a springy step, his shoulders well back, as though walking tor a wager. He had a cane In bis hand and bis trousers were rolled up, although the paths were perfectly dry and the sun was shining. lis was dressed In business clothes and wore a sack coat and - derby bat. Altogether he looked more like a gentleman farmer with a touch of,the sport In him than the king of one of the busiest little nations of Europe. Nevertheless Leopold II Is a king In every sense of the word and aa klnga go he Is not so bad after all. He Is now 67 years ld and be has been ruling Belgium for aore than thirty-seven years. He ascended the throne Just about the close of our civil war and has held his own through the various changes of government In France, Germany and the other countries about blm. His title, you know. Is Leopold II, King of Belgium. He Is the second king that Belgium has had. This country was a part if the Netherlands until 1830, when l; became an Independent kingdom, and Its congress elected Leopold, the father of thl man, as and since then Belgium has walked alone Austria, Russia, Great Britain and Prussia guaranteed the neutrality of Belgium and ' ' . : ' ' V . r ' e - 1 - . 4 i 3 1 I PRINCE ALBERT, NEPHEW TO KINO LEOPOLD AND HEIR TO THE BELGIAN THRONE. the country, or more than $500 per family. as the ruler, and I can't tell you just what he gets out of it. I only know that Its government revenues now amount to not . quite $6,000,000 a year, and that the ex penditures are greater than that. Whether Leopold has any private property there or not I do not know. His majesty has been accused of not being a very good guard Ian of the wealth of his own family, and especially of that of his sister, who was the wife of the - unfortunate Maximilian of Mexico. Her name was Carlotta, and, as the story goes, when Maximilian was executed he left her a vast' estate, of which King Leopold was trustee. Then Carlotta became Insane and her estate was almost absolutely in the power of her brother. It is gossiped that the most of this property bas been squandered In various speculations and that a large part of it bas gone into certain enterprises along the Congo river. In the meantime the enemies of Leopold say Carlotta has recovered ber reason, but that bis majesty does not dare to take ber out of the asylum for -fear of being held to an accounting. King Leopold has no son to succeed blm. He has had three children, but they are all girls. Princess Louise, who It now 44, waa born before be ascended the throne, as was also Princess Stephanie, who Is now 38. it. kin. HniinnA .oni off i it.if Tblnk.of a land that can produce so much Both of these princesses are married. The lis sing, noiiana em on 10 uoru v. i. r. nuiir. ahi uiorv iiiNu u ulcus mat e r xanui can mnvi ukuuii a uu. ihuu.iuv, sell $500 worth a year to foreign nations, was born July SO, 1872, and who Is conse That Is what Belgium did. It buys as well quently SO years of age. By the constltu- a few year, later .11 the state, of Europe "'""- "00;?'"' HU lUipuriS aiUUUUl lO lUUUl f IVU,UUV,VUV an IU lug uuow lua.v nuv vt tuv taiuu;, nuallr. and of these more than $50,000,000 the ilrU hav do chance. If the klof worth come from Yankeedom. It.buys eren should die today hit brother, who la two mnv-rf than tVtm frnm Vmnnm norma n v mnA Viri hlfl IliniAIV would talfA hla Illa.ee. and 1865 and upon his death his eldest son. the ClW BrIlaln but ,t it.ng t0 each of them in case of bis death the succession would present king, took his p ace During bis alm0Bt much M u whn- ouf De,. g t0 hl ,on p,, Albertl . who Is now administration the country has steadily gian ,mport, are a btUiie in comparison. 27. and who ha. a baby boy named Leopold. recognised It as an Independent govern ment. Leopold I was the ruler from 1831 until grown in population and wealth. It la But , iUrte(I wrUing on the Belgian about 2 years old, ready to succeed blm In u.u., u.ir .uu,, king. He is so wrapped up In the country case he dies, and I s .co..t Is not longer than from ,n,t u , h,rd t Bepar. hlm from . The gcvernment of Belglu 1. 'm!r': 'U " 'UPPr ! And .till in many respect.. If gossip tell, different from those of the , uuri cii iu aa uinuy iicuo aa iuo wuuiv m la somewhat other European t h A t ml h ha raim ft I si fun nut fit nittAP Tk. lu. v.. little 111,., V ? , P Pl III thlng th,n " Notwithstanding his than the king of England, the most of the nn kJ vrw with the ynn of ,ife , thlrty..even year, g0,ernIng being carried on through the in.ul.rt iu.i.?,Tm i. m.n.rt cf rc,Kn he U gay ana f,ddy- H" sr congress and ministers. All the royal acts Indeed. Belgium Is ss well managed aa . k.. . -(.. . -iri it . v. I . any land cn the Klobe. The soil la natu- .a u . i t... t ' ... waa at 18 when he married Marie Hen I ( r pi lhn t hli a hAtvmoi voannnathla fA . L Th Z . u.v A ,n TnV r,etU' ln duht' Archduke Joseph of them. The congress cons.... of a senate im.Th'oldlI.T,h7Jr J AuB,r"- AH 'orU of ,tor,', ,re wbl- n1 hou- ' representative., elected b, small holdings and the greater part of it is pere(, about BruMeU of ,he klng., egca. th , d . . ' . . worked with the spade, so Intensively that .dp. ,Dd ot hl, ilh.riit, to certain f- PeoP'e- na " curious tning mat .. . .. . . paaes ana ox nis liDeraiity to certain re- some men have as much as three votes. It produces vastly In excess of other coun- -,,1, n.n. -,v .v, 1.,., ... ... muiu ,,.. v, nnlw ,h. . Kllf ,. nlal Pr,on who. to ssy the leaat. are no Every citizen over 2a years of age baa one trlea. Not only the farms, but the mines better tha th,r ,noul, H gaM 35 who cav at leaat II and factories are well handled. There are to b. . B,,roB of .rt .d eaneclallv of . Z . i , wf.V 1 mm nu.rru. ... 10 M P,ron 01 rt- n1 peciauy or k year n house tax and have had children 1,600 stone quarries, which are worked, em- tha, -, of ,rt ronnectl with tha oner. i. awo cii,u mu auuuiuutti vuir. aa una ainu nlnvlnaT atmif XT nil A man mnt vlaldlniv an mm . . . . .n , 7JPi .f iM Mftm i w r .i Una ,la8"' ,M pr,ma aonDM 01 Wn,cn ery cltlsen of over 25 who owns property "."d"; WE of S.VSoal mln a'nd .n 'tr"U " ? th' Tia ,4 T 'V oVU!e9.vs.ucdVer.Vt,,nduh.tt.'p8,, th- "a f of .torle. of the different industries. the ballet. He Is a great lover of borae- Graduates of bi.h colleae. have two extra Belgian Iron goe. all over the world. It. back rldln and freouentir rldea alone - . v . college, nave two extra ..,.,.,, ... ., ,v. c" "aln na irequenuy nae. aione. T0tes, but no man can have more than three foi.t if SoT Am.Hca and thl .rl.7rl?i TU "a' "l ' tn Parta TOt. Another regulation provide, that .roiected Cm Hankow to PeW.n U ,n th 'UbUrb 01 BrU"eU ,0,D "l man must vote and that if he doe. roi.d projected from Hankow to Pekln 1. a g00(1 trot through the woods, with a. Bot he may be arrested and nunlahed being built with Belgian .teel rails. There 08tent.tlon as I saw blm out walking Thus y0re the governmn are three steel plants here, now working on this mornlna .. 7 M f government enrorcea a 60.000-ton order o, steel ,.,1. for Mexico. ' indeTd "ieopold has many thin,, to com- J?!ZJSfi& p "pertan" "V?" 'Ti rZ 2h .'- ha. a iUUrCa:c;0t,ohnT ChUdfen' '" 1.7. Z t'"'"c" or ,0 ,n uPPer P" 01 Brussels. i fielHum aa in moat of the countrle. npai r w wa i nwmw rna wnri 11 nni a nawai naiwr a... a a. i a. . . . in atiia to tft out of itrtt of Belirlan .. . . . " ex"aT"Kny "r of Europe, the government owns the tele been able to get out ot Sight of Belgian iu exterior Is concerned, and It cost, as rsDhs and telephones and to a lr nrddrmoV0.flonrSe.rconmmeWrJ.er g'Um "" f"'"'"' ' a' " fer.he' railroad Each of he.'.'b fn'ch bad not more or less commerce. arcn of Europe. He has a civil list four- i. worked at a nroflt and thev add ma Think of a land like this not more than teen time. a. big a. the .alary of Pre.l- erlll,, to the government revenue. one-third the .lie of Indiana which Is thus dent Roosevelt. He has 1700.000 a rear !!" ' 2 L Z 7 Uf!l. was ii tfc- .n7 a J th. dollar, out , u "p " "l"D,1,nmeBl. na n aaai abou, $3.ooo.OOO and that from the tele all the world and draw the dollars out. ion he owns a large private fortune. He ,r,Ph $2 000 000 The rallroada are man They say Its king Is a sport, and my in- own. land. In Belgium, botela at Ostend Kd In the In ere.ts of thT people id rigbt. but he must be a business .port In houses there. For a long time he was different roads have workingmen'e tickets order to accomplish such business results, the sole po.aes.or ot the Belgian Congo. by which a laborer may go to hi. factor; Let me give you a few commercial fact., the va.t territory which he acquired d back if It I. within fifteen mile, for In 1900 Belgium .old more than $100 worth through Stanley, but of late thl. h. been n cent. 4 week ev.O day by tral" There Of good, tor every man. woman and child In turned Into aa Independent state, with blm are al.o reduced ticket, for school chlldrea BABY SON OF -PRINCE ALBERT, HEIR-PRESUMPTIVE TO THE BEL GIAN THRONE. and a half rate for school excursions where the children are taken away under the charge of the teacher for instruction pur poses. The ordinary rate for a bicycle taken along with a passenger is 14 cents, and dog. travel at third-class rates. The Swl.. system of yearly passes at a fixed rate prevails here. For about $123 you can get a ticket that will allow you to travel throughout the year second class on any of the state railways, and tickets for a shorter tlmo proportionally low rates. At present there are more than 2,800 mile, of railroad, in the country, with a passen ger train o numbering about 140,000,000 ride, per year. I find the car. very good, although they are generally filled. The service at the sta tions is excellent. There are plenty of por ters', dressed In blue Jeans and black cloth caps and numbers on them, who take your baggage, weigh your trunks and carry your small truck Into the trains for 10 cents, or even les, per person. I have been riding second class and I find it comfortable. The cars are divided up into compartments, with seats facing each other, so that each compartment will accommodate six. The seats are cushioned with felt or leather, and their backs are upholstered to high above your heads. The fares are remark ably low. The Belgian postofflce department man ages also the telephones and telegraphs, as well as the savings banka. The telegraph rates are much lower than ours and the service Is quite as good. You can send fifteen words for 10 cents, fifty words for 24 cents, paying only 2 cents for every ten words thereafter. There are now about 4,000 miles of lines in the country, with enough wire to reach around the world. There are S7.000 miles of telephone wire and 16,000 stations. The conversations last year were almost 40,000.000. The national savings banks are patronised by all classes. The books number more than l.SOO.OOO and the deposits approximate $120,000,000. In addition to thl. there I. a fund ot government annuities amounting to $33,000,000, so that the Belgians have In their own savings banks about $150,000,000. The most ot such accounts are small and the savings come from the poor. More than 60 per cent of the books have a total of less than $20, and fully three-fourths ot them are under $100. Taking the whole popula tion into consideration there is one savings bank account for every tour Inhabitants, or on the average above one per family. The accounts are stesdily Increasing and the people deposit thus more and more every year. The system enables deposits to be made in the smallest villages, and every laborer bas a ssfe place to put his savings If he wishes it. It Is a pity that some similar arrangement cannot be made for the United Statea. I like Brussels. It is one of the best built and best managed cities of Europe. It has only about 200,000 people In the town proper, but with its suburbs its Inhabitants are more than 500,000. It Is in the heart of Belgium, and as such Is within a couple of hours or so of the whole population of mere than 6,000.000. The town Is divided Into two sections, one of which is high above the other. It Is In the upper part that the king's palace and all the government buildings are situated. It is here that most of the foreigners live, including about 2,000 English residents. Our minister has a fine home not far from the palace of the king, and the consul general Is about equally distant from the palace In an opposite direction. w Tho government buildings are especlalr fine. Take the Palais de Justice, which stands upon a hill high above the business part of the city. It is said to be the grand est structure of the world. It is bigger than the capltol at Washington and covers one acre more than the enormous Church ot St. Peter at Rome. It Is built of marble and It rises high over Brussels with a dome 100 feet higher than that of our capltol. The structure in general 1. pyramidal, each suc cessive section diminishing in bulk. It is beautifully decorated, the rotunda being embellished with colossal statues of Justice, law, strength and mercy, and the vestlbulo adorned with statues ot Demosthenes and Lycurgus and of Cicero and Domltlus. Not far from this are other government build ings, including the famous art gallery, the National Bank and the Palais de la Nation A. far a. education 1. concerned the Bel gian, do not compare with the Swiss. 1 seldom met a man in Switxerland who could not apeak more than one language, and In the cities nearly every one under stood more or less English. Here the peo ple speak French and Flemish, but many of the lower classes have a dialect of their own which Is difficult to understand. The Belgians are Roman Catholics. Of the six million odd people In the country there are only 10,000 Protestants anJ 4,000 Jews. The constitution grant, full religious liberty, but, notwithstanding this, many of the schools are under the church, and thia is always detrimental to education. There are in all four universities, two of which belong to the state, and also schools of arts, engineering and manufactures, which have about 1,500 students. The public school system is not as good as that ot Switzerland and the percentage ot illiteracy Is much higher. In Switzer land you can scarcely find a man who does not read or write. Here fully one-fourth of the population cannot read, and of the young men called out for military service last year more than 12 per cent could not write. This Is the only place I know of wd'eY newspapers are sold for nothing. There are two ot the kind In Brussels and both are making money. One Is known as Le Solr and the other as Le National. Le Solr has 125,000 circulation and it has made the for tune of its founder, who was a newsdealer originally, starting with nothing. He dis tributed his paper free and gradually built up a business out ot the advertisements. The only charge for the paper is for deliv ery, which costs 6 cents a month If the cus tomer lives on the ground floor or 12 cents if he lives upstairs. Mail subscribers pay merely the postage and the newsboys sell the papers on the street for a cent and pocket all the profits. In addition to these two papers Belgium has a number of other Journals which are paid for, but no other dallies of large circu lation. There are In the whole country leas than 1.500 Journals, of which 429 sre politi cal, 178 commercial, industrial or agricul tural, 180 financial and 755 devoted to other subjects. FRANK G. CARPENTER,