Waterbury Evening Democrat

A MANY-SIDED KING
LEOPOLD OF BELGIUM MOST
VERSATILE OF MONARCHS.
How He Turned Laugh on an Archi-
tect of Note—Is Fond of Hunting
and Climbs Alps Each Summer
in Search of the Chamois.

Brussels, Belgium.—Leopold
II.,
king of the Belgians
and sovereign
of the Congo Free State, may well
claim to be the most versatile of con-
tinental crowned heads. There was a
time when this distinction was popu-
larly attributed to Emperor William,
but the kaiser must now "take a back
seat."
The "yankee of monarchs," as the
Belgians have affectionately nick-
named their ruler, is, above all, a
modern captain of industry. His dar-
ing speculations fully entitle him to
the sobriquet by which he is familiar-
ly known to his subjects. His very
versatility has a trans-Atlantic flavor.
for the laurels he has won in such
varied fields of human activity
as
finance, diplomacy, literature, art and
sport appear more in the line of an
American millionaire than of a Euro-
pean monarch.
Latterly the king seems to have
been intent on proving that he might
have acquired repute as an architect
had he been of humbler birth. He
has succeeded in making Brussels
one of the most beautiful architectur-
ally of continental capitals.
What Baron Hausmann did for
Paris under the second empire Leo-
pold II. has planned for Brussels. He
has designed some of the most artis-
tic public buildings recently erected
in Brussels, such as the new national
bank, the Lovely Flemish theater (a
gem of its kind) and the new royal
palace of Brussels. This place, of the
purest classic style, is now nearing
completion and promises to be one
of the most sumptuous and aesthetic
abodes on the continent.
The plans for a new town hall in
a Brussels suburb were submitted to
him for approval. He carefully exam-
ined the drawings in every detail as
is his wont. To a superficial observer
they seemed beyond criticism, from

, LEOPOLD II. OF BELGIUM,
"Yankee of Monarchs." A Modern
Captain of Industry.)

the artistic facade of the most ap-
proved Flemish renaissance style to
the well-proportioned interior. After
inspecting the plans he sent for the
architect.
"Monsieur," he said, "your town
hall promises to be a most artistic
building, well worthy to figure among
the architectural masterpieces of Bel-
gium, but there is a slight omission
in your design and one from which, I
fear, the town officials may have
cause to suffer, in winter at least.
You have forgotten the chimneys in
your plans."
The absent-minded architect, think-
ing it too good to keep, tells the story
himself.
King Leopold is a keen sportsman
and a capital shot. His favorite sport
is chamois hunting and notwithstand-
ing his 71 years he still scales the
Alps on his annual summer vacation
in search of the chamois with all the
agility of a Tyrolese mountain guide.
The press has revealed to its read-
ers from time to time that some sov-
ereigns work harder than their sub-
jects, Emperor William and Emperor
Francis Joseph being notable exam-
ples of the strenuous life on a throne.
King Leopold, who is supposed out-
side of his realm to be a giddy seeker
after pleasure or a persecutor of his
Congo subjects, is perhaps the busi-
est man in Belgium. He has profound
contempt for idleness, is never at rest
and works like a Trojan.
At Laeken, his customary resi-
dence, he gets up at five o'clock in
summer, and half an hour later in
winter.
Immediately after dressing
he takes a brisk walk in the palace
gardens.
By seven
o'clock he is
at his desk examining his mail, which
is brought from Brussels by auto-
mobile.
He breakfasts at eight o'clock, then
goes back to his office and works un-
til 11, when he takes a ride before
luncheon. Early in the afternoon he
drives to the Brussels palace, where
the audiences begin at one o'clock,
and, as a rule, last until three. He
returns to Laeken for five o'clock tea,
and later devotes himself to affairs
of state.
At six o'clock he dines with Prin-
cess Clementine, his only unmarried
daughter.
In the evening he resumes work
and reads
the
latest
state dis
patches for
Brussels.
His
robust
health and his energy, remarkable for
a man of his age, he owes to active
and regular habits.