Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-08-20


like terrible pail upon the mothers, wives
and dau ;hters OF the Saints. Not only th9S
who have been enfOlded in IT'S Shiny embrt
mourn from day to. Say their hard lot,
those VIII D n escaped its pollution,
know not npoiler may enter
firesides, Al ply dim the luster
of their ey dOws upon their
faces.-CorS
Roya
Queen VictOris
character of the
the greatest att
be read with
fectiSn for
only to abb
usually environ
fee something OF
cherished in PRIV
details of the cou
but the first of
life of the Pm
carries us us IA
marriage and
II appears thg dso
the Queen co I'd
talked about de Ing Il
that. In this cohnexiq
ing naive confession:
'Nor can the Quec
dignation against hers
the Prince waiting for PROV
= years, ut the risk of running
for life, until she might fee
ry. And the Prince has
he came over in 1899 Wit
telling her that if she could
up her mind, she must undeTstsYc
could not now wait for decision, a
done at a former RSriOd, when this
was first talke3 h. The only cxe
Queen can herselfis in the fad 20
the sudden from the secluded life at
kensingtOn TO The independence of her posi-
tion as Queen Regnant, at the age of eigh-
teen, put all ideas of marriage out Of her
mind, which she now most bitterly Iepents.
a worse school for a young girl, or one more
detrimental to all natural feelings and aifec-
tions cannot well be imagined, than the posi-
tion Of queen at eighteen, without expe-
rence, and without husband to guide and
support her. This the Queen can state from
painful experience, and she thanks God that
none of her dear daughters are exposed to
such danger"
What Prince Albert himself felt on tho
subject we can learn from his own letters
lie thus wrote to his grandmother
'The subject which has occupied us so
much OF late is at last settled. The Queen
sent for me alone to her room few days ago,
and declared to me in the genuine outburst
Of love and affection, that / had gained her
whole heart, and would make her intensely
happy if l would make her the sacrifice Of
sharing her life with her for she said she
looked on it as a saerihce the only thing
which troubled her was that she did not think
che was worthy of me. The joyous opeuness
nf IN ~, vrlsrh ~. 4,1H 81,
enchanted me, and was quite carried away
byit She Is really most good and amiabIe,
and / am quite sure Heaven has not given
me into evil hands, and that We shall be hap
Py together.
"Since that moment Victoria does what
ever she fancies should wish or ike, aud
we talk together great deal about our fu-
ture life, which she promises me to make as
happy as possible. Oh, the future does it
not bring with it the moment when / shall
have to take leave of my dear, dear home,
and Of you! l cannot think of that without
deep melancholy taking possession Of me. 1t
was on the 18th of October that Victoria
made me this declaration, and have
hitherto shrunk K from telling yOuj but how
does delay make It better z"
To his college friend, Prince LoEenstein,
he wrote thus:
''Ies, 1 am actually bridegroom, and
about the 4th of February hope to see my
self united to her / l1ye
"YOu know how matters stood when / last
saw you here. After that the sky vas dark
ened more and more. The Queen declared
to my uncle of Belgium that she wished the
affair to be considered broken of, and that for
four years she could think Of no marriage
went, therefore, with the quiet, but firm
resolution to declare, on my part, that /, also
tired Of the delay, withdrew entirely from the
! affair. 1t was not, however, thus ordained
| by Providence; for On the second day after
our arrival the most friendly demonstrations
! were directed towards me, and two days Ia
! ter l was secretly called TO private audience,
in which the Queen offered me her band and
heart"