Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-23
The Warming Note.

The advisers of the queen must be convinced
by this time that her majesty's retirement from
public life has become something more than sub
ject of occasional, sympathetic despondinr gos-
slp. Little by little it has hardened into matter of
opinion and of grave forecast. Moreover. il is
subject upon which all classes in society, from
the lowest to the highest think strongly, and on
which they all think alike How strong the
general feeling is, and how ready to reveal itself
even upon slight occasions, is shown by the pro-
gress OF the discussion to which Col. Barttelot
made the latest contribution in the house of com.
mons yesterday. 1t is scarcely more than a fort.
night since, advancing from the region of gentle
INIT and mild suggestion, we wrote outright
what everybody has been thinking more or less
Lof several years past; namely, that the queens
retirement, due TO private grief is taking the
proportions Of public calamity Immediately
every important journal in the kingdom. from
the saturday Review and the Times downward
.ooh up ahu repeated the warning in plain strong
language, such as is fttest for the occasion. II
is 10 ne heard in the verses of Pinch and !, l.
echoed in the house of commons itself Tbor 90
fore there is no reason TO hope that the varnino
will not pass unregarded. Popular oninion nc
Judgment of the country, is often cited nowadovS
as If 1t were unallOyed wisdom. Our own faith
is not unreservedly given to that doctrine, but
those who do believed in it should be rather start
led by the fact that here is a case in which "popu
lar opinion" does not mean the intincts an(
the Judgment OF majority, but of the whole
mass of the country of every class, Of ever,
creed, OF every degree of ignorance and en-
lghtenment, of every form of political per
suaslon. Of course it affects various mel
in various ways. Ono it makes appre
hensive; another it reioices; and there are de
grees in those different feelings, according a.
the overthrow of the monarchy in England il
dreaded or desired. But these various shape
and grades of feeling all spring from one uni
| yersal conviction; that if the monarchy remains
| lor many years longer in the shadow OF til,
| TOMB, Its own existence will be threatened. w,
know 1t is not an easy thing for the ministers O
| sovereign 70 deal with him Dlunty in affairs o
tins KIND. We know, also, that some of th,
| worst mlslortunes that have ever oyertaken thu
| civilized world may be charged TO a like Austen
| uon from disturbing majesty with distresSin,
| p0ftents. But MIR. Gladstone is strong minis
| ter. he is not inclined TO undertake the respec
| due TO the popular Judgment, though he proba
| bly, does underrate the insurgent forces that Ii,
at the bottom of it, Then he, perhaps, will under
take a task which he cannot long neglect with
out damage to his reputation as a minister, o
without suffering the accumulation of danger
TO the peace Of the state. That they do accu
mulate at a rapid rate he may assure himself, i
he will consider the state of popular feeling OIL
this subject now and only five years ago. II
may confidently expect to see a still greater ad
| vance and a still deeper change five years hence
| The queen should be advised that if she is Il
| leave the throne to her children as safe and a
comfortable as she found it, (Which is desirabl
| on her own and their account,) and if the coun
| try IS TO be spared what troubles must arts
IRON encouraged aud plausible republican agita