Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1883-08-01
Queen Vic.oria's Loneliness.

The Queen has survived not only her
husband, but almost all relatives of her
own time. all her earlier political
friends. and an entire groupe of closely
attached dependents. like Sire. Phipps,
Sir Arthur Helps. and many others less
known to the general world, saws tho
London Spectator There is no one liy-
ing who could address her by her Chris
tian name, or, indeed. on any terms Of
equality; while all her children but one
are married, scattered, immersed in
business and households of their own.
1t is IL lonely peak to sit on. at the top
of the world, and as age draws on t.ee
Sovereign, who already has reigned SO.
long that men passing middle age have
consciously known no other. must feel
this more and more painfully, with 3
sadness which the movement OF the
world does not diminish. The Queen
has had no misfortuncs such as have af-
hicsed many of her predecessors. no
loss of subjects like George ILL.,. no loss
of public honor ike George w., but she
has to bear the burden of an ever-in-
creasing pressure of the interests, incl
dents, movements of mank md, of all Of
which she must to herself seem the GEN.
ire. Nothing eventual can happen in
the world wa,ch is not in some way or
other borne in pressinglyon the Queen.
the special feature Of the are, the new
completely of life arising from rapid
communication. began shortly before
her accession-Hus,ii ,son was killed in
1S30-and from tlat ,ment to this af-
fairs must have seemed to press in ever
mere ,slnr volume upon her. rs il the
very atmosphere had grown more weigh
ty. Imagine what the telegraph alone
has been To the Queen. To feel impcr-
alive duties increasiag. and strength de-
ca, ing, and life growing more and more
lonely, Is sad position for any one;
but wnat must it be TO a Sovereign who
rece yes every day evidence that she is
one of the central figures of the world.
WAC hears Monday that all America is
glad because the report of an accident
to her had proved exaggerated, Tues
day that an Indian tribe had accepted
her as Goddess, "Wednesday that her
daughter, one day to be Empress Of
Germany, has celebrated her silver we'd
ding with Princes for train bearers,
Thursday that q plot has uccn discover
ell which renders doubled watchfulneSs
necessary round Windsor9 1t is u
strange position, one not to be desired;
aud, remember, it must be judged not
from the constitutional point OF view
that the Queen only accepts advice, but
from her own point of view that the
Queen, after taking advice, gives her
own commands. No monarch ever vet
quite lost the feeling that. in some in
describabie way. he was himself, in
some special degree, responsible FIR the
welfare Of the people, and in that re-
sponsibility alone, be ii rs unreal as it
may-and Eugtisnmen often underrate
the Queens direct influence on affairs
us Il burden which, to n lonely woman.
lobg experience teaches us what to do,
but teaches also how useless the doing
often is. We are no deyotees of mon
archy, gravely holding scif-government
to DC more educative and more digni-
fed; but there has never beer, in history
reign like that of Queen Victoria,
who, surrounded by an impenetrable
etiquette. breaks it to tell ner people
that devotion. even in the humbicst of
followers. has reused in her '.real friend-
ship" RepUblicanism in England
sleeps. and Will sleep while the Queen
reigns. Is there not in that mere tru.
ism sufficient biography?