Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-05-30

"FrOm the first to the last, Queen
| Victoria watched the removal of
her servant with intense sorrow, visi-
ting him in his fatal illness" says a cor
respondent, "and literally strewing the
path of the dead man with flowers,
typical somewhat of her consideration
for him during his life; and hosts of
people about the queen have acted up
on this royal cue to toady Brown while
he lived, and to eXalt his memory when
dead. A worthy man, no doubt, was Mr..
Brown, and entitled to both reverence
and respect; but there are thousands
of such men in the service of the no
bes and wealthy cOmmoners of Eng
land; and when truly great men and
heroes pass away, their friends and adj
mirers may be apt to discount the honors
of royal wreaths when such recogni-
tlOli 10 idN ioIlCu 81 dbuHudhtiy opoli d
servant. | do not put this view for
ward wholly as my own, but as repre-
senting large amount of public opin'
ion which is inclined, while sympa-
thizing with the queen, to regard her
recent conduct as somewhat morbid, if
not an affectatiOn of the pride that
apes humility, for, with with all her
condescension to the poor, no prouder
monarch ever sat upon throne than
Queen Victoria.
"Mr. Brown was a well-known figure
in royal pageants, as on private occa-
sions. He appeared to assume a de-
fiant air, riding in the back seat of her
majestys carriage, and looking down
upon her. A fine, stalwart, manly
fellow, he was typical Scot not only
as regarded physique, but in the indie
pendence of his character. lie feared
nobody, and was not ashamed of his
opinions. The etiquette of the court
is that no person presumcs to address
the queen. She must speak first, In
the old fashion of British service the
butler or other head man was allowed
special license by his master, and is to
this day in many families. The queen
exercised no check of etiquette upon
Brown. He spoke to her when he
he had anything to say, and would al.
dress her even from his seat in the
royal carriage when they were driving.
Though his faithful service, is, no
doubt, worthy of commentator, it
was performed under very easy con-
ditions. lie had his own suite of rooms
in the palaces of Windsor, Osborne
and Balmoral, was waited upon by
special servants, had horses and car
rages at his private disposal, the ex-
elusive right of shooting game and
catching salmon in the queens preser-
yes; his word was law in the servants
hall, and the highest officials found it
in their interest to stand well with him.
More than one distinguished person
discovered this to his cost, and many
others hated the brusque, uneducatcd
favorite. The queen often employed
him on secret missions, affairs of a pri-
vate nature, inquiries of state.
"ThOse who knew Mr.. Brown best
had predicted that he would die of the
first serious illness, as of late years he
had taken little or no exercise and had
"lived not too wisely, but too well.'
The earlier years of his life had been
spent in the open air, his appetite
unwhetted by sherry and bitters, his
food plain and wholesome. Latterly
he had lounged through his days and
become an epicurean. The Duke of
Edinburg, they say, hated him, the
chief reason for his dislike arising out
of an incident in connection with
which the queen had compelled her
son to apologize to her servant. The
Crown Princess of Prussia, the queens
most accomplished and dutiful daugh-
ter, resented the privileges allowed to
Mr.. Brown by her mother. Lord
Beaconslield patronized him. One of
the great minister's critics says he cul-
tivated him, called him, "my good
FRIEND shook hands with him, and
thus conquered the queens original dis