Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-04-25

worthy servitor. Hence the Queen permitted
him a freedom of address never endured from
any other OF her ministers except Lord Mel
bourne, for whom she had almost as much re-
gard as for the first Duke Of Wellington.
IL Will be gathered from all this that her
natural kindness of disposition and yearning
for affection have been chilled and perverted by
the adverse influence Of wooden German eth
quette and court traditions. How ridculously
great Is the importance she attaches to such
matters Is perfectly well known to every one
within the court radius. Last year when the
Duke OF Albany was married the name Of every
person to be present in st. Georges chapel was
submitted to her. She also actually edited the
official program of the professions or order Of
the ceremonial. making many alterations, addi-
tions and suppressiOns. Above all she was de-
termined that the servants Of her household
s he nsTe .nvb perfect o1 ysw naSs
thought that the members of the
house of lords and commons would have
been considered before q pack of menials,
but this is not the Queens way Of looking at
things Very few of the really important people
OF England were placed where they could see
the wedding ceremony, while every trumpery
Windsor official was accommodated with seat,
and special stand was erected for the actual
household servants. 1t is still fresh in the
recollection that when the Duke OF Connaught
was married Mr.. Gladstone was not invited.
Lord Beaconsfeld was then prime minister. and
Lords Granville and Harrington were invited as
leaders OF the opposition, this course being ac-
cording to precedent. Advantage was thus
taken. Incredible as 1t may seem, to exclude the
greatest cOmmoner In England because he was
not at that moment the nominal leader of the
opposition. The trashy traditions Of the court
are very convenient for snubbng or insulting
people, and when the public demand the reason
an attempt is made to stop their mouths with
precedent.
The demeanor of the Queen toward her fam
ny IS extraordinary, and to ordinary mortals in
comprehensive. Irreproachable as q wife and
mother, except in letting her children acquire
German accent, she now keeps them at dis
lance in very odd way. There is no doubt of
the Queens love for her children. When they
want start In life she induces the Premier to
ask for as large grant as he thinks the House
OF Commons will endure. Every item of outlay
tor the Royal family that can by any stretch of
Imagination be considered public is charged to
the exchequer; and the Queen herself saves
every shilling that she can out of her immense
revenue. At this moment Her Majesty, con-
sidered as private individual. cannot be worth
less than couple Of millions sterling so great
have been the requests made to her and so
great the saving she has made out Of income
This latter is not quite fair to the country,
which pays literally for f"dis de representation,
and is, when foreign guests come, very shabbily
represented. but 1t shows the Queens love
TOT her children. In the face Of these facts Is it
not difficut to believe that none of her chill
dren dare go to see her without permission? Yet
such Is the undoubted fact. Not one Of her
children, except the Princess Beatrice, who is
condemned to secluson with her mother, can
visit her without permission. Among them
selves they are loving enough and extremely
pleasant and free-and-easy together. Prince
Christian, who looks very old to be the husband
OF the buxOm Princess, is on the best terms with
the Prince Of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh and
the Duke OF Albany; and the Duke of Teck, bat
ing his dull stories, learned, should think from
the late Prince COnsort, gets on well with every
body; thanks to his own good temper and his
charming wife, the Princess Mary. otherwise
1.-The Queen OF the Jngoes" But all of these in-
Guiding the Prince of Wales are at an immeas-
urable distance from the Queen, who is lonely, /
must perfOrce conclude, because she wishes to
be So or has rather encircled herself with a
hedge Of etiquette which she is now powerless
to break. That she is absolute monarch in her
own family as she is in her own house is beyond
all doubt; but there is no question that she has
not now single friend to whom she can speak
openly and unreservedy