New-York tribune., 1884-03-02
THE QUEENS MISTAKE.

When Mrs. Carlyle opened her diary she
knew she was doing foolish thing. She began
by quoting cynical remark about a wife muir
der: "What could poor fellow do with wife
"who kept journal but murder herr" "It Is
every bleak and barren she continued, "this
"fact of things, as now see it-very; and what
"good is to result from writing of it in paper
"bOok is more than cantcll." Yet she persisted
in blurting out her jealousy and morbid feeling,
as she admitted, without having any moral ED
in view. "but just as the Scotch professor
"drank whiskey, because likci it and beCauseit's
"cheap.r Feminine caprice, whether of adyspep-
tic philosophers neglected wife or of the most
illustrious lady in England, has subtle logic OF
its own. Mrs. Carlyle "tOok a notion" to
keep diary, and called herself fool for doing.
If. but she was too Wise even to think Of pub
fishing it. Queen Victoria also followed SINH
lar caprice, but, unfortunately, did not perceive
that it was a foolish thing to do, and that
the world must never be allowed to find it out.
The Queens ndiscretion is conspicuous, be-
cause she has acquired 4 reputation for political
sagacity and good sense. When her long reign
comes to close the estimates formed of her
character and intelligence will be highly
favorable. She has never interfered with
the normal action of political institu-
tions and tendencies, although her SYM
pathies and prejudces have been con-
stantly excited. She has had favOrite states
men, positive preferences for one or the other
party organizations, and strong convictions re-
specting the inexpediency of certain measures; (;
but she has always recognized her duty as a
constitutional sovereign, and has never allowed
personal considerations to influence her public
action. For this cause she is descryedly re-
garded as as the most sensible sovereign in the
lists OF English royalty. To this distinguishing
characteristic of her reign is added her honor
able reputation as an affectiOnate wife and
mother If in matters of state she has helped to
educate kings, by her strong domestic traits and
womany graces she has given her sex noble
example, The literature of the reign has ac
corded to her the high honor which she has
merited. Historians poets and nOvelists have
united in extolling her talents and virtues. Her
reputation not only as sagacious sovereign,
but as a sensible woman, would have been unas-
salable if she had not herself entered the liter
ary lists and sought to scribble away her own
wits.
A letter from our regular London correspond
ent, published on another page, not only pre-
sents a critical analysis of the Queens book,
but offers an ingenious defence of 1.-THE
most generous plea that can possibly be
made for it. After commenting upon the
triyialities with which its carelessly writ
ten pages are stocked and illustrating
the lack of reserve with which the royal author
gOssips, not only about Brown, but about ex-
periences and memories which women of
refinement are accustomed to consider too sa-
cred for ordinary speech, our correspondent
has the charity to urge that the wOmans nature
has reacted against court etiquette and the
habits of scclusion which she has never relaxed
in her other relations with the public. "The
"wife, the widow, the mother, the household
"mistress. the human being, declares herself
"with this incredible frankncss, this ingenious
"candor and guilelessness and unworldliness by
(which every reader is amazed" This is rs in
eenious an apology as that offered by Sir Ar
thur Helps for the Queens garrulOus common
places about the household servants with which
her first journals from the Highlands were filled.
But when the most plausibleexcuse is made the
fact still remains that the publication OF
these later journals was an act of folly.
Even the propriety and good taste of the con-
stant references to Brown are left out OF account.
The Queen has placed herself in the humiliat-
ing plight of exhibiting the sovereign of one of
the greatest nations in the world as a dull
woman who spends her time chiefly in think
ing and talking about her servants. How much
wiser it would have been to bury the
diaries in Browns grave and allow her sex
the world over to derive their impressions of
her from Mrs. 0iphant's charming and sympa-
thetic sketch of her life and character. or from