Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-03-28
QUEEN yICTOR1N's BOOM
And Queen vIctoria's Mistake.

to result from writing of it in a paper
book is more than | can tell" Yet She
persisted "just us the Scotch professor
drank whiskey, because | like it and be-
cause it's cheap" Queen Victoria has
followed a similar caprice, bat, unfortu-
nately, did not perceive that it was a fool
ish thing to do.
Any one, says Il bold writer, who Judges
the Queen solely from her latest book,
would set her down as nothing better than
Il good mothcrly lady, devotedly attached
to relatives and retainers, with no IDEAS
beyond the range of ordinary common
place bourgeois domesticity. There is
hardly reference in the book, which
covers the momcntous period from 1862
to 1892, to any public event except as it
| affects the Queen, or one of her family,
or Brown. The slaughter of whole regi-
meuts of Engllshmon in Zululand would
seem, if she We're to be Judged by this
Diary, to move their Queen less deeply
than the fate Of the young French adj
is the mothers concern i'll her boy Arthur,
which are most fully spread out to view.
70 this reticence, about public matters
there is one startling exception. On
Sunday, October 2, 1870, when France
was under the feet of Germany, the
Queen writes:
DR.. Macleod gave us such a splendid
sermon on the war; and without mention
ing France lie said enough to make every
one understand what was meant when he
| pointed out how God would punish wick
ndneSs. and vanity, and Rensuaity and
the chapters he reau from 'i"I AA'l1i'
and from Ezekiel, Amos and one OF iiv
Psalms, wclc really quite wonderful for
the way in which they seemed to describe
| France. 1T was all admirable and heart
stirring.
rho italics are the Queens. Is it pos
sible that Her ltajcaty lid not sec what
just offence this passage would give 10 "
friendly nation? Nor will the offence be
lessened by her remark that the prayers
were beautiful in which Dir. Macleod
spoke of the Sick the dying, the wounded,
TIE battlefield, ond nlY SOnS-i1-ia,e and
dGuGht5rs. Imagine the feelings With
which these sentences must be read bv
Mr.. Gladstone, the pivot of whose for
eign policy, SO far as it has one is the
maintenance Of II good understanding
with rance.
1t is said that some Of Her AIales''., :
advisers did their best to dissuadc the
Queen from giving to the world Diary
extending over twenty years, the hero of
which is John Brown. Brown is on al
most every page. Browns opinion is
continually quoted Browns emotions
on great occasions are described. Browns
affection and devotion are praised, no
doubt deservcdly, but still with tiresome
iteration of acknowledgment; l'rnwu's
legs are objects of frequent anxiety to
| L.. /. ..1..
was much listresseJ at breakfast to find
that poor Browns legs naI b"er dread
fully cut by the edge of his wet kilt on
Monday. Next day Browns leg is better.
Brown is much interested in the fine Old
chapel of Holyrood. At Rosliu Chapel
the Queen reads out of a volume of poems
! by the Ettrick Shepherd, full of heauti-
< ful things, which Brown Ind given hor
some years ago. Brown was delighted
= with lie Greeu'q reception at Edinburgh
5 Prince Consort In August Brown leg
= is again hurt by falling through an open
: place on board the ThmIerer turet
:, ship, but in September Brown is once
n more ON the rumble of the landau, "hi.
! leg now really fairly;well, though hC
:. looks pulled. The news OF Plevua be
V gins brief paragraph, which ends witt
n the statement that good Brown waiteC
i and brought in my usual glass of water.
V The death of the Prince Imperial, or th
t young French Prince, as Brown calls him
|, leaves Brown $50 distressed and at tn
v bottom of the same page is this entry
:, Packed my boxes with Brown. Was 5
N horriticd. The Duke and Duchess {
ct Albany como home to BalmOral. tabl
with whiskey and glasses is placed agains
, the house, DR.. Profeit gave "Leopold
~ and Helen's' healths, and then "Brow
az stepped forward and said nearly rs 70
of lows: Ladies and gentlemen, let us joi
~ in good Highland cheer for the Dul
s- and Duchess of Albany, may they Inv
,e long and die happy! which please
,e every one, and there We're hearty cheers
r5 A little later DIR. Profeit proposes Il
,Io Duchess of Connaught, and then Brow
4 Inudges him, and at Browns suggestic
n3 the doctor proposes also 1.-THE little Prl
il cess" And with that Brown disappea
IN from the scene, save for the cOncludn
. " tribute which Her Majesty offers to t
> memory of her faithful attendal
"Snatched away in the fullness of heal
and strength, respected and beloved
all who recognized his rare worth n
n. kindness of heart, and truly regretted
iis all who knew him." Thus. is histc
written. No man was so hated ms Bro
to was by those with whom he came in &c
,m- tact, and the royal household did l
um scruple to say that Browns death mis-
leir have been postponed long time II
AZ table with whiskey and glasses had e
adc been set within his reach.
Who There is II great deal in the Quee
cd liking for Brown and his fidelity to
1ng which deserves respect and not Ii
was which lends itself easily to ridicule.
oft. the rest of the book it must be admit
ell. that the greater part is trivial.
in But the most wonderful thing, after
nc, is that the Queen should choose to t
Of her subjects and the rest of the worl'
len- such M extent into her confidence. il
eral is Sovereign hedged about with an
ling uuette only less rigid than that of
was man court ; not to be approached save
hpsc certain privileged and rigidly defined
and limited classes not to be spoken
mass never to be questioned as inaccess
rees to the general world as if, like Tennys
men goddess of old, she sat on the heights
if il heard the thunder breaking at her
, in And yet she publishes a Diary whicl
/, he'd addition to all that is briefly hinte
epin above, is full of expression of the !
avoc intense personal feeling on subjects W
ming to most people would seem delicate,
food to many sacred. "Ihe Duchesshas a
and good cook, Scotchwoman, and tho
how dear Albert would have liked it
3 of The Sweet Baby Beatrice" and
most precious Albert" appear on the very
ton page, aud continually reappear, long
the Beatrice mas ceased 10 De sweet
ished and near quarter of a century fror
the date when the frlnce Cohsort had
etnlA- deposited IN his t'ihp ana ceased
rnain- stow On TINS not TOO graltlul c"un'i
t the well-neaning advice when AoIe Una
lwood Prime Minister resented as an lht
lea in BILE impertinence,