The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-02-24
ENGLAND'S QUEEN.
scae Undesirable Qualities In the
Robes Of Royalty.
Victoria not Altogether An Attractive
MOther-in- Law--.A shabby
Economical Sow.
ereign.
lucy n. Hooper in Philadelphia Telegraph

lucy n. Hooper in Philadelphia Telegraph
Apropos of Grace Greenwood, have Just
finished reading her very charming aLifs Of
Queen Victoria" 1t is a most interesting
volume, and heartily concur with her in her
enthusiastic praises Of Prince Albert. Till
his eldest son grew up we scarcely realized
what paragon the prince consort really was
"a Young and handsome man, seated beside
one of the greatest thrones Of Europe,
| prince out of fairy tilo for beauty AMI
personal fascination, yet bameless and noble
in his daily life as virtuou woman. All,
there are no such princes nowadays
| The only real error of his life as the queens
husband was his adherence to the strict rules
of the stiff court etiquette Of Germany, and
which he persuaded her to maintain-a fact
that accounts in part for the intense unpOpu-
| larty that was at one time his undeserved p T.
| ton. He carried his intense pride Of position SO
| far as never to consent to receive any article
| from the hands Of servant Even when he
was out shooting he would not take his gun
| from one Of the game-keepers; it had to bo
transmitted TO him through the medium Of
his gentlemen in waiting. His wife fully i'm
bibed all his ideas and followed his EXAMPLE.
| Once, when Queen Victoria was on visit TO
| King Louis Philippe. she expressed L desire
one evening" Immediately before retiring to
rest, for glass OF water. 1t was brought to
her on a golden salver by one of the royal
Wallets The queen refused TO take the water,
motioning its bearer from her with All
imperious gesture Louis Philippe noticed
the action, and perfectly comprehenied It's
purport He signed to one OF his sons to offer
the saver to her majesty. This was done,
AMI the queen then cordescended to accept
the desired draught
| think, too. that Queen Victoria tas been
much TO blame in the stand which she has
taken in regard to the marriages Of the MEM
| bers of the collateral branches Of the royal
family. 1t is well-known fact she forced
the poor Princess Mary of Cambridge to give
up the man she sincerely loved and who
loved her. an English nobleman, and likewise
compelled her to give her hand to the duke Of
Teck More then once has the queen been
compelled to intervene in the conIugal affairs
Of this ilassorted pair. And in more than
one instance she has refused to receive at
court German princes who have married
| English ladies OF rank, because she did not
approve Of the gentlemen maj rying beneath
their station, thus taking sides with her
birthright against her own countrywomen.
But the most unprincely Of Queen Victorias
defects is her meanness. She is economical to
degree that would be praiseworthy in a
washerwoman earning shillings a week, but
which is highly reprehensibie in q sovereign
receiving large revenues from the nation.
That she should not care for dress is all well
enough, but surely the queen of England
ought not to appear in public in soilei and
shabby clothes, and that she does continually.
Her invariable wedding gift to any young
lady member Of the British aristocracy en-
titled to receive present on her wedding
from those august hands, is an India shawl.
The reason for this invariable selection is said
TO be the fact that a portion Of the tribute
paid annually by the native princes Of India
20 their supreme sovereign, the empress, al
ways consists OF number of fine shawls, and
so she need not disburse penny when max
ing her wedding present. And the injury
that she has done TO the commerce and
tradespeople of London in her selfish Sc
clusion during all these years is simply in
|
her lost husband land doubtless she did, poor
wifeDwith all the passionate abandonment
due to such love and such loss. But a
nobler mind would have recognized higher
duty in the claims Of her people, aud when
the formal period Of mourning was over,
would have comprehended the worth Of self.
abnegation on such matter.
| And the poor Princess Beatrice-surely
never did princess, young, sprightly and in
telligent. lead such doleful existence outside
OF the enchanted tower of fairy tale Not
for her are the splendors Of a court ball, or
the charms of box at the opera, or even the
luxury of drive in the park in the height Of
the London season She is kept closely
chained to the side of her imperious, selfish
mother, fulfilling the duties of paid COM
panion with never holiday, except, indeed,
when she caught the rheumatism lately, and
had to go to Aixes- Bains by order Of her
physicians And am told that the poor
princess malay was caused by the strict en-
forcement by the queen of full dress daily at
their family dinner. That constant wearing
of decollete corsage in all kinds of weather
proved too much for the health Of her un.
lucky daughter. And from the queens die
tum no appeal is possible. She tyrannizes
over everybody about her, with the sole ex-
ception of the duchess Of Edinburg. The
naughty Russian princess once turned upon
her with the sharp remark, apropos Of some
question of precedence. MADAM, you forge,
that my father was an emperor. while your,
was not even king"
Now, do not wish to decry Mrs. Lip
pincott's most charming volume, or to give
the impression that do not comprehend and
appreciate the many high qualities of Queer
Victoria. But have been too much in Eng
land, and have heard too much about her tx
exactly look upon her as "a thing ensk'y'c
eusainted." She has defects which are in
tolerable in private-still more in that Of {
uueen-and that have told, and are still tell
ing cruelty on her family and her immediate
surroundings. And any prosperous American
girl may thank her stars that Queen Victori'
is neither her mother. her guardian. or he
mother-in-law.