New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-15

AS 1T APPEARS TO THE BRITISH PUBran
FROM A DOMESTIC POINT OF VIEW

Prince OF Wales yesterday at the Gudhall, and,
therefore, one which makes US very happy. ana
that happiness and satisfaction are greatly en-
HANGED by the manner in which 10 has been 70.
ceived by our countrymen, and especially by thu
| City OF London
Those are rather remarkable words They
might be alleged in justification OF the soma.
what extreme franlSness with which the marriage
and the bridegroom and the bride have here Dec,
| discussed. II the Prince himself can refer IN
public to the state of his daughters affections 4.
becomes difficult TO criticise what in other cir.
cumstances might seem want OF reserve in Other
persons However everybody is pleased that
the Prince should say so. He might have said it.
snch things have been lxnown-in q diplomatic
sense had there been occasion. 1t would b
thought a wise and princely act to persuade the
English people that the betrothal OF the Princes
Louise of Wales TO the Earl Of Fife had no Other
motive than the inclination Of the girl and OF her
future husband. Nothing would be more plAs
| ing TO this nation
They are in some respects the most domestic
people in the world, and the most simple-minded--
a phrase which use in it's best meaning. What
is it-what is the one thing which more than any
other laid the foundation Of the Queens i'm
mense popularity among her subjects? Undoubt
edly the beauty Of her domestic life She. too.
made marriage Of pure affection. She was In
love with Prince Albert and he with her They
were Darby and Joan together. Her fidelity 10
his memory has profoundly touched those who
owe allegiance TO her IL she has sometimes
| given odd or almost eccentric proofs Of IT, they
have provoked little criticism except in what
are called the higher circles of society; about
which l shall have something 70 say in a moment
with reference to this present marriage Prince
|
English were not liked by Prince Albert; bus
that made no difference in their affection for bis
wife Their loyalty to their Queen never waverd
They liked her for liking the man they did not
like They did not resent her retirement rto
seclusion on his death.
If there were an exception, II was the London
tradesmen, in whose view the chief end of TIE
British Monarchy is 70 promote the flow Of cash
into the tills Of West End shopkeepers IL
there had been other and moro important
exceptions, they would in time have ceased 10
be executions They could not have stood
up against that great wave of sympathy which
rolled over these islands in 1869 1t was in that
year that Her Majesty took her subjects into
her confidence; opened wide the outer and inner
doors of her palace; published the first " Leaves
from the Journal of Our Life in the liighands,'
and disclosed TO the world the secrets of her
heart and her daily life. Then, for the first
time, and from book curiously poor and meagrs
in itself, the English people found themselves
in close personal relations with Sovereign whom
they could respect and love- and perceived dimly
but with intense, deep pleasure. that she was
human being like themselves; ate and slept
and drank and drove about, and was on rather
easy terms with her servants II Is from
similar feeling that they now rejoice over what
fbo ca1l in WaV "A lOyc-match
between the Queens granddaughter and Lord
Fife.
The tone whach the Prince Of Wales has taken
ON this as on other matters, is one of the secrets
of his popularity. There is a certain reserve
from which he never departs; yet. with every
allowance for that, there is always something
in his speeches which attracts the goodwill
of his hearers and their sympathy. IL Is as II
he came down step or two from his exalted
seat on the Throne at the Queens right hand.
Sometimes he keeps his place. but asks his hearers
to approach little neaer In one way or
another he establishes feeling of-not intimacy,
the word would be much too strong-but OF
friendly relation, Of human relation with his
fellow-men. L think il is unusual for him TO
employ the phrase which he did yesterday, our
countrymen7 1t is in any case correct, for the
Prince, like everybody else. is a subject OF Her
Majesty; but it is much more than correct. II
identifies him in a marked way with the people
over whom he is one day TO rule. IL is altogether
modern and almost democratic, and it is one OF
the curiosities of journalism that il should be
suppressed in The Tines The suppression is
probably an inadvertence. The marriage OF
pure affection is referred to editorally, and the
disappearance of the two concluding sentences
of the Princes speech may be set down to that
lay columns
dcnces of which are in these days so often visible
When therefore, the Prince speaking for HIM
self and for the Princess Of Wales imparts 10 his
c0untrymen' the truth about his eldest daugh
ters marriage, this interesting event becomes
more interesting than ever to the public IN gen.
eral. | think it must nevertheless be said that
there is some feeling against IL in society The
feeling Is difficult to define or describe but II eX-
lists. Perhaps il is jealousy-slight, unavowed,
unreasonable, yet still a faint Jealousy. Why
should it be Lord Fife? Why not Lord A., or
Lord B., or Lord c.? Why again Scotchman'
Such are some of the questions asked on one side
On the other, you may hear moan from that
sorely tried and ever most deserving and excel
lent parsonage, the British Matron. She never
forgcts her daughters and the state OF the marrase
market is to her thing not less keenly To be
watched than is the market for other stocks and
shares by her deserving and excellent husband.
Are the Royal Family coming in 10 compete asks
She, almost tearfully. The American girl was
bad enough by which the British Matron means
she was only too good" but are our daughters %
find fresh rivals in princesSeS, too?" And she
counts ruefully upon her fngers-she has 10 use
both hands and begin again-the number OF mar
ragcable princesses and of those presently 20 be
manageable Better the German than this, 10
her secret sentiment; which she hardly ventures
to express aloud or, if aloud in carefully chosen
company.
She is for the moment, l think, in majority IN
Mayfair. II Mr.. Delane were alive, and were 70
allow his opinions to be influenced, rs he used