San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-02-28
WOMAN AND HOME.
TRAITS OF THE REMARKABLY WOMAN
WHO RULES GREAT BRITAIN.

Julia Ward Howe on woman's Indiffer-
ance-The Beauties of AndaIusia - The
Political Women VIII Withdrawing the
Baby-Pin Money for Farmers Wives.
Among the many hard working women in
England there is none more industrious than
Queen Victoria, and, like the majority Of
those who have achieved any distinguished
success in the state of life to which they have
been called, she is a great believer in early
rising In Prince Albert's time the royal
couple had always breakfasted, attended
prayers with their household in the private
chapel and taken walk together round the
grounds of their palace before $50 o'clock,
when the real business of the day began.
Although not so young and hearty nowadays
as formerly, the queen still rings for her cup
of cocoa at o'clock and rises an hour later
Breakfast is laid out in the apartments of
Princess Beatrice, with whom her ajesty
also lunches alone.
At Windsor the morning is spent in signing
state documents and generally studying state
affairs, and if the weather be propitious the
work is carried on out Of doors under q tent.
Like every good Englishvoman the queen
dearly loves her tea and partakes Of the coy
meal in company with Prince Henry of Bat
tenberg and their little ones. The afternoon
is entirely occupied with driving, or some
times riding, an exercise her majesty is very
10th to relinquish Notwithstanding years The
royal dinner hour is 9 O'Clock, sometimes even
later-just about the time when the sover-
eign'S eldest grandchild, the emperor of Ger
many, thinks of going off to roost after hav-
ing discussed very simple supper with HE
family and friends Fortunately no meal at
the royal castles is of long duration, aud din
ner is dispatched in a mercifully expeditions
manner. If guests have been invited the
queen enters her drawing room five minutes
before the hour strikes, and on the sound of
the gong leads the way to the dining hall.
Soon after 10 the party retire to the corridor
de conversation" and the august lady ad-
dresses all her friends in succession, but does
not remain with them much longer than half
an hour, when she returns to her own apart
ments to write letters or play duets on the
piano with any of her daughters who happen
to be staying with her.
At Balmoral the dullest house OIL this
earth" according to the late Lord Beacons-
field, the monotony Of existence is almost OPP
pressive. State business is, Of course, CON
Quoted as at Buckingham palace and at Wind
sor, in the early morning, after which, more
often than not, the whole party is forced to
proceed Oh Il country expedition in open Ian
daus however cod the weather may be- not
returning home until late in the afternoon or
evening. LuncheonS and tea baskets are of
course taken i'll the carriages, and the repasts
spread out in picnic like fashion in some shell
tered nook. The queen is particularly fond OF
skstehing, and to the despair of her shivering
and blue faced ladies in waiting, will order
her camp stool to be produced, and remain
plante la, transferring the landscape 10 paper,
while these unfortunate nortals stand around,
awaiting her good pleasure One of her mai
estys most pronounced peculiaFitieS is an in
ordinate love of cold weather. Fires are her
abomination, and she will enter the room
where her people are assembled, suffering Sc
veTely from the effects of those open windows,
which are de rigueur wherever she is respected,
exclaiming with provoking hilarity: What
a lovely day. What comfort 10 see Jack
Frost again."
1t must be whispered that the chief lady of
the realm is not on all occasions the most con-
siderate of companions. Besides her diSre
gard for the feelings Of others in respect to
icy apartments, she Is apparently unaware
that her ladies in waiting are like ordinary
mortals, capable Of bodily fatigue. They
must always be within earshot, always ready
to produce the daily papers from which ev
cry paragraph which might prove distaste
full to their sovereign has previously been
carefully removed and to read aloud stand.
ing for any length of time French and Ger
man, as we'll as English books, are discussed
in the presence of the royal circle after din
ner, when the queen is not feeling inclined
for music, and woe betide the maid who
shows any sign of failing strength Many la
dies have, indeed, proved physically unequal
to the tasks thus imposed upon them and
have been dismissed without further ado
The queen is, as may be imagined, a stern
mentor in small matters as in great Her
dislike to the ways and manners of the mod
ern Englishwoman is very evident, and only
recently has she allowed her ladies to in.
dulge in such vanities as "fringes," or to dis
port themselves in listers or other outdoor
gear displaying a masculine cut. To drive
dog cart was also in her opinion, an essen
italy manly privilege, and the Princess Bea.
trice, who now revels in the pastime, had,
believe, hard fight to obtain her mothers
permission to be seen thus demeaning her
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