The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-27
ACHIEVEMENTS OF
THE VICTORIAN AGE
Events Which Make Memorable the
Reign Of England's Queen.
LONGEST ONE IN ENGLISH HISTORY
On the 3Oth Of Next Month Victoria
Will Enter Upon the Sixtieth Year
Of Her Sovereignty, and the Fact
Suggests q Review of the Record
England Has Made Under Her
EWav.

ApropOs of Queen Victoria's seventy
seventh birthday, on Sunday last, the
Chicago Times-Herald says:
On June 80 she will enter on the six
tieth year of her reign. reign the
longest in the whole period of English
history, the most remarkable of any
age for material progress, and, as one
cynic remarks caustically, for Intel
lectual mediocrity." The criticism is
not true. No Shakespeare has arisen,
but when one considers that
There are but five
That the centuries do survive.
the lack of a Shakespeare is scarcely
enough to condemn the Victorian age
TO mediocrity. AS to the lesser stars
that lit the court of the great Eliza
beth, they can we'll be matched.
The special point to be made is that
the two greatest periods of English
history will be distinguished by the
names Of two women No king by the
force Of his own personality or the ac-
cident Of falling upon fortunate time
has fixed his name indelibly upon an
epoch. Elizabeth had the elements of
greatness with the power Of personal
rule; Victoria's virtues are mainly mega
tive, with capacity Of adaptation to
progressive democracy that amounts to
genius. Her non-reSistance and the
material achievements Of her time are
sufficient to fasten her name on an
age that otherwise would lack a dis
tinguishing nomenclature. For the
rest, she has established and main
tained probably the only virtuous
court England ever knew, and raised
the whole moral tone of society
throughout the civilized world.
In 1887 Carlyle, standing in Hyde
Park, lifted his hat to the maiden
queen In her carriage-he who took off
Mathew and Elizabeth Fry-saying:
Like France in her extremity, We
have got a maid. May she work a
miracle!"
Fifty-nine years ago today the Prin-
cess Alexandria Victoria of Kent was
living In almost convent seclusion with
her mother at Kensington Palace. Her
eighteenth birthday was unheralded; !;
she had not appeared at the court of
her uncle. William w., because in the
opinion Of the Duchess of Kent it was
UNIT for young girl Five weeks
later William ~. was dead at Windsor
Castle. and messengers hurried off at
o'clock In the morning to summon his
successor. She came down in her
dressing gown and slippers and night
cap, with her long blonde hair in school
girl braids down her back. There were
tears in her eyes, but she was perfectly
self-possessed, simple and dignified. At
ii she met the council at Windsor and
presided over 1t as II she had been in
the habit Of doing it all her life.
She Is described as small of sature
with no pretense to beauty, but Of great
charm Of manner and graceful. gracious
bearing. Her austerity and innocence
Immediately regenerated a court cor
rupt through eight regimes. The mi
racle was worked For sixty years now
London aristOcracy has worn virtuous
front. Irregularities and scandals have
not been tolerated by he court. Her
influence In this regard Is all the more
remarkable because with William ~
ended the reign Of personal government.
With no patronage to bestow or polit-
ical power, she has been absolute in the
social world.
ENGLAND's RISE.
For other progress she has had moth
ing whatever to do. The Englishman
was on the rise. In two generations
he has dominated the earth in numbers,
in enterprise, In finance In politics. in
science. in invention. When the queen
ascended the throne in 1887 there were
26.000, 900 people In Great Britain. There
are now 39.500,000. In addition to the
increase at nome, 1Tedt BRITAIN SUD-
dued Schind in '43, the Punjab In '4S,
Oudh in Sc, and later Upper Burmah
and the Shan states. Two hundred
and seventy-flve thousand square miles
have thus been added to the Indian
possessions. They have occupied Alden
and the Suez, created Hong Kong and
taken over territory in Siam and adja-
cent islands. aggregaiting 10000 square
miles; 100000 square miles have been
acquired In Africa, and 100000 more
are administered by the charter COM
panies. The government occupies
Egypt and Cyprus and Is advancing on
the Soudan and the Transvaal.
Australia and Canada comprise $780,
900 square miles. Canada has increased
from 100000 to 100000. inhabitants,
and has been transformed from dis
integrated number Of rebellious colon
les to compact, loyal dominion. Aus
tralia In 1897 had 175,000 white inhabit-
ants, Of whom a third were transport
cd convicts. It now has 4,500, 900. q pop
ulAsion nearly equal to that Of the Uni