The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-27
THE DUTIES OF A QUEEN.
ENGLAND's SOVEREIGN A TRUE
WoRKINGWOMAN.
Account of How Victoria r.. and I.
Spends the Day and Finds II Done
Before Its Duties Are Finished.

realizes, indeed, how much work devolves
daily on her. Roughly speaking, she signs
about 5000 documents a year. and many
of these require careful consideration be
fore Victoria r. and l." is subscribed
Statesmen have borne testimony again
and again to the remarkable knowledge
! possessed by the queen of the various mat
tiers concerning which she is consulted.
She viii surprise a cabinet minister by
quiet reference to a precedent dating thir-
~ or forty years ago. or she will settle
delicate point of etiquette by a reminis-
cence of some state ceremonial which most
people would have forgotten. She is es.
sentially business-like sovereign, unlike
several of her predecessors and not a few
or her contemporaries. And to achieve SO
nuch the queen insists on other people
being equally regardful of time and tenn.
rer No official letter will she read which
is not submitted to her unfolded and win.
out creases. All her correspondence IL
conducted on invariable lines, and any
deviations therefrom are unfavorably re-
garded
Inc queens private letters number many
hundreds every year. She writes currente
calamo to her numerous relatives, forget
ting no anniversary or occasion on which
a letter might be welcome. To the younger
members of the royal family she never
rams to send birthday gifts, accompanied
| by Few loving words of greeting. FCver,,
gay the birthday book is consulted-not
that birthday book in which singers act
ors, and other personages are asked 10
write but that smaller volume reserved
Tor relatives and intimates. Then there
are numerous letters of a semi-private ma
lure winch are written by the queen her
sell-letters or coincidence, letters of con-
| graduation to brides who have been con-
nected with the court letters To foreien
monarchs, Besides all these epistles. writ
Ten IN the blacklist of ink on paper slightly
edged with black, there are thousands
"nicn are penned by the private secretary
ana MS assistants. The late Sir Henry
| Fonsonby was so conscientious in This re-
spect that there is little doubt that he ba =
tened his end by overwork Often he
would himself write formal letters of in
curry as TO the safe return of an actor or
singer who had performed before the
queen. or he would send an order in the
queehs name for goods-labor which
hiShl wei nave been deputed to a less
Dusy man. Sir Henry regarded nothing.
100 trivial II 1t was command from the
queen and the writer has seen MANY let
ters IN his firm calligraphy asking. for in
stance, for the attendance of some artist
or replying with old world courtesy ~
an Impossible request for her majesty's
| autograph. And many of these Letters
were submitted to the queen for annroval
Ihen rhe demands on the queens time
tor the reception of distinguished visitors
ana oftcials have grown rather than less
ened with advancing years. There are
not only ministers of state seeking inter-
views but bishops, presidents of different
institutions, military and naval officers
VINO nave to be introduced, court officials
with programmes of state functions and
many other calls upon the queen natiencel
Honors have to be conferred upon iistfngs
uished men, with whom usually her mai
esty manages to converse for a brief while.
or there are those who have achieved some
brave deed to be complimented Derson-
any. And no one comes away without
Keeling that the queen has been indiyid-
ually interested in his or her career When
| MISS Booker, the only woman saved from
the terrible wreck of the Elbe was in
vlted to tell her thrilling story, the queen
spent half an hour with the young German
girl and left an unforgetable impression
upon the brave survivor. from the lperils
Of the sea. How many people the queen
has thus honored In the course of her
| reign, and yet not one of them would say
that her majesty's interest waned for a
moment during the interview.
Busy as the queen is-she is never off
duty even on her holidays-she has a
| quick memory for all that concerns her
personal servants. One of the women who
had been In the royal household for some
years told the queen that she wished to
| leave as she was engaged to be married.
| Her majesty asked her to remain as long
as ever she could, and then just before
the wedding she sent for her. Placing a
| bracelet upon her wrist, the queen locked
| 1t with key, which she retained thus
| symbolizing her never-ceasing interest In
| the servant. There is no doubt that the
queen has cultivated the art of gra titude
| all her life. The touching tributes to de-
ceased servants, which have often appear
ed in the court circular, have been usually
| written by the queen. She has for many
| years exercised a personal influence over
the court circular and carefully revises
the proofs relating to important functions.
In my possession is page of the queen 8
copy" and very neat 1t looks. Her mai
| esty rarely needs to make vital correc-
tions in her writings, as those letters which
| have been reproduced in fac simile show.
| In the case of the letter to the late Miss
| Gordon, sister of Gen. Gordon. the queen
hardly altered a word Throughout the two
sheets of sympathetic reference to the
| general Her autograph has considera-
bly, altered lately, the formation of the
letters being less careful than 1t used to
be-
The queens day begins early and ends
late. After breakfast a meal which she
still enjoys eating in the open air when
possible, there are the newspapers and
private correspondence claiming atten-
ton. With regard to the former, por-
tons OF the Times and other journals are
real aloud to the queen by lady special
ly appointed for this purpose. 1t may be
interesting to recall that Mrs. Bancroft
attributes her excellent elocution to the
early training she received as queen 6
reader Very rarely does the queen com.
ment on the news except in the case OF
a calamity when her sympathy is quick
ly expressed in a telegram. Inaccuraey
In an important newspaper as TO royal
matters gives the queen grave annoyance
and the writer has known an official to
call and complain OF the nisstatefnenl
and demand a reeti1caton. Not long ago
| an illustrated paper gave picture In