The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-11
The Wet Nurse of Royalty.

PariS IS N rdptureS- french nurse mas
just been selected for the infant daughter
of the car. and the people on the banks OF
the Seine are congra,ulating themselves
upon the fact that the baby grand duchess
VIII be reared on French milk and VIII con-
seQuently and inevitably imbibe Herewith
Gallo sympathies. 1t Is the first known
instance Of a re,sning house ever having
invoked the services Of foreign wet-nurse.
On the contrary. particular stress Is in
variably laid upon the policy and even
necessity OF the milk with which the royal
or imperial child Is nourished being OF
what one might describe as domestic ORR
gin.
Every one remembers the little king Of
SPANS wet-nurse. Raimonda. who was so
conspicuous a figure in all court functions
at Madrid during the first few years OF his
life and reign. the young monarch abso-
lutely refusing TO permit her departure url-
I'll many a long day after he had been
weaned.
In the same way-although the heads OF
royal nurseries are invariably English wo-
MANTLE wet-nurses have hitherto always
been OF the same nationality as the royal
infant. The fact tina, the czaH and czarina
should have invoked the services OF a Ber-
gundy peasant woman for the purpose n
leu of a Russian woman must be regarded
as q delicate piece of fiattery addressed to
the French nation. which Is expected 10
weigh in the balance when the new Russian
loan Is placed upon the Partisan money
market q few weeks hence.
A sensation has been created IN Grea;
Britain, especially among the members OF
the established church. who constitute the
IF r6a no
united kingdom. by the discovery that no
record exists either of the baptism or of
the confirmation Of Queen Victoria. who
is the supreme head Of that church. State
papers and archives OF every kind have
been searched in vain for documents of this
character without success, and. what Is
more, there is no refernce whatsoever 10
the celebration of religious ceremonies OF
this kind in the court intelligence OF the
newspapers of the period covered by the
infancy and youth of her majesty.
II is the only instance in British history
since the Norman conquest Of any such
omission as this. records OF every wind.
even relating to the most trifiing events in
the lives of the various British monarchs.
male and female. being preserved in the
huge public records building in Chancery
lane, one of the treasures OF which is the
worldfamed Doomsday book.
There Is no regular official record even OF
the birth OF Queen Victoria, although. of
course, in that instance the absence of such
a document is in a measure provided for
by the announcement Of her birth in the
newspapers Of the day. which add that a
cabinet minister was present on the oc-
cas.on, in accordance with the requirements
of the law.
OF course the matter of the sovereign 8
birth Is beyond question. even although
there be no official proof of t, but II is ex-
tremely likely that her majesty was never
either chr:stened or confirmed. Her father
and mother were neither Of them what one
can cali religious people. the duke OF Kent
being, in fact, as much of profigate as
his brothers-King George. King William
and the dukes of York and Cumberland.
Moreover, the duke was at the time on
extremely bad terms with his family. and
so terribly hard up financially that he
would never have reached England with
his wife in time for her daughter 10 be born
on British soil had not his friend. Mr.. Wood
the granduncle of the widowed Mrs. Chas.
Stewart Parnell. lent him enough money
to leave Germany and TO travel in all haste
10 England.
Hence it is probable that he neglected to
have his child chrstened on the threefold
ground that he had not enough money for
the christening ceremony, which in the case
of royal infants is very costly; second. that
none of his relatives would have attended
the function, and, third, because he was
not sufficiently religious TO care two straws
about the matter.
With regard to the queens confirmation.
which in the Anglican church is looked
upon as an indispensable sacrament. II must
be remembered that the duckess of Kent.
who was not on speaking terms with her
husbands brother, was terribly afraid lest
they should put into execution their threats
of removing from her care her daughter.
who had lost her father before she was q
year old. She accordingly avoided every
pretext or opportunity of bringing the girl
into contact with them, and on this ground
most likely neglected 10 have the young
princess confirmed. as they wouly have In
sisted on being present at the ceremony.