The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-24

AS TO THE QUEENS JUBILEE.

Speaking of the ''snub to our profes-
sions on Grant day." Charles Dudley
Warner in July Harper's Editors Draw
err writes thus frankly and significantly:
Now this was an affair of the citizens of
the United States, but so far as l could
see. or as / am informed, scarcely any
recognition was extended in the invita-
lions TO participate in it except TO the of
fetal or political and moderately to the
business class. The great universities,
the learned professions, were unrecog-
nized Here was work Of art to be ded-
icated. / could not learn that distinguish
ed architects OF artists were invited. Here
was the tomb of a maker of history and
a maker OF national glory. / could not
learn that any one was invited because
he was a historian or poet or man OF
letters. To be a great educator, or
publicist, or a man of genius, or IA
nous physician, or an economist or
philosopher, or a scholar, or an eminent
lawyer did rot gain man an invitation.
Aside from the field of politics and Off
eial life and military rank, the list was
philistine. The intellectual side of the re-
public, impressed in official life or poll
tics was ignored
Coming from such source, these words
are almost important; of course, Mr..
Warner seems not to have been invited,
but that did not influence him nor take
away from the truth of what he says.
In connection with these remarks of
Mr.. Warmers, the converse comes to us
IN the story of the Queens jubilee. In
that case, what Mr.. Warner calls "t'he
philistine" seems to have been left out.
The court crowd was there and the black
Indian with the red jacket, and the fan
fare as her majesty moved down stairs,
and lot Of scrofulous or silly princes,
and a snoring horse with General Miles
on it, our clown-toady Depew and White
law Reid with an equerry; it was royalty
On rampage with the sweaters, states
men, scholars, artists, MERCHANTS, manu-
facturers, ''the philistine" left out.
Now no sane or gentle man would say
anything ungentle of the Queen. She has
gradually, year by year, come to be the
honored and illustrious. mother and
grandmother of great many persons.
These persons are called princes and
princesses and they together with those
they have married together with the
grandmother have been sitting about
loafns to the tune of millions a year,
while the people with such leaders as
Gladstone have borne the stress OF what
ever battles have brought greater iber-
ties or greater happiness to the toilers. 1t
is quite q superstition to be misled into
the fiction that Queen Victoria has much
claim to the honor Of England's peace
and progress. That has all been attended
to by the Commons and the great Com
moners who lead the Commons. Yet here
comes all this birthday business, with
Gladstone the greatest of them all left
out, as was Mr.. Warmers "philistine"
from the "Grant Day"
II WUulu, luOeeu, seeu well IL royalty
in England could be closed incident af-
ter this last explosion. What need to
have the Prince of Wales? Why break
him up from his baccarat and his "house-
parties" which his wife will not attend?
All these things will look strangely one
hundred years from now, or perhaps
fifty years. They are beginning to look
strangely already. In the East long ago,
they used to dress the elephant up very
dne, so as to divert the eyes of the people
from the monarch on his back, for fear
the people might become vicious. 1t might
be well if all royalty in coming jubilees
would have the Gladstones in the pro-
eession and the industrial organizations
a representation of the great mass Of the
people and their purposes. In this way,
the eyes Of the onlookers might be di-
verted from the ridiculous as well as out
rageous panorama Of royal fanneurs
while Ireland is heard murmuring under
her yoke, and India looks even to far-off
America for food.