The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-26
NEW hooks.
,-.r Reviews or Important ana Interesting
View Publications.

,,.s Heyieus or Important ana Interesting
Xsw Publications.
II ia likely that at some time or another almost
,v.rr human being docs pOctical and elective
things. The inadoquacy Is that most OF these
things, no matter how %pocticnl. no matter how
elective within their scope, are LETT unrecorded.
what a queen does, or what Is done for tho sake
=, n queen, Is more likely to be preserved In
chronicle than similar matters less importantly
.ssociated. ut least since the death OF the Grimm
hrothers and OF Hans Christian Andersen. In
"Thc Personal Life Of Queen Victoria" by Sarah
A. Toolcy uDodd. Mead s. Col, we fnd q picture
AZ the Queen and Empress Victoria, then merely
. princcss, at the aye OF IL. She has slippers
with crisscross bindings upon her feet; a gown
n, simplicity and modesty clothes rather than
bedccks her person; q geographical globe and
several volumes Of unemphasized but guessablo
contents repose on a table behind her; Windsor
Castle appears family through q window In the
distance, and the right hand Of tho Princess
rests lightly upon two roses, backed by q flowing
curtain and supported upon the extreme cor
ner OF a massive table in tho foreground.
These roses. without doubt, represent the
Offering made to tho Princess by the young
Prince Albert of Coburg about this time. He
had been travelling, had collected " views" Of
the places which he had visited. and had sent
these " in an album to the Princess, together
with a rose gathered from the top of the Rigt.'
Miss Tooley speaks OF only one rose, and the
picturo has two; but 1t Is possible to account for
this discrepancy in a number OF entirely salts
factory ways. As Miss Tooley observes. "a rose
ba rose the whole world over when passed be-
tween man and maid, even though 1t DO q
dried one from tho top OF tho Rigi."
That is the main point, and We know
that Prince Albert followed his rose and
was made happy. Regarding a matter of con-
adorable interest, marking the very beginning
Of victoria's reign. Miss Tooley contributes an
opinion OF unQucstionable sanity and weight.
though It must DO acknowledged she supplies
no really new information in tho premises.
When, In 1897. shortly after Q O'Clock on a Juno
morning, the aged and irascible King William
". passed away. Archbishop Howley. the Lord
primate, and Lord Conyngham, the Chamber
lain. set out from Windsor to notify the Prin-
cess OF her accession to the throne. They reached
Kensirgton at 5 o'clock. "An was SILENT"
SAYS Miss Tooloy, "save the singing OF the
birds, who fttingly were the first Of living
creatures to serenade the Maiden Monarch, as
eighteen years before they had welcomed her
birth, In the same old palace, with similar song.
1t was hard work to arouse the sleeping house
hold. The lordly messengers knocked. they
rang, they thumped for q considerable time"
Miss Toolcy adds a bit OF description from Miss
wynn's Diaries of a Lady of Quality" which
has also been embodied by Mr.. Justin Mccarthy
In his History Of Our Own Times" Accord
Ing to Miss Wynn, the attendant of
the Princess Victoria at length appeared
and informed their lordships that her
royal mistress was in such a sweet sleep
that she could not venture to disturb her. OF
course she did venture TO disturb her as soon
as the complete. facts were made known. and
1t is recorded by Miss Wynn that in q few
minutes the Princess "came into the room in a
bose nightgown and shawl, her nightcap
thrown Off and her hair falling upon her shout
ders, her feet in slippers, tears in her eyes, but
perfectly collected and dignifed." On the other
hand, Mr.. Greville, Clerk of tie Council. who
arrived at the palace q few hours later, and re-
eeived his Information from the Lord Chamber
lain, relates that the Princess came In wrapped
In a dressing gown, and with slippers on her
naked feet" Miss To-day supports tho account
OF Mr.. Greville. I'VE are inclined TO think"
she says, that the Queen would and did put on
her dressing gown before giving audience to the
primate and Chamberlain" 1t is also recorded
that the Queen herself declared. in giving an
account OF the circumstances to Dean Stanley
many years afterward, that she put on her
dressing gown before she went to see Lord
Conyngham. And SO the bulk OF all the testi-
mony, as well as the weight Of calm opin-
lon. seems to be that the dressing
gown vas assumed. and that the Queen
dill not, even In her hurry. and in the
sleepy thoughtlessness Of the hour. appear be-
fore the Lord Primate and the Lord Chamber.
lain quite in the manner that Miss Wynn has
described. The Illustrations in Miss Tooley's
book make one of its strongest features. They
are personal and intimate, showing John
Brown leading the Queens pony in the High.
lands. The Queen and Princess Beatrice work
ing coyerlets for a hospital - "Mr. Gladstone
In small clothesl consulting the Queen on a con-
I%itutional crisis "'Looty,' her Maiesty's pet
dog" The wounded soldier toasting the
Queen, and many other matters in kind.
Another book about Queen Victoria, "The
Private Life OF the Queen, by a Member of the
Royal Househo Id" evinces rather more of q
literary ambition than Miss Tooley's does. In
"A Word TO the Reader" the author draws q
sustained parallel between his work and a pic
,ure by an old master OF the Dutch school OF
printers. las In a Dutch picture" he says
the table will be spread. and upon 1t will
be laid the plate and napkin she uses, the
food and fruit OF which she partakes. while
the liquors she drinks will bo faith
fully displayed in the bottles and glasses
which mark her tastes. In the bookcase will bt
the books she reads, in the fireplace the fue
she burns, on the floor the carpet upon which
she treads; on the writing table will lie hel
cai!y correspondence, and through the Window
la! he seen her tavorite walks and drives. hel
Eases and her Gogs." For all this the author
LIKES to himself no particular credit. On tht
oontrary. while unfolding the general plan
he distinctly implies that any fault II
1t must lie with others. The method
Is not mine" he says. land therefore
needs no apology. Whatever tho attain
hent, tho object at least Is a noble one
leave to others" no adds. ito depict the Incl
cents N a reign AS grand in war, as glorious II
peace. and as golden In art, literature, and sci
ehee ~ that Of either OF her Maicsty's predeces
tors' Queen Elizabeth or Queen Anne. My concern
Ii nIercly with the petty personal details of thu
greatest woman Of her time, who, when as
smNl child OF u she first heard OF her proximi
Vo the throne. merely held out her little hant
aAd said. j will be good!" In tho matter o
cadence and balance Miss Toohey docs not com
pare with this. Napoleon had a valet who tolt
very wildly how that great conquerOr splashct