The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19
Now They Give
the Queen 81 its
Rules TO BE Observed in Milking Her
Majesty "a Present.

From the Chicago Chronicle
| If you think OF giving Queen Victoria
a Christmas gift, there are certain
things you must bear in mind. Anyone
| can send Victoria a present, but only
q few presents are accepted and even
the honor of an acknowledgment is
denied.
Many thousands OF Queen Victoria's
subjects who have addressed private
letters to her majesty and have never
received a reply have often wondered
why they have not. Since it is the right
of everyone to address a letter TO the
sovereign when he has sufficient rea-
son for doing so, 1t is not surprising
that some wonderment, and even Bit
terness, is experienced when. after
reasonable time, an earnest appeal.
marked private" brings no reply
whatever. But whenever q letter Of any
nature addressed to the queen remains
unanswered it is due to the fault of the
subject, and not Of the sovereign and
Tor the simple reason that persons who
are not acquainted with the details of
court etiquette do not take the trouble
when writing to the queen to FAMILIAR
ize themselves with the requirements
covering such matters. Usually the let
tiers are properly addressed, and. as the
writer thinks, properly folded and dis
patched.
But in folding the letter is where the
fatal error is made, for the queen new
er. under any circumstances, reads u
folded sheet of paper. If, by any chance
or through the Importance of cause,
a letter is handed to her majesty and
the sheet is folded it is Immediately
thrown to the floor without even sec
ond glance. This is. not permitted to
occur often. however, for the mistress
of the robes now looks over all the
10 after
passed through the hands of two pri-
vate secretaries, before they are taken
to her majesty's apartments.
sheet of thick white paper of or
binary size should be used when writ
ing to the queen. The color does not
prefers white paper, of course, 1t is ad-
yisable that it should be used. The
queen is particular about these small
matters, and anything that she is
pleased To regard as a royal preroga-
tive must never be trifled with.
The queen does not put her letters into
a waste basket. as ordinary mortals do,
but, as soon as they are read, unless
they need to be preserved for some par
ticular reason, the letters are thrown
on the floor at her feet, and later are
removed by a servant.
The royal mail is brought by spe-
cial courier to the palace at which her
majesty happens to be staying at the
time. 1t is taken first to the official
secretary, who has a high-sounding
title and is member of the Official
household. From there that portion OF
it marked private" is taken to the
queens private secretary No. !, ana
after he has examined IL carefully and
has assured himself that nothing OF an
unpleasant nature is to reach the queen
he turns il 2Ver to the Indian secre-
tary, who is the favorite with her ma
jesty at present. This dark-skinned at
tendant scans each letter separately.
and when he is satisfied that all is
we'll he delivers them into the hands
of the mistress Of the robes, who, in
turn, delivers them to the queen. who,
according 10 her humor, reads them
personally or commands her waiting
woman or the Indian secretary TO do
so for her.
II important letters come when the
queen Is ont driving the secretary IS
commanded 70 bring them TO her, and.
after reading them they are thrown 10
the ground, TO be gathered up by the
secretary after she has gone on her way
again.
In some things the queens taste is
exceedingly simple and old-fashioneo,