The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-06
THE QUEENS RELIGION
vICToRIA's LONG LIFE DIsTIs-
GUIsHED BY GENUINE PIEFY.
Life Showing the Devout
Side Of Her Character.

nant have all been prominently associated
with religion. Mary prosecuted in the
name of her faith: Elizabeth held the
throne by her Professionalism; Anne made
her reign glorious by her zeal for the
church and the Protestant succession; but
it has been reserved for Queen Victoria
to show the beauty of a deep personal
religion. maintained through sixty long
years, in the midst OF that fierce light
that beats upon throne.
Apart from the considerations OF church
or state, Queen Victoria's religion has
ruled her life, even I'm her smallest acts.
In sickness or I'm health. I'm all times OF
sorrow or distress and in the moments OF
greatest triumph. she has put her trust
I'm God The Bible has been the daily
guide of her life and prayer the solace
of her darkest hour. Yet, IL one may be
permitted TO say so, the Queens religion
has not been of the obtrusive kind. Her
Majesty is neither a bigot, a fanatic nor
stickler for precise forms OF outward wor-
ship; her sincere nature thinks more OF
the spirit than of the letter OF the law.
The Queen is credited with having said
she did not think ii necessary ''to NOPE
over good books all day TO rightly OBJ
of the Queen is toned by that healthy out
look on life which prevents morbidity and
endows her with the divinest gift of char
ity.
The Queen has many times expressed
thankfulness for the cody training which
she received at her mothers knee. The
| Duchess of Kent was a devout Lutheran.
and when she first came to England at
| tended the German Chapel, St Jamess,
but when, on the death Of the duke. she
was left with infant princess likely to
succeed to the trone, she was careful TO
surround her with the teaching of the
English Protestant Church, and hence
forth worshiped in the private chapel at
Kensington Palace. Rev. George Daveys,
| afterward bishop of Peterborough, Of
| fciated, and to him was intrusted the little
| princesss education, and he remained her
| spiritual guide and adviser until she as
| cended the throne. Each morning she read
her daily portion with her good. kind
MASTER" as the Queen called Bishop
| Daveys in later years, and had it explained
| to her, and this habit OF daily study Of
| the Scriptures has remained with her
Majesty until the present day. The
| Queens prayer book and Bible. large and
| well-worn copies, have special table as
| signed them in the Queens private sitting
| room. whether at Osborn. Windsor or
Balmoral, and they accompany her on the
continental Journeys. and are placed each
| morning and evening ready for use when
she is travelling by rail or on board the
royal yacht
SHE REMEMBERED TEXTS.
| AS a child the Queen required not
| only to remember the text Of the sermon
but the heads of the discourse upon which
| she was catechised by her mother or her
tutor on her return from service. Jane
| Porter has related how she watched with
solicitude the little Princess Victoria sit
| ting in her uncle Leopold's great pew in
| the old Esther Church with her eyes fixed
| so intently on the preacher that she was
| cblivious Of a bee buzzing under her broad
brimmed hat am afraid the text must
| have been long and the heads many
this occasion. The habit Of youth remains.
| and to-day the Queen requires the court
preacher TO furnish her with his text in
advance This is written out in a bold
| hand and placed in front Of her MaJestys
seat. For long period now the texts OF
| all sermons preached before the Queen
have been filed for her Majesty's reference.
In the training OF her children the Queen
| followed out the axiom which she laid
down when the education of the princess
| royal was under consideration-that re-
hgious training is best given TO a child
| at its mothers knee. at is a great trouble
to me-" the Queen remarked to a confdante
| in the early years Of her married life.
| when referring TO the many state and
court functions which absorbed her time.
| that / cannot always hear my children
say their prayers" But although some
Of her maternal duties had to be relegated
to others. the strictest supervision was ex-
ercised over the royal nursery by the
Queen and the prince consort, and the
Queens memorandum for the religious
training Of the princess royal might with
advantage be framed and hung in every
nursery in the land. 81 quite clear,
wrote the royal mother, that she should
have great reverence for God and religion.
but that she should have the feeling Of de-
votion and love which our Heavenly
Father encourages His earthly children TO
have for Him, and not one OF fear and
trembling, and that the thoughts OF death
and an after life should not be represented
in an alarming and forbidding view, and
that she should be made to know as yet no
| difference Of creeds and not think that she
can only pray on her knees or that those
who do not kneel are less fervent and de-
vout in their prayers"
HAS FAMILY WORSHIP.
The Queen has always set the example OF
having family worship. In the earlier years
| OF her reign she attended prayers with her
entire family and household before break
fast. but of late her devotions have been
within the privacy OF her own room. All
members OF the royal household. however.
are still required 10 attend a daily morning
service. Her Majesty has repeatedly shown
solicitude for the instruction OF the chill
dren OF those employed in her service. She
had school for their benefit started close
to buckingham Palace. and some years
ago would sometimes call on Sunday after
| noon and conduct short Bible reading for
the children In virtue OF this II may be
claimed that the Queen has been a sun
day-school teacher. She frequently gave
religious instruction 20 her own family. an
is evidenced by the following story. The
archdeacon Of London was on one occasion