The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-21

The death Of Queen Victoria will remove
one of the greatest personalities and most
distinguished characters of modern times.
and while the event has been foreshadowed
by her increasing years and :nfirmities, it
Is none the less startling in its significance.
Endowed by nature with rare womaniy
qualities, circumstances conspired TO make
her one of the worlds greatest rulers. In
private life she would have been distin-
guished for her personal virtues and prob
ably as a wise rearer of children. AS the
sovereign of one of the greatest nations
and head of one of the greatest empires OF
modern times she was fully equal to the
requirements of that broader field and
made a record that stamps her as one of
the wisest rulers I'm history. Her reign
was not only the longest in English history,
but in that of any country, and certainly
one Of the most beneficent. No other ruler
ever witnessed greater progress in his or
her own people Or in the world at large
during his her reign. or ever contrib
uted thereto in a larger degree. Her reign
really marked the end of personal rule in
England and the beginning of purely
stitutional government The Duke of We'll
| lington thought the accession of woman
to the sovereigns place would be fatal
to any Ministry she might form. He
thought she would choose her ministers
as schoolgirl chooses her companions.
He did not foresee that the young Queen.
| who came to the throne in 1897, was des-
| tined to have the longest and one of the
| most glorious reigns in English history,
and that she would be sovereign in fact as
well as i'm name. Yet her sovereignty was
more distinctly constitutional than that of
any previous English ruler, and therefore
| more conducive to the development of Brit
| ish loyalty and the legitimate extension of
Anglo-Saxon civilization. Much has been
written concerning the Victorian age in
| literature. AS much more might be
written concerning the Victorian age in
| constitutional government, the Victorian
| age in imperial expansion, the Victorian
| age in scientific discovery and progress,
| the Victorian age in art, etc. 1t will be
long time before brighter page in English
| history will be written than that which
| records the annals of Victoria's reign. 1t
| is true that under the limitations of the
English Constitution not all of these
achievements can be claimed for the SOW
ereign, but If she had been a different sort
| o. woman or ruler the results might have
been very different.
! Americans have special reason to mourn
| the death of the Queen, for she was al
ways a friend of the United States. With
her blood was ever thicker than water,
and i'm addition to her devotion to constitu-
tional government she seemed to have
really friendly feeling for the American
people. This evinced more than
one occasion when an unfriendly Ministry
might have precipitated war but for her
| influence. This was particularly the case
| during our civil war; when there was a
decidedly hostile feeling to the United
| States government among the ruling classes
| of England and when strong efforts were
made to secure recognition of the Southern
| Confederacy. The conservative attitude of
| the Queen was the main influence that pre-
vented this. In other less important crises
| she showed the same friendly feeling for
/ the United States that she often did for in
| dividual Americans. men and women.
The great features and achievements of
| victoria's reign will furnish themes Tor
much history, but they cannot be even
| alluded to here. 1t is enough TO say that
| a noble, useful and beneficent life is near
| ing it's end, and that a record has been
| closed which is not likely ever to be sur
| passed in English history.