Evening journal., 1901-01-24
STORIES ABOUII
'QUEEN VICTORIA
anecdotes Of characteristics
From Various Sources
OUTLINED ALL HER FRIENDS
Had a Keen Sense Of The LudicrOuS.
Vas Possessed Of a Re-
markable Memory
OUTLINED ALL HER FRIENDS

Although it is impossible to say that
Queen Victoria outlived her usefulness. yet
she may be said 90 have outived her hap
piness. During her long and eventful
reign-almost the longest on record and ex-
tending considerably over half a century
she had seen all her oldest friends and ac-
quaintances as well as numerous members
of her immediate family disappear into the
grave, until ut last she felt herself quite
alone IN the world Not a single one OF her
former associates to whom she could un-
burden her mind discuss the earlier events
Of her reign, or with whom she could enjoy
congenial intercourse, was left.
Mamma is SO entirely alone. exclaimed
her daughter. the Princess Christian, in my
hearing one day. "lou can't imagine how
sad 10 is for her. We all belong to n young
er generation and have different thoughts
and sentiments. many of which she can
neither understand nor appreciate Every
one of her contemporaries and friends las
passed away, and with them have vanished
all her old time associations There is no
one remaining TO whom she can really talh
about matters"
The Oueen's Sense of the Ludicrous.
This remark Of Princess Christian goes
far toward explaining the unhappy and
even moruse expression that pervaded the
queens features during he last 30 years OF
her reign, save whom something eNtraOr
dinary OCCURRED to excite her keen sense Of
the ludicrous On such occasions as these
she wnuld laugh with dcgreeuf heartness
ard even violence that would have com
petely staggered those who had never srei
her without 4ai haf sad. hA.i sour droop
OF the cornrr, 90 her mouth
remember especially one case where She
d.. ..I .nIs
of apoplexv in consequence The incident
which excited her visibility WAS the misad
venture OF q photographer who had been
summoned from London TO Windsor To
take pictures Of her majesty and of her
children lt was the first time in his life
that the man had ever found himself in the
presence Of royalty. and be was very merry
GUS so great indeed was his treTi lation
that on putting his hand beneath the clotE
for the purpose of getting the right toeu
he suddenly upset the camera The sight
Of the latter, with its three legs sticking up
into the air. while the frightened photOg
rapher stood stock STILL well nigh peitilied
with fear and with the black cloth still
hanging over his head and face, struc; both
the queen and Prince Leopold, duke Of Al
bany, as so intensely funny that they boil
burst into peals of the most immoderat,
laughter.
The little great lady fairly shook witt
merriment as she lay back on the sofi
where she was sitting, while Prince Leo
pold threw himself on the floor and fairly
shrieked with delight. The scene, however
was brought to a sudden and somewhat
tragical conclusion, for the prince laughed
so hard that he broke blood vessel ant
brought on fit, from the effects Of whicl
he almost died at the time.
This sense Of the ridiculous constituted Z
remarkable feature of the queens chaac
ter throughout her life and is noticeable
moreover, in the books which she publishe,
concerning her life in the highlands
Even in her childhood and girlhood pre-
yious to her accession to the throne in 1873
Queen Victoria seems to have given eyi
dence Of this underlying current Of merri
ment and fun in the constitution Of he
character True, everything was done tina
could be done to check it by her mother
the Duchess Of Kent, whose severity GnI
even harshness toward the young princes
called forth on one memorable occasion, a
state banquet at Windsor a violent In'
public rebuke from King William "
Personal Traits.
Queen Victoria was small I'm stature an
during the latter part Of her life very stoui
ulnf nNMNN1Af AAAA AAhN liiNfNAN NV tA't.A ~
tanning most remarkable grace and ma.
esty of department. 1t was impossible [
conceive anything more captivating am
winning than her smile. Always pla!nl
and even shabbily dressed in black gown
that were often rusty, it was impossible nC
60 feel when in her presence that that littl
old woman had ruled for more than hali
century over the greatest and most eXteI
sive empire of the civilized globe, and wit
all that a true warm hearted woman, ga
of tenderness, a broad minded, unaliecle
piety and sincere sympathy for all that M
ia trouble or distressed, thoroughly hl