The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-22
uiCforia's Reign
a Memorable One
Editor OF The Tribune

Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: When Sir Charles Dixie was younp man
he began his political career by an onslaught on
the queen and the royal family of Great Britain.
not personally, but as constitutional anachron-
ism, a political anomaly and a national extray,-
gance. The late John Bright, then in the hey.day
OF his power and popularity as a reformer and
Radical, answered Sir Charles by saying that
monarchy in England under Queen Victoria need.
ed no apology. To republican, living under re-.
publican institutions, monarchy does, indeed,
need an apology more less plausible according
To the limitations or autocracy Of the manarcnal
power, There is nothing under the sun so din.
cut ior Il foreigner to comprehend as the poiti-
cal institutions of another country lie may
assimilate their theoretical principles or appre.
hcnd their application, or even sympathize with
some OF the historical states Of government; but
those which have no anomaly in his own instItu.
tons he regards either as reactonary, suporfuous
or deFicable, and an American, for instance, can.
not readily conceive why Englishmcn not only
safeguard but almost worship such an effete in.
stitution as monarchy, headed into inanity by a
republican parliament and democratic execu-
tive Monarchy as a social institution is another
matter. court gratfes all the variety Of hu.
man wishes 1t depends altogether upon the char.
acter of the sovereign how far its moral tone ee-
Yates, or degrades not only its environment, but
o
The influence Of Queen Victoria on the histori.
cal development Of the British empire during her
long and glorious reign of nearly sxty.fve years
only is perspective. Her political power has been
so passive and so impalpabe that few of her own
subjects outside the small circle of the higher
officers of state recognized it or even regarded
il yet it existed to an extent which moulded the
destiny OF the empire to a greater extent than
that OF any OF her predecessors from the days OF
Elizabeth to her own. II is true that the Stewart
dynasty, which interyened between the Plantag-
net and the HanoNerian, kept England In a state
Of revolution for a century, George the Third
precipitated the American revolution, and his
father before him was instrumental in precptat.
ing Napoleonic wars. But their influence was de.
structiye, not constructive. II was antagonistc
to political, social and material progress. The
rule Of those despots made for monarchial an.
archy and not for national progress.
In 1887 when Queen Victoria came to the throne
she was only eighteen years of age. She sue.
ceeded her uncle, William the Third. the brother
Of George the Fourth. the last Of the Hanoverian
dynasty who ruled In England The four Georges,
the four tools, as Byron called them, were noted
for their imperturbable ignorance, their vulgarity
their sensuality, their obstinacy and ignorance
Of the English language II was not a promising
ancestral stock from which to bring forth queen
Of England, and that queen a mere girl. with the
country prostrated ut home and threatened from
abroad. Under whiliam's short and inklorious
ireiss the court weltsred in sensualisss half