The times., 1901-04-21
Especial Cablegram-Copyrighted)

Especial Cablegram-Copyrighte
LONDON. April 20.-It is one Of the
marvels Of English court life how Ut
4le was really known Of the personal
or,fnions and characteristics Of Queen
Victoria. It was inevitable, however
that the veil should be drawn aside
after her death and the first au-
thentic revelations are contained IN an
ANONYMOUS article by one Of her init
mates. which is published today in the
Quarterly Review
We are told at the outset that the
Queens originality lay in her very lack
OF originality and in the absence Of
salient eccentricity. Her three cardl-
nal characteristics are declared TO have
been shrewdness. simplicity, and SYM
natby but it is indicated that obsu-
Macy might have been her fourth. As
il was she early recognized that indul-
gence in il might lead her astray into
obstinate prejudice, and she was al
WAYS on guard against its vagaries-
Nevertheless. she had prejudices, and
one Of them was at the expense OF Mr..
Gladstone. The reason alleged for this
was a curious one. He overworked her
and she resented it. The writer goes on
To say:
IF she thought one of her Ministers
was not thoughtful in sparing her un-
necessary work. she would with diff
cuItv be induced to believe that his
demands were ever essential. and she
would always suspect him of trying 10
overwork her Her prejudice against
Mr. Gladstone. about which so many
fables have been related and so many
theories formed. really started In her
consciousness that he would never ac-
knowledge she was, as she put 1t, dead
beat
Mr. Gladstone tried to press her to
do what she knew with her greater
experience was not her work so much
as his and she resented the effort.
He did it again, and she formed one OF
her pertinacious prejudices. Her m.nd
had received an impression unfavorable
to the approach of this particular Min
lister and nothing could ever make her
really pleased TO welcome him
It will surprise the world, perhaps, TO
learn that Queen Victoria shared the
theory Of her imperial grandson. EN-
paror William. that she was a sovereign
bv divine right. She construed the
word loyal in the medieval sense, as
implying duty and obedience to her
as A sovereign. irrespective OF her per
sonal character. Thus, she cultivated
deem almost sgperstidous, reverence
for Charles I. who was never anything
else but A royal martyr in her eyes. No
disparaging remarks were admitted IN
her presence. even Of James II.
As the head of the state. the Queen
considered her political relation to the
national religions as she treated hei
headships of the army and navy. She
was an Anglican at Carlisle, Pres
bvterian at LOckerby, and would have
been a Mohammedan or Buddhist II
India. but her personal religion was Oh
the plsinest Christian lines, withou
theological fnesse and without eithe
vacillation or misgivings-
She had the eighteenth centur.
shrinking from what she called en-
thusiasm. and it may be hazarded tha
the forms of service in which she foun'
the most satisfaction were those of tn
PRESBYTERIAN Church. She was broa'
churchwoman in the true sense, an'
her attitude toward dogmatic religion
was a latitudinarian one. though per
haps she would not have liked 10 hav
1t defined in that way.
When Lady Canning tried TO conVeT
her to High Church views, the Quee
was very angry. and it rather set
mark in her mind against person tha
he OF she was a ritualist. 1t entere
into her feelings about Mr.. Gladston
that he. too. was a High Churchman.
II am afraid he has the mind Of
Jesuit she used TO say. She liked tn
Roman Catholics better than the Ar
gIican Ritualists. partly because 81
had respect for their antiquity an
partly because she was not the hes
Of their Church and so felt no T
sponsibiIity about their opinions.
The writer says frankly that II
Queen had no book learning and ]
cultivated taste in art or letters. II
favorite musician was Mendelssoh