The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-25
Personal "REMINISCENCES.


LONDON, Jan. 24.-At the request OF a
representative of the Associated Press,
Mrs. George Cornwallis-West, who was
Lady Randolph Churchill, and, previous 20
her marriage. Miss Jennie Jerome, of New
York city. who had several unusual OPP
portunities of meeting Queen Victoria, has
written the following:
"I have been asked to give my personal
Renaissance of Queen Victoria. So much
has been written about her Majesty. such
a hymn of praise has burst forth from the
whole civilized world, that even out of the
fullness of ones heart and had i one OF
the most eloquent of pens ii would be diff
bcult TO be anything but an echo. Still,
1t may be interesting TO my countrymen TO
hear even my small note joining in this
harmonious paean as TO her gOodness-a
goodness that was felt by all her people.
as her greatness was apparent TO all ma
tIOnS-to the American. whose pulse beats
quickly and whose brain works in unison.
the fulfllment of a high ideal, noble life.
must appeal with Irresistible force / am
sure it is no exaggeration to say that the
American people have placed Queen Vic
toria high a pedestal of virtue
their imagination can build. 1t Is not for
me to diiate on the qualities of her unique
greatness These will be immortalized by
history. Still, L cannot refrain from say
ing that the great theme of all was her
knowledge CT and sympathy with human
nature. When Colonel TowSe recently went
to Windsor to receive the Victoria cross for
valorous deed by which he lost his eye
sight those present have since told me that
as he advanced, led by his wife, toward
the Queen tears poured down her aged
cheeks and it was i'm a broken voice that
she spoke TO him. Few at eighty-one could
forget their own dim and falling eyes for
the blind ones of Others.
THE Queen may be counted on as one of
the victims of the war. Every defeat, every
unsuccessful skirmish. the loss or wounding
of any brave soldier was personal to her
When had the honor of seeing her Majes-
~ at Windsor in December. 1899. before
leaving for South Africa in the American
hospital ship Maine, she evinced the great
est interest in all the details and fittings
o. the ship and particularly to the his
tory of the hospital staff, doctors and
nurses, whom she had received few days
NE: 1T is very good of the American
people TO subscribe for this ship, and l
am most grateful to them for coming over
and helping to take care of my sick and
wounded
81 had not seen her for some years. and
/ the melody of her wonderful voice and the
fascination of her marvellous smile again
came as revelation to me. The most
commanding presence and regal beauty
could not have had more thrilling effect
upon one than this small figure bowed
down with sorrows and age.
Some years ago 1 was hidden to Wind
sor to receive from the Queen the Order
of the Crown of India. 1t was memoir
able day. The Queen. with one of the
me in a small room. She adddessed a
few kind words to me, to which, in my en-
barrassment, L made some inaudible an
swer; and then she proceeded to pin the
order on my left shoulder. 1 remembered
that my dress being thicKly embroidered
with jet, the pin could find no hold, and at
| last she stuck il straight into me. | could
not hide what L felt. and the Queen was
much concerned. But eventually the pin
was put right and l courtesied myself out.
AS L reached the door, she called out:
You have forgotten the case, and held 1T
out to me. / afterward said to the lady in
waiting that / was afraid 1 had not COM
ported myself properly, and she answered:
You need not be troubled; / know the
Queen felt more shy than you did
AT the opening of the Imperial Insti-
| tute, about ten years ago, the Queen sat
with look of intense anxiety on her face.
| She had TO make a speech; but when she
did so, her voice, soft and gentle as it was,
never wavered, and it could be heard by
ALL Only great moral courage and capac-
| ity could have carried her through this
ordeal.
"Once again I remember the Queen at
| her first jubilee, sitting alone in the mid
| die of the great nave in Westminster Abb
| hey, a small, pathetic figure, surrounded by
| a vast assembly, their gaze riveted on her,
while silent tears dropped one by one on
her folded hands. What must have been
the weight of her memory
High and low, rich and poor; the whole
English-speaking race realize that they
have lost in Queen Victoria the greatest of
JENNIE CORNWALLIS-WEST.