The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-04-09

Judgment than that of the queen. Sht
 thought with them and she felt witt
 them; she shared their ambitions; she
 knew by kind of intuitive instinct arc
 course of their judgments; she synlpa,
 thized deeply with their trials and theil
 sorrows.
 She could hardly be called brilliant
 woman. It is difficult indeed to judge
 the full social capacities of any one WhC
 lives under the constant restraints of q
 royal position, but do not think that
 in any sphere of life the queen would
 have been regarded as woman of
 striking wit, or originality, or even
 commanding power. The qualities that
 made her so successful in her high call
 ing were of another kind--supreme good
 sense; tact in dealing with men and
 circumstances so unfailing that it al-
 most amounted to genius; an indefati-
 gable industry which never Jagged
 from early youth till extreme old age; a
 sense of duty so steady and so strong that it governed all her actions and pleasures, and saved her not only from the grosser and more common tempta-
 tions of an exalted position, but also in
 a most unusual degree from the subtle l and often half concealed dehecting in-
 fuences that spring from ambition or
 resentment, from personal predictions : and personal dislikes. It was these l qualities, combined with her unrivalled | experience of affairs, and strengthened l by long and constant intercourse with | the foremost English statesmen of two
 generations that made her what she
 undoubtedly was-a perfect model Of constitutional sovereign.
 1 There were, however occasions when she took independent steps, and some of these had a considerable influence on politics. Louis Napoleon was one of the few great sovereigns who wene not related to her, and to few persons could the coup d'atat which brought him to the throne have been more repugnant; but the cordial personal relations she
 established with him undoubtedly con- tributed to the good relations which for many years subsisted between England
 and France. Bismarck deteSted Eng
 fish court influence, and was greatly
 prejudiced against her; but he has left
 a striking testimony to the favorable
 impression which her tact and good sense made upon him when he first came in contact with her. She pos sessed to high degree the power of choosing the right moment and strik- ing the true chord and she appears to have been an excellent judge not only of the feelings of large bodies of men, but also of the individual characters of those with whom she dealt. She had style of writing which was eminently characteristic and eninently feminine, and it Is easy to trace the letters which were entirely her own Her letters of congratulation, or sympathy, or encour- agement on public occasions scarcely ever failed in their effect, and never contained an injudicious word. The same thing may be said of her many beautiful letters to those who were suf- fering from some grievous calamity Whether she was writing to great public character like the widow of an American president, or expressing her, sorrow for obscure sufferers, there was \ the same note of true womanly sympa thy, so manifestly spontaneous and so manifestly heartfelt that it found it's way to the hearth of thousands The tact for which she was so justly cele- brated like all true tact, sprang large ly from character, from the quick and lively sympathies of an eminently af- fectionate nature. No one could have been less theatrical, or less likely in ] any unworthy way to seek for populari- ! ty; but she knew admirably the occa- l sions or the methods by which she could 1 strike the imagination and appeal most | favorably to the feelings of the people | She showed this in the very beginning | of her reign, when she insisted, in defi- | ance of the opinion of the Duke of Well lington, on riding herself through the ranks of her troops at her first review,
 It is rather, however, by the example | of life than by any public acts that a sovereign can impress her personality on the affections of her | people, Of the reign of Queen Victoria { may be truly said that very few in English history have been so blameless IS this which was the longest of all. Her court was q model of quiet dignity md decorum, singularly free from all he atmosphere of intrigue, and from III suspicion of injudicious or unwor- hy favoritism. She managed it, as she managed her family, with happy mix ure of tact and affection, and, though he gave her confidence to many, she ave it to such persons and in such vay that 1t seemed never to be abused. No domestic life could in all its rela- ions have been more perfect, and her ove of children amounted to passion. ,mong the great female rulers 1t would e difficult to find one less like Queen Victoria than the Empress Catherine of sussia; but they had this common : rait of an intense love for children and
 great power of winning their affec- lon.. There is a charming letter of to Grimm describing her life mong her grandchildren, which might , lmost have been written by the Eng } sh queen. Her vast family, spread f through many countries, was her abid- lg interest and delight, and although he had to pay in full measure the nat ral penalty of many bereavements, she | least never knew the dreary loneli- : ess that clouded the last days of her reat predecessor, Elizabeth. The transparent simplicity and un- elf1shness of her character were not enerally appreciated, and her own ooks contributed greatly to make her eople understand her It is in general 1T from wise thing for royal person. ges to descend into the arena of litera- a Ire, unless they possess some special f