The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-13
THE QUEEN AT HOME
HER LIFE AT sANDRINGHAM
AS PRINCESS OF
WALES
WAS ALWAYS A BUSY WOMAN
Said to Have Simple Tastes and
to He Very Fond of Pets
Her Kindness to
Tenants.

Details of the home life of Queen Alex
andra are being confided to the world
just now by one Sarah Tooley. Whenever
a loyal Brton takes his pen in hand to
write things about the royal family he
dips it in honey. No mere ink will do
for that sacred subject THE king can
do no wrong is rule which is sonae-
times allowed to have exceptions. but
Wen it comes to Queen Alexandra the
British Isles display a unaninlity of adj
miration which is lovely to behold.
According to Mrs. Tooley Queen Alex
andra does not believe in mad rush to
keep up with the latest fads of fashion.
She doesn't go in for crazes. She is
/ not eternally remodeling. redeeoratlng
refurnishing. re-everything She ap-
plies Polonius' advice to her personal be-
longmgs and sticks to old friends. When
she travels there is a whole collection
of objects which travel along with her
and most of them have some tender Assoc
citation in her memory.
She has quantities of flowers, ferns and
palms in her rooms. So, at least, says
Mrs. Tooley, and it is quite believable.
The same lady is authority for the fact
that the queen cloves to have evidences
of life around her"
For many years." she says, Cookie.
famous parrot, had his cage in her
dressing room, until his conversation be-
came so noisy that he had to be Danish
ed. A soft white dove with ruby eyes
would perch on his mistress shoulder,
while several dogs have passed lives OF
luxury upon silken cushions in her ma
jesty's rooms. Today the reioning pets
are white and black Japanese spaniel
and quaint little Chinese dog They
travel with the queen wherever she
goes"
The real home life of the queen has
been passed chiefly at Sandringharn
house, built no longer ago than 1850
AS Princess of Wales she spent more
than half of each year there. It is a
model estate with picturesque cottages
for the work people, a gem of a dairy :
in fact, all the modern Improvements of
big estates. The principal entrance is by
the beautiful Norwich gates, wedding
gift from the city of Norwich
The park contains 300 acres, with
winding lake overlooked from the house
by sunny terrace. The railroad is two
and half miles distant, and the accom-
modating railway company has put up q
station there with special waiting rooms
for the Sandringham folks
There is an UNCOVERED technical school
for girls in the village hard by Queen
Alexandra founded it for teaching the
girls on the estate how to spin, weave
and sew. Evidently the queen believes
IN the force of example, for she has her
own spinning wheel and hand loom,
which she occasionally uses.
There is a school for boys too. where
they are taught wood carving and cabinet
making and fitted for situations in towns
There are the queens stables where, ac-
coFdIng to the eloquent Mrs. Tooley, 'sthe
fayorite hacks and carriage horses lead
a luxurious existence in spotless stables,
lined with white tiles The kings stables
INV oIe
though Mrs. Tooley neglected to be pre-
else on this point Also at hand are
Kitchen gardens and forcing houses, COW
ering fourteen acres.
As for the dairy, the description makes
one think of poor Marie Antoinette. Her
matched laiterie at the Petit Trianon
wasn't much like Queen Alexandria S, but
it was model in it's day and great la
dies dabbled about in it then, though
more gayly perhaps than the sober Eng
hsh danes and damsels of today. Says
Mrs. Tooley:
Opposite is the queens model dairy
with dainty tea room entered from a
lovely little garden. When the dairy was
first started the queen took an active IN
terest in its management and introduced
the Danish method of butter making. In
the time of the old dairy woman Mrs.
barker, the princess and her Young
daughters often amused themselves at
churning. The appointments are dainty
and beautiful, with the blue tiles, brought
by the king from India. and the silver
cream pans lined with eggshell china.
fixed on marble counter
Around the walls are models, in mar
Bile, terra Gotta, silver and alabaster of
the prize animals bred on the estate The
tea room is dainty room literally filled
With presents from the queens family
and friends, noticeable among them be-
ing the set of Balmoral china presented
by the late queen, each piece being
painted with view from the neighbor-
hood of Balmoral."
There is a club house erected by the
king for the use of the men working on
the estate. Mrs. TooIey SAYS that there
are stringent rules in the club against
drinking and gambling. Quite so. as the
English say. People have been known to
come to grief over naughty gambling
games; like baccarat, for instance.
The old church at the next wee village
was unfit for worship, so the king had an
iron one built for the people. Mrs. Tooley
mentions this along with the benefcent
doings of their majesties, but an from
church! One has to repeat firmly that
the king can do no wrong; otherwise that
iron church would be unpardonabIe
Sandringham is not a show house like
some Of. the famous old country houses.
According to Mrs. Tooley's description. if
seems to be purely personal habitation.
filled with family portraits, souvenirs of
loved ones and models of pet animals
deceased" The drawing room overlooks
the terrace, and the, queens boudoir is
above with the same outlook One of the
kings rooms is furnished with things
from his cabin on the Scraps, the ship
on which he went to india
Formerly there used to be three balls
at Sandringham every winter for the
tenantry and servants. but these func-
tons came to an end with the death of
the Duke of Clarence. The queens BIRTH