New-York tribune., 1901-04-25
THE QUEEN FROM LIFE.
/, REMARKABLE CHARACTER STUDY IN
THE QUARTERLY REvIEW"-A
LITERARY MYSTERY.
London, April Il.


of Mr. Protheroe. has regained its old time pres
.iee as the highest literary authority in the
r-nited Kingdom. The first article in the current
number issued to-day will probably be more
widely read and commented upon than anything
which has ever appeared between its covers. 1t
ia the first character study Of Queen Victoria
which has ever been made from personal knowl-
edge of her daily life during protracted period
NJ fifty years, and it has throughout strong
note Of personality. AS 1 have explained in a
cable letter. the authorship of the article is
literary secret jealously guarded but it is writ
ten with a tone of authority which impresses the
reader with the value of the independent and
even critical judgments, expressed with out
snoken candor. No other writer has ventured to
paint the Queen from life Current biographies
when not official have been made up of second
hand anecdotes of doubtful authenticity and in
dependence Of Judgment was impossible in the
records Of her career submitted for her revision
and approval. In this article the Queens char
acter is subjected for the first time to critical
nrocesses by writer who knew her as she was
how she talked and conducted herself in daily
life at court, and what were her convictions
and motives in the exercise of the supreme func-
tions Of sovereignty.
The author of this article begins with the gen.
eralzation that while the Queens character has
be said to have been very precisely known. The
fierce light beating upon the throne threw up
into brilliant prominence certain features of her
character. but none the less produced a dazzle
ment glare of glory, in the food Of which 1t
was not easy to analyze with eXactitude the
component traits After the death of a sover-
eigu so idolized and almost superstitiously
admired the blaze of reverence has continued.
II takes some time for the bewildering radiance
10 die down and to leave the Queen in the COM
roon light How much of the worship" the
writer asks. was paid to a woman, and how
much to a fetch? 1t appears to us that the time
has come to begin to abandon the note Of purely
indscriminate praise and TO put even this
revered parsonage into the crucible of criticism
TO endeavor in other words. TO note, without
any blind or sycophantic laudation. what were
the elements and what was the evolution OF her
character" The writer proceeds to maintain
that theories of heredity are not encouraged by
any study of the Queens temperament; that lit
tie of her father of her mother could be dis
cerned in the constitution of her mind; that she
offered few or none of the characteristics of her
Hanoverian forebears; that as sovereign she
was made rather than born; that there was no
irresistible trend toward personal greatness;
that she was rather ordinary mortal, with
fine instincts. considerable mental capacity and
a certain vital persistence which was to serve
her well; and that qualities not in themselves
extraordinary were trained by circumstances so
as 10 provide basis upon which excellence not
innate could be built up.
The Queens character is described by this
writer as q composite one. presenting mosaic
Of little pieces very cunnngly harmonized into
an artificial surface. Her originality lay in her
very lack Of originalityin the absence of salient
eccentricity. Elements usually antagonstfc
were so nicely balanced that they held one an
other in check and facilitated that directness
of purpose and instinct for going straight which
were indispensable in her sovereign career Her
discriminating shrewdness at once an in
valuable gift and a dangerous weapon. 1t had
more than anything else to do with her pro-
longed success as a politician 1t might have
proved a peril to her if her ingrained inability
10 drop an idea had been developed into obsti-
macy The habit of suspending her judgment
prevented her from ever resting too absolutely
on one order of ideas. Her VIII usually kept her
on high plane of action where she was directed
by singleness of purpose: but in moments of
moral relaxation she was exposed TO the danger
Of yielding to prejudice. If one of her ministers
was not thoughtful in sparing her unnecessary
work she would suspect him Of trying to over
work her Her prejudice against Mr.. Gladstone
really started in her consciousness that she was,
as she put it. dead beat" In his eagerness Mr..
Gladstone tried to press her to do what she
knew with her greater experience, to be not her
work SO much as his. and she resented the effort.
He did il again, and she formed one of her per-
tinacious prejudices. The surface Of her mind
had received an impression unfavorable to the
approach Of this particular minister, and nothing
could ever in future make her really pleased TO
welcome him.
The writer proceeds in this critical manner TO
analyze the Queens traits Inherent obstinacy,
not checked by the high instinct OF public duty,
often made itself felt. She was fond Of regular
and symmetrical order Of life, and showed great
instinct for business; and she displayed an
amazing ouickness in perceiving the infraction
of innumerable minute rules of domesu" 49,
rangement In small things in great she
never believed that she could be wrong on a
matter Of principle; and while this was an ad-
vantage in steadying her WILL II sometimes
likely to become trying" She would be cross
for no reason; she would contest a point and
close the argument without further discussion
The reading of character she regarded as a fore
most part in her intellectual exercise. as shown
by this passage:
She received the unfamiliar person with look
OF suspended judgment in her face Her eyes
and her mouth took on their investigating as
pect- She could be seen to he MAKING up her
mind almost as though ii We're a watch Which
had to be wound up. IL the analysis was easy
and the result of il satisfactory lhe features
would relax a certain curious look or amenity
would PASS across her face But if the presented
type complex diflcult, those VINO knew
the Queen extremely we'll would perceive that
her mind not made up after all. Inc hhes
Of the mouth would continue to be little drawn
down; the eyes like sentinels would stun De alert
under eyebrows family arched. But sooner or
later she would succeed in her analysis, ana
an almost unbroken line Of examples served 10
give her a justified faith in her acumen she