The Portland daily press., 1901-01-23
THE QUEENS REIGN.
New York Post. J

III AGAhoAA1-tAC
Of which gave as much offence at court
as did Thackeray's lectures on 'The -Four
Georses''-it was written ut the time of
the accession of Princess Victoria that
mature has done little for her, but for
tuns munh." This probably referred to
the simple matter of personal beauty, in
any case less necessary for Queen than
for mere woman. III Greville's remark
showed that he thought lightly OF the
Qusen's mental parts, 1t would bs fair to
set over against it Te1uyson's opinion,
forty years later. lie founu in the Queen,
besides a certain sort OF .stateiy inno-
cence," NAKED ''breadth of mind aud
wisdom The only t'st opsn TO US now
is the public r csrd of Victoris's reign.
she Certainly Will never rank as one of
the sovereinns whose PERSONAL ascendency
was overpowering. Not with a Catherine
or Maria Theresa, or even an Elizabeth,
is It natural TO compare her as ruler
We cannot even say of her, as Bossuet
said of another Qae3n OF England. that
"any osher station than throne would
have tesn unworthy of her." Queen
Victorla's finest qualities wsrs womanly
before they were royal; and it is
woman's tact and grace, silently infiueno-
ing the policy of mighty empire through
an unprecedented reign, which we chiefly
admire in her in her capacity as sover-
eign.
she was constitutional monarch In
that limitation we Ees the CHECK which
would have been pnt upon e5el more
mastsrtul character than hers, II 1t ha1
occupied the English throne In Crest
Britain the Queen reisns; she does not
govern. AS for Victoria, she was fortu-
nate In having as her first prime minister
and constitutional tutor in one, Lord
Melbourne That statesman's profanity
characteristic OF the age when every
body damned everybody's eyes--and other
personal peJulja titles have loomsd SO
large In story and lsgsnd as 20 obscure
the real ssgaoity ana accomplishments OF
ths man In reality, no shrewder or
taup!er adviser of the young Queen could
have been imagined. With tact equal to
her own, and with firm deoision always
in the background for use when neces-
eary, he discharged with great skill the
difficult task of induotinR girl into the
dutie3 of constitutional Queen Of Eng
lani PerhopI his hardest collision with
her was on the point OF the title which
her husband, Prince Albert, was to be
given According to Lord Shaftssbury
(reported by MIR. RueID, the Queen
strongly wished the Prince to be ma te
King Consort by act OF Parliament
Melbourne evaded the issue as long as
possible but her Majesty finally insls-e1
upon a care gorical answer 81 Thought
10 my duty to he vary plain with her."
said the premier afterwards. II said,
For Gods sake, let's hear no more OF 1t,
ma'am; for II you oaas get the English
people into the way OF making kings, you
will gst them into the way OF unmaking
them "
Vtctoria's relations to her long success
sion Of prime ministers woul1 furnish an
interesting theme FOR large chapter in
the history OF her reign. That she was
not at all partial to MIR. Gladstone Is we'll
Known. "He talks to me as II were
public meeting,' shs is reported to haFe
"a d Her aversion TO Sammoning Mr.
Gladstone Ia 1872 20 form ministry
ygita her futile efforts 30 fnducS obner
Liberal leaders to undertake the task
was perhaps the geverest strain co wnlch
she evsr pL + the ooEsst tIonai prero2a-
tives OF the crown With Disraei she
was on the most cordial terms, evfn OF
personal and almost intimate friendship
lie was an adolit cpurtier, ana Eaid IN
the last year of his life to Matthew Ar
mold, LIVERY one likes ttattery; and
when IL comes to royalty. you should lay
1T on with trowel."
In one great department OF government
a great part is yes left TO English sover-
et0ps We msan foreign policy. In tots
been powerful and most beneilcent.
From her earliest years she gave unre-
mitting and in5ei igent atreuifon to Gil
the phaass of Eng glands Worldwide IN
srnationsl relations, Foreign dispatches
and blue Books found iu her regular
and attentive reader Size had in audi
tion the great advantage OF hearing, In
confidential conve sation with the lead
ing acuoTs In great events, irst-hand ac-
clunts OF the progress OF negotiations.
OF crises impending, of dangers to be
skirtsd More than one member of the
English diplomatic service, admitted to
the Queen's presence, has bean astonisaed
at tne extsnt and mtnuteness OF her IN
formation Sir Bartle Frsre, for exam
PIE, befo q going to South Afri q In 1877,
had an interview with the @ leen, and
was as much amazsd as dsIiF hted to lind
how closely she had followed the official
correspondence.
That the Queens one great hope and
almost passion, so far as she could exert
her iniluenes in foreign affairs, was to
avoid war, is testified to bv many Wit
nssses Twice, and only tgIoe. IN her