Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1901-01-25
@sses County 9rrala.
FRIDAY. JANUARY -. 1901.
QUEEN VICTORIA.

of Kent and her grandfather h'"tS' NJ
II is safe to say that no woman ever
lived all tine stages of whose life has
been filed as full of sentiments. incl
dents and experiences as has that OF
Queen Victoria. No single person has
made so wide and deen an impression on
the world AS she has. Her personality
had become universal. She stands dis
tinguished from all other rulers IN that
she had dual characteristics which We're
O., senarate as not to touch each other.
She was in the beginning bright sen
sible. pure and good, yet romantic GIRL
copable of an affection so deep that when
she lost its object she devoted herself to
a life of comparative seclusion, and when
she came to assume the settled charac-
teristics of womanhood she was a DIS
tinct person, as ruler firm, just deei-
ded. and possessed courage that shrahk
from no responsibility. She was caPa-
BILE of standing tower of strength, yet
fu,l If Cancellation. among such men as
Peel and Disraeli aid Gladstone, and
in every crisis that occurred i'll a constl-
tutional government more than 60 years
in such manner as to regulate party
spirit and command the respect OF all
As a ruler she possessed great strong
generous and severely just spirit that
ruling sometimes with severity begat
everywhere love and respect. But aside
from her character as ruler she had
characteristics that distinguished her as
a woman. independent OF those OF "A
ruler. Her womanly qualities were OF
the highest order and of wonderful de-
velopment, and their influence was more
extensive than the personality OF any
other person, probably, who ever lived
loved, toied, prayed and suffered among
mortals She did not, like one OF her
predecessors. create an Elizabethian age
restricted to English sentiment and pro-
uress; but she permeated the Whole
world with the most queenly sentiments
animating mighty nation moving
along through a progressive period
never equalled before. What multi
humanity and charity in government
Christian faith to strengthen the ties
that bind Briton to his con.
stitution and his laws, and a noble
pride in the glorious achievements OF
his country! This she has done as a
ruler Separate from this as an indi-
vidual she has indicated the capacity
of woman. What woman will stand
her equal in history? Other good
women have ruled England, and other
countries. Madame de Stael shone like
a meteor in literature. But the Eliza
bethian age is narrow compared with the
influence of QueenVictoria, one and shin
ing quality will not compensate for all the
varied goodness of this one woman.
There is one thing lamentable in her
career and that is the breaking down of
her great heart when Lord Roberts re-
turned and reluctantly half told her of
the horrors of the African war and she
said she could not permit the awful war
to continue another day. But she was
answered automatically and her career
as a ruler was ended when the war be-
gan.
No one can allude to any considerable
portion of tn. events that fill the vol
ume of the life of this good Queen. And
indeed it were pleasanter to contem-
plate her virtues shining out clear and
unobstructed by political events. One
cannot refrain from contemplating how
many conditions have eliminated in
her day. The powers of King and
parliament have become fixed and GER
tain so as to leave hardly possibility
for collision between them. The great
declaration of principles at Runnymede
has been resolved into systematic ad-
iustment of the rights and liberties of
the people. The freedom of the subject
has been expanding until personal lib
erty is as large as in a republic and more
secure. Britain's colonial system has
become so humane That she bears little
different relations to her colonies than
one Independent nation bears to another;
while in morals, manners, progress, sci
ence, wealth and power she stands
among the first il not foremost in all
the world. But the world is mourning,
not thinking of those things but only Of
the personal virtues, kindness, goodness,
purity and wisdom Of type Of woman
hood that heads the list of all who have
been. The world does well to worship
this almost perfect type as it would
Goddess.