Arizona silver belt., 1901-01-31
QUEEN VICTORIA.
Sketch of the Life of Eng
 land S Beloved Monarch.
SIMPLICITY OF HER EARLY YEARS
Her Marriage to Prince Albert-Her Reign One of the Longest Re corded It Was Essentially
 One of Peace.

It was on May 24, 1919, that girl child, who was to rule millions of peo pie in widely separated portions of the habitable globe, was born in dingy old Kensington palace. She was the daughter of the Duke aud Duchess of Kent granddaughter of George III, then Eing Of England, aud niece of the then Prince of Wales, afterward King William III.
 The Duke of Kent, who was the fourth of seven absolute sons born to King George III died when Victoria was yet an infant, leaving behind him an enormous indebtedness
 Victoria came of age on May 2l, 1887, and on June 20, less than month later, she was declared queen of Eng land, William III having just died. It was in the middle of the night that the young girl was notified that she had become queen of Great Britain aud sovereign of an empire so vast that on it the sun never sets. The messengers who conveyed to her the news ol her accession to the throne were the archbishop of Canterbury, the lord chamberlain and Sir Henry Halford
 On being informed of Der new dig niUy she burst into tears, and then, ad- dressing herself to the archbishop, eX. clmmed: I beg your grace to pray for me." The whole party, consisting of the little queen, the prelate, the lord chamberlain and the late kings physician, Sir Henry ha1ord, then 2nelt, and there, in the middle of the night, offered up prayer to heaven chat she might Oe strengthened from ,bove and guided to the blessing of her people.
 Victoria was from the first idolized l oy the English people Her youth appealed to their sympathies, and her good sense to their respect She be- came sort of national pet, yet withal she was admired for her tirmness.
 Queens enjoy privelege which is withheld, save in leap year, from women occupying less august pc sition in the social scale namely, that of themselves making the offer of marriage. instead of waiting to receive the proposal from their suitors. And u was therefore Queen Victoria who a year after her coronation ct Westmin- ster apbey, on June %, 1888, invited l her cousin, Prince Albert of oaxe-Co- burg Gouha to share his fife with her. The nupuals tooE place on the loth l Jf February, ls4O, at the Chapel Royal, st. James palace The wedding break fact was gwen at Buckingham palace, and the honey moon, which only lasted shree days Was spent at Windsor GAS. tie.
 The marriage proved an exception ally happy one. Prince Albert turned out to be an absolutely ideal husband, oelng a man of singularly stainless and lrreproa0hable character. Queen II Vic,oria's domestic bliss was absolute ly unclouded as long as her husoanc uvsd, and she was guilty of no eX 4ggeratiun when she declared that the only sorrow which he had caused hel Was when he died.
 People lu this country will remem Der hlm as a warm friend of the United states.
 Oniy in one respect was 1t perhap well tuaJ he died at the time he did for had he lived to see his eldest son the Prince of Wales, attain his ma jorlty an awkward and unpleasau l question of precedence would hay arisen which could not but have be come source of pain and mortified tlon to the royal family The fathe would have been forced to yield tn
 yas to ms son, who woaid have bee forced to take the precedence over th prince consort everywhere.
 From the time of her husband death the queen was scarcely eve seen in puohc until the year lSI.
 when she proceeded in state, togetht
 with the entire royal family, to ;
 PauPs cathedral to join in a nations
 thanksgiving service for the recover
 ot the Prince of Wales from the dai gerous illness which had brought hi
 50 very uear deaths door the ye1
 before.
 On June 20, 1887, the queen ono
 more made state progress throue
 her great capital to attend spec
 service at Westminster abbey in hont
 of the semi-centennial anniversary
 her accession to the throne. Ever
 reigning house in the world SCI
 either members of their families {
 great diguitaries to represent them
 the ceremony, and while kings an
 queens ohatted gayly together in u
 chancel oi the abbey while awaitir
 the coming of Queen Victoria, h,
 majesty no longer the bonny, fires , ana healthy checked English girl 2 fCp- b,,t . x..s,,.ora tD,Irs,,.