Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1907-05-22

Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles)
Mrs Stephen Townsend, is too well known
to require any word of introduction. An
English woman by birth and present resi-
dence, though her fame was made during
the many years that she resided In the
United Slaves, her admiration for the late
queen of England as shown in the follow
ing article comes from her heart. The
author of THAT Lass o LowrieS,' Lit
tie Lord Fauntleroy'' "A Lady of Quail
ity,' His Grace of Ormonde' and The
Making of a Warehouses; writes of the
great queen with her usual literary
charnl.)
In all the countries of the civilized
world there prevailed a spirit of SYM
pathetic sadness. Over every city,
town and hamlet in England, Scotland
and Wales there hung q cloud. In
great, rich, ancient London people
walked the streets with grave faces.
Festivities were postponed, social
plans were altered In the old church
es prayers were offered. One closing
anthem was played with sorrOwful
softness which made it a prayer in it.
self and those who heard passed out
into the air with tears. This because
one woman-one aged woman-lay dy
ing.
1t was "a years after a night on
which a girl-a mere child creature in
her teens-was awakened from her
sleep to be told that she was the
queen of England. There is popular
picture of the incident, in which she
stands, touchingly young and grave,
holding out hand that an old man
who kneels before her may kiss it in
doing homage to his sovereign.
Her sense of the responsibility of
her position was thing like genius.
In all things touching it she was al
ways grave, always sagacious and
beautifully earnest. A young girl
even young woman-might have
been forgiven many things for which
the nation this young creature was
born to rule was never called upon TO
forgive her.
One very interesting feature of her
life was that people made no habit of
speaking of her as brilliant woman.
1t has basn said that she was good,
it has hnen accepted that she was
intelligent but comparatively little
stress has been laid upon her brain
power. Yet there has been no other
queen in the history of the world
whose reign was SO marked by for
ward movement and who herself so
moved with her time and SO strongly
influenced it. She had a genius for
rectitude. a genius of the conscience.
and. it may be added, the genius of
a great heart. But she possessed also
a foresight that was extraordinary.
One truth is surely fixed-that in the
future no record of statecraft, politics
or social ethics can point to an act of
Victoria of England which was either
unjust, ignoble or careless. To each
thing she did she brought all that the
gods gave her of the reasoning of
both heart and brain. All her use of
power tended to the development of
public good, to the aiding of humane
ends, to the broadening of the ways
for the ,ssellfgent, the striving and
the sane Ill ambition.
The time has gone by when for a
woman to be yirtuous was all that
was demanded of her. This time
passed in victoria's day. It's passing
was the inevitable result of the de-
velopment of the race and of the in
crease of it's mental desires-but it
would not have passed with such ease
and rapidity in England If the woman
who sat upon the throne had been
merely collection of moralities, how
soever excellent and necessary to so
cial safety. England-conservativ
obstinate, pugnaciously self-centered
lis singularly large portion OF the
world Its observation-disclosures is.
sufficiently powerful to be. far-reach-
ing. IT, bearing and methods of its
ruler al Of significance and weight.
The great Victorian era was marked
by the advance of all things intellectu-
al-by the elevation and fostering of
the arts, by the adoption and encour-
agement of inventions the intelIi-
gent CO. liberation of ethics. This
woman on the nineteenth century, who
was born to WELD scepter, was
student-a reader of great works and
small. q learner Of languages. q con