The National tribune., 1907-12-26

letters are full of maternal love, pride
and interest, intersperSed with many
little bright, amusing stories of the
royal nursery. Edward VII, her second
child, was wonderfully beautiful baby
with large, dark-blue eyes, a finely
formed, but somewhat large nose, and
a pretty little mouth, whom she "hopes
and prays will be like his dearest papa"
Her first child, the mother of the pres
ept Emperor of Germany, was remark
ably precocious, and at three years de-
lighted and amazed her royal parents
by her unusual remarks. On the 21st
anniversary of her marriage she writes
her uncle that she thinks few women
could say with her, at the end of 21
years, that the husband married in
youth was not only full of the friend
ship, kindness and affection which a
truly happy marriage brings, but the
same tender love of the honeymoon
period. When her beloved Albert is
taken from her by death it is to her
uncle that she takes her broken heart;
on his breast that she pours out her
grief. THE world has gone for me-"
she says, "yet 1 must live on For
nearly a half century she did live on,
but never did she cease to mourn the
loss of her "adored, precious and great
husband" In letter to her uncle,
written at this time, she says, His
plans about everything, his views about
everything are to be my law" 1t is
this intimate view of Victoria as de-
voted, loving wife which is presented to
us by her letters and which brings her
closer to us all. and makes her book
one of the most interesting, if not one
of the. greatest, of the present time.
Two convicts, one after having spent
Al years behind prison bars and the
other %, were told the other day that
they were prisoners no longer, but were
free and could go where they pleased.
The two men, aged 67 and 62, respec-
lively, looked at each other. trying to
grasp the meaning of that word free"
1t had no charm for them. The quiet
life of the prison they knew, but this
other life the wild, rushing life of the
world, they did not know, and 1t fright
ened them The older man, who had
gone to prison at 20 years of age, left
behind him at that time comparative
~ quiet-going, moderate old world, and
the stories told him, confirmed by what
he had read himself in the newspapers
about trolley cars, automobiles, sky
scrapers, etc, sounded much more like
fairy tales than the truth. Clinging
timidly to each other, their eyes blink
ing at the unaccustomed light, the two
old men left the prison, and were taken
to New York by the kind warden. To
these men it was as if they had just
been born, yet born with the compre-
hending brain of man and not an in
fant. Their open-mouthed amaZement
at everything can be better imagined
than described. Tears glistened in the
eyes of the elder man as he beheld the
throngs of well-dressed women. For
years." he said, II have seen nothing
but men, and it does look good to see
so many beautiful faces for they all
looked beautiful to him. In that great
and that was Mrs. Maud Ballington
Booth, who had become their friend
while they were in prison, and had
promised to be their friend after they
got out When the warden had shown
them as many of the sights as he
thought best he took them to the home
of the Volunteers of America, where
Mrs Booth was waiting for them. Mrs.
Booth, who felt that it would not only
be very cruel. but most unwise, to turn
the men adrift after so long a time out
of the world, had planned to have them
go to the Salvation Army Home at
Sparkill, N. Y, and remain until they
got used to being out of prison. Then
when they had adjusted themselves
somewhat to their strange, new environ
ment, some sort of suitable occupation
was to be provided for them. This
touching little story opens the eyes of
the theushtiess TO what is going on in
opportunities for doing good. Men and