Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1909-05-20

ruler of a great nation, speaks of
some powerful foundation be-
meath it all. Miss Jeanette Gil
der, writing of Queen Victoria's
published letters for the Review
of Reviews credits much of Vic
toria's success to this early
schooling. She says:
From her earliest childhood
it had seemed more than proba-
BILE that Princess Victoria would
in time become queen of Eng
land. Her mother, the duchess
of Kent, appreciated this proba-
bility and trained and educated
her daughter with that end in
view. She was not taught to be
proud and overbearing, because
she mightaone day be ruler of
England, but she was, on the
contrary, brought up to be Just
and kind. to control her temper,
while not subiugating her will.
In the pages of her journal
which are quoted in this book,
the queen tells us. that her
mother brought her UP most
simply, and not until after her
accession did she have a room to
herself. What do the young
girls Of this republic who have
their bedrooms, their boudoirs
and their private bathrooms say
to such simplicity? From her
letters and journals we gathered
that although the young prin-
cess was of an affeetionate and
exceptionally feminine tegnpera-
ment, she was at the same time
high-spirited and inclined to be
wild. She liked the stir of Lon
don and enjoyed dancing, though
it kepe her up till early morning.
She also loved music, particular
ly singing, but was not much
given to the theater. Pictures
she loved, but her taste in this
line might have been improved.
She was fond of reading, and
her mother wisely guided her
along the paths of history and
political SCIENCE.
One of the chief blessings of
Queen Victoria's childhood and
middle life was the Influence of
IAN enlightened and high-mind-
ed prince" Leopold, her mater
nal uncle.
One great bond of union be-
tween Queen Victoria and her
uncle, Leopold, was that the first
suggestion of her marriage to
Prince Albert came from him,
When Queen Victoria first saw
her Cousin Albert she admired
him immensely, both for the
beauty of his person and of his
mind. After getting better ac-
quainted with him she liked him
very much, but she wrote her
uncle that she had not "the feel
ing for him which is requisite to
insure happiness. At any rate,
she wrote, she was still young
and it was not necessary for her
to marry for two or even three
years. But, alas, for prudence
when the requisite, feeling"
came! 1t was while she was Wis
iting at Windsor castle, in 1889,
that she decided that few
months was a long time to wait.
Being a queen, it was she who
proposed, and he took kindly to
the proposal. "My mind is quite
made up" she wrote, "and l told
Albert this morning of it. The
warm affection he showed on
learning this gave me great
pleasure. He seems perfection,
and l think that l have the pros
pect of great happiness before
me-" He was quite ready to
make the sacrifice for her sake,
she wrote King Leopold. A sac
rifice she insisted that it was,
for she knew that to be the hus-
band of a queen was no sinecure.
1t emant criticism and it meant
opposition, for he was a German
prince, and the. German influ-
ence was not agreeable to. Eng
lishmen. Just after she had pro-
posed and been accepted Queen
Victoria wrote to her unclefrom
Windsor castle:
81 write you from here, the