The Ordway new era., 1910-07-15

ging picture with the young prince Of
Wales riding pickaback on her shoul.
derA.
Queen Mary was brought up In a
straight-laced. rigid fashion by her
mother. who sent her to bed instead
Of to parties. Mary Is a cousin. twice
removed. OF King George. She was
engaged to the duke Of Clarence. the
heir apparent. who died In 1892.
Against Alexandra's will. but greatly
to the Joy Of Queen Victoria and the
English people. who longed to see an
England princess on the throne, be.
ing against any more German alliances
for the reigning house. she was won
over to an engagement with her for
mer betrothed's younger brother.
George. They were married on July
6. 1898. when Mary was about twenty.
six years old.
Their Realm the Home.
It Is a curious fact from this point
Of view that there il no part Of such
role not open for emulation to the
poorest wife and mother among all the
subjects Of these queens.
Both Queen Alexandra and Queen
Mary are famous throughout Great
Britain as splendid housekeepers. ex.
Quisite needlewomen. practical moth.
ers. with thorough understanding Of
the care OF nurseries. and educators
OF their young children. As house
wives and mothers they have lived
with a single-minded devotion. not
surpassed by the most rigid of British
matrons.
To be sure. no evidence appears
that either OF these women is highly
endowed intellectually. or could by
force OF her brilliancy and wit reign
over salons. But they might have
tried. That their natural promptings
have been to devote themselves to
home and children indicates much.
however. and the force Of example has
been something tremendous.
Helen Vacaresco. the Rouman.an
writer. tells of seeing Alexandra In her
youth. She pictures her as Of fairy
like beauty. with the ioveliest of blue
eyes. the sunshini. st OF golden hair.
and the walk of goddess.
Lady Randolph Churchill's "Remin-
iscences' bring her nearer. for Lady
Churchill is too brilliant a woman to
be satisfied with drawing merely a
lay figure of royalty. She spent some
time at Sandringham with the prince
and princess of Wales, and her de-
iineation of the woman whose dress
ing table was so crowded with J!c-
lures of her children and bibelots that
she had no place for comb or toilet
articles. has the human touch. An
aged white parrot occupied the stand
of honor in the middle of Alexandra
dressir room. where he was as
cross as only an old rarro: can be.
Lady Churchill tells how the p,in.
cess used to rap Unexpectedly on the
door of guests room at night .os-
tensibly to ask If the guest was COM
Portable. but really to sreak a little
word of sympathy. advice or encour-
agement. according to what had oc-
Cured during the day to necesstate
It. The princess had ablormally keen
eyes for sorrow and trouble. she says,
and won all hearts by her unfai.ing
sympathy.
Has Known Sorrow.
In 1871 Princess Alexandra lost a
child. Later in the year Edward lay
almost at the point of death with ty-
phoid. During his sickness stab G
boy was stricken with the same dis
case and died. Alexandra visited his
mother. attended the funeral. and gave
the stone erected over his grave. 1t
bears this legend. which shows how
gracious her tact was: "One was
taken. and the other was left:
There are numberless stories of her
simple goodness of heart and lavish
generosity.
When she came to England her
bountifulness of spirit made Difficult
ties for her. She gave to all who
sought and could not believe, until
time demonstrated, that people were
preying on her well-known kindness.
The story of her betrothal to Ed
ward, debonair prince of Wales. has
tender touch o: romance. for he fell
in love with her picture. She was the
daughter of a Danish prince, whose
house gave an empress to Russia and
a king to Greece, but her youth was
spent quietly in dosnes site pursuits.
Her father was not then king of Den
mark The home was simple one,
In which frugality and simple living
prevailed. There was remarkable
bond of love between parents and
children. however, that sweet tened all