Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-03

Perhaps too many Americans will as
sociate the name OF Queen Anne with a
bizarre type Of architecture which few
years ago covered our countryside with
cottages Of multitudinous gables. much
jigsaw work and a uniform color scheme
Of garnet and old gold. Being as a rule
fiimsy, the cottages have disappeared,
while the more substantial memo
rails Of the reign of a queen Of Great
Britain and Ireland. who was truly for
tunate in her contemporaries endure.
The reign of Anne was one Of the
queen herself was not great But NOV
ing In the official circles of her time. or
enlivening the coffee houses Of London.
were statesmen and soldiers as great as
England ever knew. and essayists and
wits unequaled in modern times. Sir
Isaac Newton was director Of the mint,
John Locke commissioner Of trade and
Joseph Addison a secretary Of state. The
first Duke Of Marlborough won the bat
tie Of Blenheim in her time. and In re-
turn received his title and the palace of
Rlenheim, which in these later days it has
fallen to the lot of a Vanderbilt heiress
to restore to its bygone glories - the
palace, not the title.
The latter she found beyond restora-
tion. Dean Swift lived in the days OF
Anne and wrote "Gulliver's Travels as
a satire on the temper Of the times. The
satire is forgotten. but the children. al
ways good critics. have taken out the
story in which II was enveloped and made
1t one Of their favorite books. Then, too.
Defoe lived and wrote Robinson Crusoe''
perhaps the most widely read book ever
written in the English tongue. The
statesmen of Anne's day first cast him
into prison. and then stood him in the
pillory for writing what he believed;
then elevated him to place and a GER
tain measure Of power for writing what
they thought but had not the wit to ex-
press. Pope was then penning his pol
ished verses. and Dick Steele entertaining
the town with his Taller. 1t was one OF
Among the galaxy of genius Queen
Anne reigned. 'She was" says Gold
win Smith. distinguished later historian
of the British empire. ''virtuous. well
though obstinate when the fit was on
her." Certainly she was not above the
superstitiOns of the time. She touched
for the evii'-that is to say. she pretend
ed to cure scrofula by laying on the SUI
ferer the Queenly hands. She tried 1t on
Samuel johnson. but without avail. Nor
did that magic touch Of health avail much
in her own household. Seventeen chill
dren In all she bore to her husband
some prematurely-but In the end none
lived to inherit her throne. History says
that this was the fault rather of her hus-
band. whom Goodwin Smith describes as
topper and cypher.'' than Of the
queen herself.
At any rate the Duke Of Marlborough
became. in the absence Of any king of
force and v;SOr. the real power in the
kingdom. The ministers Of state were
his creatures-even Lord GOdOlphin.
who ranks high amidst English
premiers. The wars prosecuted by
Marlborough were in foreign lands, and
like some later generals who aspired to
high place. he had his corps of journal
lists to sound his praises. In those days
the great general had to be a great
diplomat as we'll. Marlborough was
both. At home he had his wife. once
Sarah reimbursement plebeian name
hard at work influencing the queen.
Abroad he dealt with the keenest minds
Of all Europe. and beating them in di-
plomacy. turned about and demolished
those he could not cajole. in war. The
battle Of Blenheim ended French DOM