New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-21
ROYAL LIVES.


THE MARRIED LIFE OF QUEEN VIC
TORIA BY Clare Jerrold. illestra'eu'
Syo. pp. xi, 500. G.. =. Putnam's Sons
MORE ABOUT KING EDWARD by
Edward Legge. Illustrated: eVo, pp.
xviii. 3ss. Boston: Small. Maynard q
Co.
THE EMPRESS FREDERICK: A Me-
moir. With illustrations. SVo' PIP A.
379. Dodd, Mead & co.
ROYALTY lives in the full light OF pub
licity. but much Of that light is artl-
fetal. and deity manipulated FOR the
sake OF well calculated effects. Hence
tbe wide divergence possible in the
worlds judgments Of the qualiues
of most monarchs, not only in tneir
capacity as rulers. but in their prl-
vats lives as we'll. No better Illus
trations of this variance Of viewpoints
con IA found than those offered by the
mass of contradictory estimates pup
.lished in England and abroad on the
subject of the reigns and the hVes Oh
Oueen Victoria and her successor, the
measure of the strength and the quail
,tv Of their personalities, and OF their
influence upon the events of their time.
We are as yet too near their day 10
even expect judgments that shall nave
the weight OF we'll considered finallty.
Meanwhile the mass of printed ma
,terial is growing upon which the nut
ure historian will base the verdict OF
posteity.
"The Married Life OF Queen VIC
torta," the first OF the three books mere
under review, might as well have been
called the Married Life OF the Prince
Consort. 1t is anecdotic. sort Oh
boutfoue d IN sou de Phistoire. and It's
anecdotes have malicious flavor. Inc
author seems to be bent upon making
out the worst possible case for the royai
couple. and for the English people as
we'll. We have long known that queen
Victoria was an autocrat in spirit, VINO
was often tempted to draw distinc-
ton. humiliating to her HUSBAND De-
tween the Queen and the wiIe' we
have long known that Prince Albert
was somewhat Of a prig; we have also
his influence upon his royal wife ana
the affairs Of the country OF his adop-
ton is as yet an unknown quantity
And we have long known that the
British people, from the peerage TO the
costermonger. delighted in treating him
as "pauper princeling.' we Rno"
that the education Of the royal chill
dren was German rather than Eng
lish. that Victoria's taste in dress was
deplorable-as II that mattered one DIT!
and that neither she nor Prince Al
bert patronized or cared for art or 1T
erature or the drama as they might az
least have pretended to care. All thls
may be true, and yet leave us far from
tho truth. the further when 1t Is all
presented with the unmistakaole plas
Of the present author. The doom
leaves an impression Of petty spite.
One could almost wish that Mr..
Iegge had withstood the temptation TO
follow UP his readable king Edward
IN His True Colors" with his new vol
ume He attempts TO prove too much
more than need be proved TO make
out q case for his august client. He is
plus royoHste que lie rot. His text
throughout is Sir Sidney Lees article
on the King in the Dictionary or
National Biography" and he grows
almost hysterical-and therefore o1teh
,llogcal-in his categorical contradic-
ton Of almost every statement made In
that much discussed piece or DO
graphical writing. He quotes freely IN
d,sproof from the panegyric obitu-
aries Of Edward in the French press
colored as they were by the enthusi-
astic good will of the entente cordtd'e'
He will not admit the existence OF even