The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-05-01
TO CELEBRATE VICTORIAN CENTENARY.


for the commemoration of the Queen Victoria
centenary next month. The English are deter
mined that the celebration shall be one OF the
most notable of its kind which has ever been
held While lacking the pomp and pageantry
which attended the famous jubilee celebrations
held during the Queens lifetime, the coming cele-
bration will nevertheless be of most impress
sive character.
Virtually every city, town and hamlet through
out the United Kingdom, and in other parts Of
the empire as well will have it's local celebration
in honor of the memory of the most popular SOW
ereign who ever occupied the British throne.
Historical and other societies cooperating in
the arrangements for the observance, in which
the different women's organizations will have a
prominent part.
In London the celebration probably will extend
over several days. Numerous public meetings
will be held under the auspices of organizations
widely varied in character with the program cul-
minating in a great public memorial service in
st. Paul's Cathedral, which will be attended by
the members of the royal family the cabinet
minister's prominent representatives of the army
and navy and long list of invited guests of dis
tinction.
May "a is the date known as Victoria Day. All
over the world it is celebrated as the birth date
of the Princess Victoria, who in 1887, a girl of
Is years of age, assembled the throne as queen
of Great Britain and Ireland. For nearly sixty
five years she continued her rule Only two
British sovereigns have had reigns approaching
hers in length-George III, her grandfather,
whose reign, commonly called sixty years, lack
ed nine months of that length, and Henry III,
who reigned fifty-six years. Only one longer
reign is recorded in the history of Europe, that
of Louis XIV, who nominally reigned for seven
ty-two years.
The reign Of queen Victoria was remarkable,
not only in length of years but for many other
reasons as well. It covered the great period of
expansion of the British empire. During her
reign of sixty-four years Britain added to her
empire 275,O00 square miles-a territory larger
than Austria; in India, $4,000 square miles-a
space as vast as Great Britain; in the rest of
Asia, 100000 square mes-a region as large as
Germany in South Africa and in West and East
Africa, 100000 square miles, or about half the
extent of European Russia.
In arts and letters, in Inventions industrial de-
and commercial expansion the Vic
torian Era was golden age in British history.
The gradual removal of religious disabilities was
a conspicuous feature of legislation during Vic
toria's reign. Another supreme characteristic
hitting all the people to full and equal share
in the government.
1t is fitting that the women's organizations
should have prominent part in the Victoria
centenary celebration, for the achievements of
women were one of the glories of Victoria's
reign. The age produced no greater novelist
than George Elliot; no better incarnation of or
ganizing ability and divine tenderness than Flor
ence Nightingale. In Mrs Browning it produced
the greatest woman poet since Sappho In poll
teal economy it gave the world Harriet Mar
tineau and Mrs. Fawcett.
Victoria's reign, indeed, emphatiaclly the
period OF women. Until she came to the throne
here had been no organized effort toward the
higher education of women. But during her
'eign it became longer the mark Of = hl.a
stocking to go to Girton. Long before the Viz
orian Era came to a close university girl hed
become as familiar phenomenon in England IS /
university lad.
Serviceable barrels of standard size are now T
made of paper.