New-York tribune., 1921-06-19

"a Rg A VA the comment OIL
A1M Lytton Strachey's Queer
" q Victoria has dealt with The
authors IRONY One mich
suppose that Strachoy had been inten
on trampling the Victorian legend an,
making the Queen seem an insignifican.
anc even ridiculous person. On the
contrary, the reader can hardly fail to
come away from the biography with
out feeling that, but for the acciden,
oI oeang a queen. Victoria might have
seen a great king. Perhaps the acci
dent OF sex was not without it's usefu'
consequences, fer there is everv rea-
sen to believe that in addition to hs;,o
great king she would have been .
dangerous one. Her rampant mill.
Varlsm was strained and diminished a
little by the fact that it passed at one
time through husband. more mild
taan she in his conception of world
politics, and later through the re-
straining influences of liberal min
listers.
Marriage was the factor which ham
pered and diminished the political
career of Queen Victoria. The early
promise of great independence and the
fullest possible use of royal prerosa-
tlves was not maintained after her
marriage to Albert In later life she
rever won another victory such as she
scored over Peel in their first en-
counter. Sir Robert Peel, when sum-
moned to form cabinet, insisted that
the Queen should make certain changes
IL her household SO that she should no
longer be surrounded entirely by ladies
OF the Whig persuasion. Victoria
refused.
"A frenzy of excitement now seized
upon Victoria writes Strachey. "Sir
Robert, she believed in her fury. had
tried to outwit her, to impose his will
upon her own; but that was not all:
she had suddenly perceived, while the
roor man was moving SO uneasily be-
fore her, the one thing she was des-
rerateiy longing fora loop-hole of
escape. She seized a pen and dashed
off note to Lord Melbourne.
Sir Robert has behaved verv I'll.
she wrote, 'he insisted on my giving
up my ladies, to which I replied that I
would never consent, and l never saw
a man so frightened was
calm bat very decided, and l think YOU
would have been pleased to see my
eomposure and great frmness; the
queen of England will not submit to
such trlckery. Keep yourself in readi-
ness, for you may soon be wanted
hardly had she finished when the Duke
OF Wellington was announced. Well.
Ma'am,' he said as he entered. Il am
very sorry to find there is q difficulty.
'Oh!' she instantly replied, 'he began it.
not me- She felt that only one thing
row was needed: she mus. be firm.
And firm she was. The venerable con-
queror of Napoleon was outfaced by
the relentless equarimity of a girl in
her teens. He could not move the
Queen one inch. At last, she even
ventured to rally him. is Robert so
weak she asked, that even the ladies
must be of his opinlon?' On which the
Duke made a brief and humble ex-
postulation, bowed low and departed"
In consequence of this dispute the
invitation to Peel to form a ministry
was withdrawn and the Queens favor
ite, Lord Melbourne, remained q while
longer, buoyed up by little except Vic
toria's force and determination. Later
she seems to have cut far less figure
in politics. Her interest in morals
and manners came into being largely
through the shutting off of various
channels of political activities. 1t was
marriage and many babies which defn-
itely reminded her that queens place
IS in the palace. Never again was her
influence on Parliament so prodigious,
though she made gallant attempt to
come back again in personal power
after the death of Albert. Her ar
deney as wife robbed Victoria of the
imperiousness which might have made
her almost as great figure as her
uncle the Kaiser. 1t is interesting to
speculate on just what the effect mieht
have been on German imperialism if
William had been obliged personally
to bear his children.
Biology was all on the side of Albert
who came to be in effect the king of
England, though he was foreigner, a
diff dent man ord IN ronr4 uoa~.s4.