Evening star., 1928-03-17
THE LIBRARY TABLE
ny the BoOkioDsr


! large Conservative organization Of
Great Britain, is Interestingly told by
| Andre Maurois in his recent biography
of the great Conservative Prime Min
lister. Lord Besconsheld. "Disraeli; a
Picture of the Victorian Age" Queen
Victoria admired and was devoted to
Lord Beaconsfield, but never willingly
accepted his great Liberal rival. Glad
| stone. when election changes brought
! the latter into power Disraeli secured
| for her the title OF Empress OF India
| she made him an earl. Disrael agreed
| with her when he could. and when he
could not agree he fiattered. He was
often q guest at Windsor and Osborne.
and she visited him at Hughenden. Be-
! cause OF his Eout the Queen asked him
to be seated In her presence, and once
at Balmoral she came to see him In his
sick k-roon. The two corresponded fire.
| quently not merely as Queen and Prime
Minister. but also as friends: he ad-
dressed her as Madam and Most Be-
loved Sovereign" and she concluded her
letters to him yours affectionately.
Victoria. r. l." She often sent him
drops, violets, aardenias and primroSes.
The elections OF 1880 were a duel be-
tween the two great rivals, Disraeli and
| Gladstone. THE Conservatives were
wiped out" and Gladstone became
/ Prime Minister Disraelfs farewell
| affair" The Queen presented her old
friend with her statuette In bronze and
a plaSter-cast OF her pony Beacons-
field kissed the Queens hand; she made
! him promise to write often and to come
and see her. She would have liked to
give him some enduring token Of her
gratitude. TO make him at least a
duke. but he considered that in the face
Of his reverse at the hands of the ma
tion this would be a mistake" The
friendship continued, however, and soon
when he was dining at Windsor the
Queen exclaimed. Il feel so happy that
I think what has happened Is only
! horrid dream!" Sometimes. despite
| the Constitution" she consulted him
about national affairs. Disraeli. an old
man, survived his defeat only about
year. During his last illness his room
was always filled with violets and prin-
roses from the Queen and on his coffin
were placed two wreaths from her, one
OF primroses, bearing the inscription
His favorite flower" The following
year. on the anniversary of his death.
! April 49, "Beaconsfield buttonholes" OF
primroses were made up by the London
| florists and worn in large numbers by
| those faithful to his memory. A Con-
servative league was founded in his
honor and called the Primrose League.
Members OF the league every year on
his birthday decorate the statue OF Dis
raeli in Parliament Square with his
favorte flower.
The late Czarina Of Russia has. since
her tragic death at the hands of the
bolshevists. become one OF the pathetic
group Of monarchs OF history who paid
the penalty Of too much autocrscy in
periods when the common people"
were demanding their share of the good
things of life. Many books and maga-
zine articles are being written about
the Empress Alexandra, who Is gen.
orally considered TO have had more to
do with bringing on the Russian revo-
luton than the Car himself She
was the daughter Of Princess Alice of
Hesse and granddaughter OF Queen
| Victoria. THE Tragic Bride" by v.
Poliakod. shows the CZarina as fate
ridden. Ill luck attended her from the
start When she married Nicholas II.
his father. Car Alexander III, had lust
died. and 1t was murmured about
among the people that wedding so
! soon after a funeral would be unlucky.
At the coronation many persons among
the huge. unmanageable crowds were
killed and the terrified young Gar was
held responsible. Girls only we're born
| TO the couple. when an heir to the
| throne was intensely desired. and when
the heir was finally born he was a
victim Of q disease which kept him
| anemic and weak The domestic hap
, piness OF the royal family caused them
to isolate themselves. and this brought
about Misunderstanding and resent
/ mentS. 1t was unfortunate for Russia
that Alexandra had bred so amazingly
true To type. We discover In her the
primness, the obstinacy, the aloofness
from the world and the attachment to
the family ideal with which the biog-
rapherS OF ther srandmotherl Queen
| Victoria have made us familiar. Above
| ALL in the Empress Alexandra was tn.
same unquenchable love for her mate"
| ~
Charming pictures. full OF at
| moSphere, tempting TO take them from
| their binding for framing. are those by
William p. Spratling In old Planta-
| ton Houses III Louisiana" BY Natalie
Scott. There are over 40 page plates
/ and many smaller cuts. all giving. not
, merely representations of houses and
their settings. but also an intangible
impression Of the charm OF life i'm that
partly French section OF the Old South.
| The text describes about so old I.ouiSi-
| ana MONIES. some tumbling into ruins
| some still In state Of good preServa-
ton. and some remodeled In a wav TO
be more satisfactory To the real estate
| operator than To the artist
~
The Standardization OF American life.
ridiculed by Sinclair Lewis In Rabbit
commented upon at length BY Charles
| and Mary Beard In the chapter The
Machine Age" of The Rise OF Ameri-
can Civilization" and mentioned by
many other writer's. either approvinsly
or dlsapproVingly. Is the subject Of The
Great American Band Wagon" bv
Charles Mer2, The process by which
we nave become band wagon" Nation
N Illustrated by Mr.. Mers by giving the
history OF six generations of one Ameri-
can family. John Smith, LIST. settled In
Connecucut In 1891 the John Smith
or the next generation felt the misrat-
ing urge and moved 10 Ohio. John
smith, 3rd found Ohio itlling up too
."pi"'S ana uckkcu Win his family To
Iowa, John Smith. tth. led by the lure
OF gold, Joined the rush for California
John Smith, Sth not sufficiently aCyen.
turouS or perhaps too sensible, did not
:" after gold. but remained IN Iowa.
fought IN the Union Army. grew pros
porous when his farm lands Increased
In value and finally sought California
| Tor his old age, John Smith. 9th re.
'ersed the westward pioneering OF his
ancestors and came back East 10 Spend
his money, He and his restless family
rush about doing all the usual thines.~
American Summer resorts F,,rr,>. ~,>