Evening star., 1951-10-28
Our Guest Should Be a Perfect Queen
By George Kennedy

Washington this week will see the
attractive young woman who some
day will be the Queen of England.
If the performance of the population
during her parents visit here in 1899
is any indication, there will be crowds
on tiptoe to watch every outdoor step
taken by Princess Elizabeth and the
Duke of Edinburgh from the time
they step of plane Wednesday aft
ernoon at National Airport until they
return to the plane on Friday.
The spotlight of world interest has
been focused on Elizabeth this year
because of her fathers illness. While
Long Live the King" is a toast that
goes beyond the borders Of the Brit
ish Commonwealth. there is a reali-
Zation that George vi may not enjoy
the usual longevity Of the house Of
Windsor, and that England once
again will have a young woman ruler.
Elizabeth already has performed
the most onerous duties of that Office.
Under Britain's constitution. it has
often been said, the hardest work
demanded of its sovereign-and it is
hard works the opening OF bazaars.
This year with the Festival Of Britain.
the whole kingdom has been one big
constant bazaar. n..- -H".
Reviewed Troops
Because of the illness Of her father.
it was Elizabeth who reviewed the
ceremonial trooping Of the colors at
Buckingham Palace in June. That
was something of an opening cere-
mony for the festival year.
The hearts of those who saw her
at the scene or in the newsreels went
out to her. She carried her job of
with courage and grace, sitting side
saddle on a beautiful mount, and
wearing the fur shake and uniform
of colonel of the guards.
Since then she has appeared at
festivals in villages and old cathedral
cities. reading in clear, carrying
voice the little speeches handed her
by the Home Secretary. She has
served with her mother in the Coun-
Gil of State that has taken the Kings
place in his periods Of illness and
has had to join In such disturbing
decisions as what to do about an
appeal for clemency from a mur-
derer sentenced to the gallows.
A young reigning Queen of Eng
land would be change of great
importance-not of the political i'm
portance of Thursdays switch from
socialism to conservatism, but i'm
portant in other ways. For instance.
when Britain found itself with
girl Queen in 1887. 19-year-old Vic
toria, there was a marked change
in literary and dramatic productions
"a change that seemed to be de-
manded by the public.
Don Juon in Hiding
Byron's Don Juan was put behind
other books on the shelf and the
new product contained nothing that
would offend the sensibilities of the
innocent girl who wore the crown.
The change was limited to the
English speaking world. There was
no sign of moral inhibitions in the
products of Hugo. Balzac and Gau-
tier, across the Channel.
The nation that expects every man
to do his duty at Trafalgar was not
disappointed, and there is little
chance that it will be disappointed
in its next Queen. Her education
was consistent with the dictum in
Robert Louis StevenSons "Virginibus
Puerisque" (To Girls and Boys)
"The world must return to the word
duty and be done with the word
'reward.'"'
Most of what the public knows
about Elizabeth's childhood comes
from book written by Marion Craw-
ford. who was the royal governesS
c'The Little Princesses." Harcourt,
Brace: $3.50. The curriculum she
established for Elizabeth and Mar
garet Rose would be considered old
fashioned by most schoolteachers, but
it was new departure in court cir
cles. The governesS was young and
and the schedule did not call for the
long hours in the classroom that their
father and grandfather had been
held to.
It must be remembered that, at
the time. Elizabeth was not thought
Of as future Queen. Uncle David,
the Prince of Wales, would marry in
time and beget an heir to the throne.
Their grandmother, Queen Mary,
was very interested in their educa-
tioE. Was two and one-half hours of
history enough, she asked in a letter
written for her by lady in waiting.
Was arithmetic to be considered as