A RETROSPECT.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4263, 24 January 1901, Page 6

A RETROSPECT.

Many pons have praised tho Quoon. To mime 1 the poets and prose-writers and speakers who have joined o too chorus would bo to compile a ye, indefinite length. Let us select the \ t - diets of three great men, who ».Kitovthey were, could not bo called com tic s. Thomas Carlyle, after meeting me Queen in 1869, wrote that s..e lost greatly in his esteem by every thin,, happened at- the uucmc.i. i.m impression left by tho Queen on the mind of John Bright was that she was I ho most absolutely truthful woman he md ever mot Mr Gladstone onee eulogised Ihe Queen’s thorough comprehension of the conditions of tUc great Covenant be, tween the Throuo and the people—an xn-tr-restin- tribute to the constitutional knowledge of his Sovereign Irom one who had' been her Prune, Minister four times. Is not the testimony ot .Ins illustrious trio praino indeed? THE Till END OF philanthropy. First and foremost' among the Queen’s characteristics must be placed nor sympathy, which was tho outcome or her Christian faith. She extended iiei patronage systematically and pciiona.ly to philanthropy. In all her long reign she was cautious as to ail charitable wo« claiming her interest, with ihe result that she never threw the segis of her name over unworthy causes. Again, .he nation knew that when any sore calamity fell upon any portion of the community, the Queen would instantly express her sympathy in one of those heartfelt messages which wore so telling in their simplicity. The hundreds of visits to hospitals and like institutions paid by the Queen and her family were another form of philanthropy that was. practically inaugurated by her Majesty. The constant commands sent to Heroic seamen, soldiers and, indeed, any who had performed brave deeds, to receive in person the commendation of the Queen, was yet another feature of her ready appreciation of valour. That +he Victoria Cross was founded by the Queen is certainly a fact to be proudly noted. Indeed, it'has been remarked, one might safely say that the title of “The Friend of Philanthropy.” would be as appropriate to tho Queen as was that of “The •Keeper of the Peace"” to Alexander 111. She was a courageous woman. Not only I was she the possessor of physical cour--1 age; she also had the courage of her opinions. She waited patiently for the nation to learn the true character of the Prince Consort, in face of reports'as cruel as they were unfounded. And in the conduct of State affairs she exorcised an influence which gained for her an_ admiration universal among nations. Could the secret history of Europe during the last half-century bo it would be seen, how often Queen I ictoria stood on the side of truth and righteousness, and how earnestly she desired peace and ainit}'. A KIND AND THOUGHTFUL / MISTRESS. Appreciation of service deserves to bo noted as ono of the best characteristics of the Queen. “I am one of those,” she wrote to Dean Stanley when he had lost his valet, “who think the loss of a faithful servant the loss of a friend, and one who can never be replaced.” Again and again the Queen wrote with her own hand in tho '‘Court Circular” brief but touching tributes to the worth and fidelity- of her servants. A well-known wri. ter speaks of seeing a beautiful gold bracelet on the wrist of a woman in a. little Devonshire village. It was given her on the morning when she left the serI vico of the Queen in order to be mar- | ried. The date of the wedding had been postponed more than once to meet the i wishes of tho lloyal Mistress, but at I last the day for quitting the Castle had 'come. ' Tho Queen sent for the young woman,and after giving her kindly counsels, fastened on her wrist the void , bracelet, locked it, and, retaining the i key, said, “Now, though you are leavj mg me, you will still be my servant, and : every time yon look at this locked brace- | let you must remember her who has -die I key.” The Queen had a dislike of change, and many of hor servants, such as John Brown, the Highlander, were with her for long periods. When her servants retired they received consideration, either in tho shape cf a. pension or in appointment to some post. A DAY IN THE QUEEN’S LIFE. The daily- routine of a Court is always varied by interesting incidents, but in its main features tho Queen's day of late years was spent in the following fashion. She rose early, and, after breakfast, which she .either took alone, or in company with Princess Beatrice, she road a portion of the Scriptures—she was a thorough student of the Bible—-inspect-ed_ her Birthday Book, glanced at her private correspondence from Russia, Germany, Denmark, Sandringham and elsewhere, and began the “business” of the day by listening to important news read aloud from “ Too Times.” This programme, on a bright morning, was often carried out in a tent, for the Queen liked plenty of fresh air. Despatch boxes and the letter from the leader of the Government narrating the previous oay’a doings in the Houses of Parliament awaited tho Queen’s consideration soon after breakfast.or a Cabinet Minister had audience with her before returning to London. Then came a drive, followed by a simple luncheon. After luncheon there Wore possibly more State documents for signature, as well as private letters to be written. The Queen was a first-rate correspondent, as hor relatives hud crood reason to know. She remembered birthdays and other anniversaries with loving generosity as ra-o-arded her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, and with sympathetic thought as regarded her older descendants. In tho afternoon there was usually another drive, concluding in time for tea, after which some book was read aloud, while the Queen did fancy work, probably for a charitable object. About

(half-past eight the Queen’s dinner | party would ha assembling—» Cabinet i Ministoi or two. a distinguished general and his wife, a famous traveller, an Ambassador, and the usual suite, ihe Queen bowed to her guests, and took her piano at the table with the most distinguished man on her right. Vufn him she conversed in low tones, and, if he were ncwlv returned horn a distant part of the Empire, she would make many inquiries as to the conditions under which her subjects there , iVcd. The Queen said a few words to , ouch of her guests before retiring m her boudoir, and these words a.uay 3 | in-oved her acquaintance with their I career and work. Occasionally tic dinner was followed by tableaus vivauts m music. In this case there were n'lv extra guests invited *-om th, neighbourhood. The Queen never failed to thank any artists who ininistmcd to her pleasure, and she accorded personal interviews to the more piop.',A Often die requested Tscok kept for the purpose At t.■ conclusion of the evening there might be a lata despatch-box churning attention before the Queen coukl vest. di- t ,i. 0 was at lust aoie to retire w itn tlu. consciousness of haring accomplished as long and valuabla a day’s work as any woman in her realm.

LASTING GOOD. "We sec in this country at tlio present clay,” ivrole Sir Walter Bcsnut, in '} BG7, “a loyalty to the Crown, to _cqua. v. liie!i w<> i -iusfc go back to the reign ol Queen Elizabeth; and lor Inc same principal reason;.;, a Sovereign personal.y respected and beloved, a period or srarvellous expansive prosperity aim -d vauccmcnt of every kind. . . • 10 ,‘ S been, in a word entirely loyal to ->*e constitution: she has lived not for huself, hut for the Empire. -Mrs Cupliant’s estimate runs on the same lines and may fittingly close this outlie.3 ol a most notable career:—' Die private life of .(he Queen has been throughout so sympathetic, and has so fully embodied all tnot is most congenial to the English mind in the way of domestic r Irenes and kindness, that her s biographer both now and m future time will o,tcn - ,e tempted to forget the grander side of that existence which in its gentler details has so much that charms the mind and attracts the interest. _ On the high level of a throne, it is the In"(>'or national events that arc the common routine, while the_ graceful circumstances of individual existence are rarc.7 ’known. Wo must not forget, however, that the account wo are now giving is not that only of a model woman, passing with mingled purity and dignity through alt the vicissitudes of human life, loving, wedding, bearing children, making the most illustrious house _in England an ideal home, and diffusing throughout tho highest rank of society an atmosphere of moral purity and lofty meaning, but at the same time of one who is the first officer of State, the first servant, as well ns the Sovereign of England, and whoso life has throughout been one of conscientious duty in her public capacity.”