CIHM Microfiche Series (Monographs) ICiy/IH Collection de microfiches (monographles) Canadian Inatltuta for HIatorical MIcraraproduetiona / Inatitut Canadian da microraproductiona hiatoriqua 995 ms^mi^ ^ m^ Tachnicil wmI BIMiotraphic Notn / NotM MchniquM tt bibliogrvhiqiMi Tht Initttutt hn ammpMd to obtain tiM ban orifiiwl copy a>ailabla for filming. Ftaturas of this cow wllicti may ba biMiofrapbially umqut. which may ahar any of tha imagaf in tha raproduction, or uriiich may lignifieantlv ehan«a th* unial mathod of fMmin«, ara chackad balow. 0Colofreatest realm has answered the last summons. The Victorian era is ended. The Queen is dead ! And the blow comes with a startlinjf sudden- ness. Though our Soverei^fn had lived more than tour-score years, yet her splendid vitality and her close connection with everythin^f which concerned the welfare of her subjects had almost made us forget that she was mortal. Our earliest mem- ories ot public events have been associated with her illustrious name. We have marked the unerr- ing insight which always led her to do the best and wisest thing. We have revered the personal in- fluence which was so quietly exercised and vet so potent throughout hei wide domain. It seems impossible to separate the history of the last sixty years from the queenly presence which has left such an impress upon it. And even though, of late her spirit was crushed by private afflictions, and by the slaughter of her sons in cruel war, we hoped that she would have been spared vet awhile to rule ■^ iL'^fcJi-Mt: over us. God has willed otherwise. The busy brain has reached the end of earth's labours. The kind- ly hands are still. The great heart beats no more. We are a bereaved nation. The Queen is dead! It may be doubted whether any death since the world began has created such universal sor- row. And this is not simply because of her exalt- ed station. It is true that as Empress of Britain's realm she was the most outstanding figure of modern history. Her girdle of rulership encircled the globe. Her subjects were found in every land, and her policy of government, in greater or less degree, affected all the nations of the world. No potentate has ever had such a wide field of res- ponsibility as Queen Victoria ; and now that her sceptre is laid aside, the verdict cannot but be that she has held it with firm, impartial hand; that her reign has been not only the longest in British annals, but the most beneficent ; and that, amid all the serious and perplexing events of her royal career, she has always shown a fine judgment which made her great in the counsels of the na- tion, and a ready kindness which will cause millions to remember her as Victoria the Good. For it is not the Queen alone whom we mourn, but the woman whose sweet, pure life is the best inheritance she leaves behind her. We feel that our loss is a personal one. Our tears are the tribute to a noble character. Though most of us have never seen her, yet outside our own family circle, there is no one in all the world whom ..e had learned to love so well. In the truest sense she was related to us as the mother of all her people. Her sympathies went out in every direc- tion, especially towards the desolate and oppressed. Her solicitude was constantly bestowed upon the lessening of human pain and the increase of human happiness. Many a humble peasant will recall the soothing voice which knew so well how to speak a word in season, and the winning smile which lit up the darkened home with a ray of benediction. Even though burdened with the weight of years, she maintained to the end her anxious regard for the welfare of her subjects everywhere, and amid all the splendours of royal staion refused to shut out the awful spectacle of suffering and death about her. Sharing alike the joys and the sorrows of others, she linked the monarchy to the people in a tie which cannot be broken. And therefore, though in one sense her reign is ended, she does not abdicate the throne which belongs to the queenly nature, around which grateful hearts have twined a wreath of immor- telles to keep her memory green forever. The constitutional freedom which, broadening "from precedent to precedent," has been gradu- ally built up for British subjects through the course of centuries, prevents any sovereign, even if so inclined, from pursuing a policy which is at utter variance with the will of the people. But though our nation iy too old to have its destiny determined by any single person, the bulwark of law which now surrounds the meanest subject of the realm does not lessen the effect of good in- fluences from the t irone, but rather gives them greater prominence. While the Queen understood her subjects thoroughly, and showed due regard for all their reasonable wishes, her own magnetic r^*.t personality was the most powerful force in guid- ing- popular sentiment. It is hardly possible to overestimate the value of the ideals which she un- consciously impressed upon the mind of the whole nation. She was the good genius of Britain. Her name was the synonym for all that is just and kindly. She repressed the turbulence of passion and the greed of aggrandizement, and encouraged the growth of reverence, sincerity, and self-con- trol. In any station, her example would have been a blessing to others. In the fierce light which beats upon a throne, it was almost omnipo- tent in creating a love for truth and righteousness. She was the Queen o( the home. Children and children's children rise up and call her blessed. Her union with the lamented Prince Consort was a union of mutual affection ; and when his death made the crown "a lonely splendour," the Queen's chief solace was found in cherishing his dear memory, and in training her children to the prac- tice of industry, unselfishness and the fear of God. The homes of Britain, whether humble or illus- trious, might well follow the example set by the royal wife and mother. She desired to see pure love crowned everywhere, and her inmost soul abhorred intrigue and licentiousness. There can be no doubt that the high regard for home which, amid many disintegrating tendencies of the age, still remains so strong among the English people, has b.en fostered, to a greater extent, perhaps, than anyone suspects, by the blameless home life of Queen '.'ictoria. And yet that home was not without its deep afflictions. Over and over again, Victoria has I been the queen of sorrows. But so far from al- lowing: private grief to interfere with public duty, the heart that mourned for loved ones snatched away has been all the more quick to understand and sympathize with the woes of others ; and the chequered experience of Britain's ruler has only increased the tactful wisdom which served to guide the ship of state past dangerous rocks into a haven of safety. When a mere girl, sixty-three years ago, she was called to rule over a great Empire, in her first speech from the Throne, .she said: "This awful responsibility is imposed on me so suddenly, and at so early a period of my life, that I should feel myself utterly oppressed by the burden were I not sustained by the hope thatDivide Providence, which has called me to this work, will give me strength for the performance of it, and that I shall find in the purity of my intentions, and in my zeal for the public welfare, that support and those re- sources which usually bek ng to a more mature age and to long experience. I place my firm re- liance on the wisdom of Providence, and the loyalty and affection of my people ; . . . and I shall steadily protect the rights, and promote to the utmost of my power the happiness and wel- fare of all classes of my subjects." It was a noble promise, and no one can deny that she has amply fulfilled it. She has never stood aloof in royal isolation, but has entered into every question which touched the interests of her people at home, and has brought an industrious zeal and a rare in- sight to bear upon th -elations of Britain to the rest of the world. She has been a tranquiliziiig force in modern history. She has unravelled dif- hculties which threatened disturbance ; she has soug:ht to broaden the intelHgence and disnifv the manners of every subject of her realm ; and most ot all, she has illustrated the supreme authority of Christian principles in the actual conduct of life 1 is true that her reifjn has not been free from bloodshed ; and it is a pathetic circumstance that tier last days uere embittered by the horrors of war. But it is not to be doubted that she accepted war only as a stern necessity, and that her per- sonal influence has always been for peace with honour. IsMt too much to hope that though she has passed from earthly scenes, her sacred mem- ory will help soon to extinguish the last embers ot strife, and gradually build up in Africa a united commonwealth which has buried the past, and learned to appreciate the equal rights and liberties w^hich without distinction of cre.d or race, are the indestructible basis of British citizenship the wide world over ? ^ The passing of Victoria naturally recalls that marvellous expansion in almost every department ot human activity which makes her reign without a parallel. Whatever glories have been won by British arms upon the field of battle during the last Mxty years, they are excelled by the results of peace. The Victorian era of literature has nothing like It since the days of Queen Elizabeth ; and it surpasses even that illustrious period in the var- iety of the intellectual -ealth which it is destined to bequeath to future generations. The patience ot scientific research has found its ample reward in a clej-er understanding of the laws of nature and the subtle mechanism iif human life ; and so tar from placinjf a ban upon the proifress ot re- hgious thought, the church has to thank many of the sa7'a>i/s for ffivinjr to her a wider appreciation of the manifold wisdom of God. In the midst of the absorptions of practical affairs, there have not been wanting some latter-dav prophets to keep open the road towards the ideal. Never has the English-speaking world enjoyed greater freedom, nobler opportunity, more widelv diffused know- ledge, or more equable adjustment of the condi- tions of existence than at the dawn of the twen- tieth century. It may be said that progress of some sort is to be looked for in the natuarl course of human evolution. But real progress does not come of its own accord. There must be effort behind it, and a proper understanding of the chief duties of life. It IS the crown of human achievement to fear God and work righteousness, and no people that ig- nores his laws can ever hope to attain true strength and stability. While eager to consult for every kind of human interest, and to appreci- ate the results of the best culture, it is in this highest realm, most of all, that our departed Queen gave a pure example to her people. What- ever else is forgotten in the lapse of time, the wonderful spread of religious truth, the contagion of a royal influence which made for what is good, the unifying power of a Christian faith and the beneficence of a Christian charity will be sufficient to immortalize the name of Queen Victoria. And though her last davs were not without their storm-cloud, the cloud has a silver lining It does not become us to ."peculate upon what passed ,n tlu.t sick room at Osborne when those who were dearest to her gathered in awe-s rucl< slence watching the approach of the lit dread n-essenpr. But while, to our poor thought he tob'h M ?u "T- "^^ 2"^^" '-^d long enough ,ni^H,*^'P '"''''' '^•'^'•■'^'•■'^ "f » "hole Empfre umted ,n the indissoluble bonds of love and Tcr ! hce. The reality of the joy which marked the Queens Diamond Jubilee has been demonstrated beyond the shadow ot a doubt in the trying dlvs -nee then by the devotion of her sons who have ^'one forth with ready will from every quarter of her realm to fight the battles of Britain and Tn many cases have laid down their lives on the altir of patriotism. Canadians can never fo get the Queen s personal solicitude for their welffre her unstinted praise of their valorou.s achievements and the tears she shed for the wounded and t; those who had found a soldier's grave And if beyond the mists of strife, God was pleased to vouchsafe her in those last Lours, a fairer "slon surely it was the vision of a ; eoole wide ly scltte ' ed in many lands, and differing ,„ many ways ve joined ,n the enthusiasm of a common loyluy „^,d ennobled by the splendour of a growing p,^pose polit.^rmd" ' .■^"-^."K^. the best Ults of pohtii.,1 ,nd religious freedom, to raise to still m",!' he":- T''""!'" "-"^^ "' «■■'•-". -^ " geuine Ch^'^" > *" "' high civilization and W'orld '-^"'"■'""y '""""S 'he nations of the It nJ^t'^l^"" '■' '''■'*'• ''"' ''^•' ^oi-ks foil nv her It may be that no other sovereign will ever rival Z^^^l^lm^WF '3 eif er in lenjfth of rulership or in breadth of in great U.sk a ripe experience in public art-.irs. pricelisii pvs>rvir.i„ i- i_- •■. ciijoj.s aiho the whorn ht h^ T °^ /"" '""■•^'■■i""'* "-other, to the sorrowngr son whose voice is heard in "l re''l',rrusra'i';d"'%'"ne'e'd St' ^ tTt "^ ^^ntendea..our.i,,rl,:::;:!;V:4.;:'^^ ^r^:'::;wJ:^-Htrt;^od^„";^-S Sv'°HisM-'- '" '"^'"^ "p fe f:ii b:;:d:n' will of hit^ ^"■'f''^ ""*>■ ''^ ="*'*"^'=d °''"''> Kood. and to confnne that policy of enlightened'luTicJ Rr^H'l" ''''f ^ ** '"""^ nnshaken still, Broad based upon the people's will And conipa.«'d by the inviuiate sea - " The gueen is dead ! Long live the King V Therefore, though our hearts are full of grief, let us front the future with hope and confidence. What His Majesty well calls an "irreparable loss has befallen Christendom ; but the Ruler of all the nations still holds sway, and if we seek His guidance, we shall not seek in vain. It is not by the outward pageantry of mourning, appropriate as we feel it to be, but by a life of more earnest purpose and more exalted character that we shall best show our reverent love for Queen Victoria, hor she bemg dead, yet speaketh ; and as the wide tmpire over which she ruled enters upon the tasks of another century, she is calling us to put away everything which is vile and valueless; to be sober m our joys and heroic in our sorrows ; to be at peace with all men as far as lieth in us • to seize with ready insight f-e best opportunities which life affords ; to succour the weak, and guide the erring, and bring the angel of pity to darkened homes and careworn, broken hearts ; to find our best inspiration in the wisdom which Cometh from above ; amid the insolence of evil passions, and the overmastering lust of gain to prove that the destiny of man is not measured by the seen and temporal ; to rise to the stature of moral greatness, and learn, through all the shift- ing scenes of earth, to bear about with us every- whe ; the marks of the Lord Jesus. This, it seems to me, is the message which comes from behind the veil. And as long as we listen to it, the dead yueen will live again not only in the personal im- mortality which is now her rich and inalienable guerdon, but in the diffused beneficence which her Z^^ '";''Pu"' '" "'^ "''■'"■'*" «"J '""-■'•■ pacific conduc of the nations, in the .spread of Co "s evang^e over all the earth, in the'^homa^^ e wh'h time w>ll only deepen, because it shows itself per- JHBSHP*^ 9- TAYLOR * OLABKt, PRINTEnS, 134 QUEEN ST. OTTAWA. I ■■j|?4l .. 'f , ^^^Jm-mMi h .j^js^m.