Page:A thousand years hence. Being personal experiences (IA thousandyearshen00gree).djvu/274

 characteristic custom of the time, that, namely, of the public competition for, and the public award of, "the Crown of Labour." Long prior to this time, a custom had been established of thus doing honour to labour. The aim was to do honour to a righteously useful life. In the annual recurrence of this national custom for each English county, there was somewhat a revival of the early Greek games, at all events in the national enthusiasm that was evoked. But the modern contest had a higher and more ambitious moral; for instead of mere feats of body or mind, it concerned the useful work of the whole life. The candidates respectively submitted all the beneficial activities of their lives to the appointed judges; and each candidate, as the reward of a life, which, under all the circumstances of its case and of its time, was the most diligently and usefully spent, claimed the crown of labour.

About the time we are now engaged with, namely, towards the end of the twenty-fourth century, the usual annual contest was distinguished, on one of its occasions, and in one particular county, by a rather remarkable candidate. These county divisions of our still distinctive Old England had not yet been obliterated. The county in question was Berkshire, and the candidate alluded to was an accomplished young maiden, who bore the high and ancient name of Victoria Guelf. And she rightly bore that historic name, for she was a lineal descendant of the old royal race of her country.

There were many Victorias of that time, a name still given in honour of the distinguished queen of the nineteenth century, now, of course, long gathered to