The Great Exhibition was sufficient proof--if any had been
needed--of how the Prince with his wife laboured incessantly for the
good of others. Without his courage, perseverance, and ability there
is no doubt that this great undertaking would never have been carried
through successfully. He recognized the fact that princes live for
the benefit of their people; his desire for the improvement in all
classes was never-ending, and from him his wife learnt many lessons
which proved of the greatest value to her in later life when she stood
alone and her husband was no longer there to aid her with his
unfailing wise advice.
A second Exhibition was held in 1862, and so far as decorative art
was concerned there were distinct signs of improvement. 'Art
manufacture' had now become a trade phrase, but manufacturers were
still far from understanding what 'Art' really meant. As an instance
of this, one carpet firm sent a carpet to be used as a hanging on
which Napoleon III is depicted presenting a treaty of Commerce
to the Queen. Particular attention had apparently been paid to the
'shine' on Napoleon's top boots and to the Queen's smile!
The Prince's great wish was to restore to the workman his pride in
the work of his hands, to relieve the daily toil of some of its
irksomeness by the interest thus created in it, and, where the work
was of a purely mechanical nature, and individual skill and judgment
were not called for, he wished the worker to understand the
principles upon which the machine was built and the ingenuity with
which it worked.
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