Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-09-22
RUSSIAN CoR0NATI0NS.
The Coming Ordeal of Alexander ILL.,
Ceremonies of the Past.

ceremonies OF the fdSt.
81. James Gazette.
The hesitation with which Alexan-
der III. approaches the tedious ceremo-
mony of his coronation in the cathedral
of the Assumption at Moscow is easily
to be understood. But already it has
been put off longer than in the case of
any car, with the exception of his
grandfather Nicholas; and without it
the emperor of all the Russias is, in
the eyes of the Muscovites, only half a
car. Tradition attributes a great vir-
tue to the coronation of the sovereign
in the old capital; and custom has
even dictated that the cZar who has
not been crowned in the Kremlin has
no right to place in the mausoleum.
Peter I'LL, GATHERINGS unlucky consort,
had not been crowned when the Orloffs
strangled him-an omission which was
made pretext for refusing him rest
ing palce with the other cZars in the
church and fortress of SIS. Peter and
Paul. He was buried in the convent
of Alexander Nevsky, without any fu-
neral honors. These Paul paid his
father as soon rs his mothers voice
was dumb, crowning the coffin with
the imperial regalia-the only corona
ton ceremony that could be performed
then,-and transporting it with Cath
crimes body to the citadel.
Although some ceremony of inaug
uration accompanied the succession of
the early grand princes of Moscow,
Tver, Kief, ETC., and the two first czars
of all the Russias, Ivan w. (Vassil-
vitch), surnamed the Terrible, whc
came to the throne when he was Is
years old, in 1547, seems to have been
the first czar who was crowned accord
ing to our modern notions of that GER
emony. But his coronation was per-
formed with little of the pomp and
paraphernalia used in these days. The
ceremonial now ordinarily followed
was first observed at the accession of
Feodor Ivanovitch, the last of the dy-
nasty of Rurik in 1884, and he was the
first car who received at the hands of
the pontiff the consecrated oil. On
leaving the old palace of the Kremlin
for the Cathedral of the Assumption,
the car is preceded by a cortege con-
veying his regalia. These are received
by the clergy with a cloud Of incense
and murmured blessing at the church
door, and then deposited inside in the
place appointed for them. They COM
prise the various crowns of the ancient
and modern kingdoms and princedoms
included at the time in the Russian
empire; the imperial standard of yellow
satin embroidered with the arms and
devices of the same provinces; the
sceptre, globe, and the imperial purple,
and the cross worn on the breast, in
which is set a piece of the true cross.
Nor should the historic cape be forgot.
ten, called by the Russians barmy, and
consequently signifying the weight of
empire and responsibility which the
new sovereign is taking upon his shoul-
ders. 1t is richly jeweled, and orna-
mented with animals portraying differ
ent scenes out of the Old and New
Testaments. The story goes that it
once belonged to Constantine Mono
machus, and was sent to the Grand
Prince Vladimir II. by the Emperor
Alexis Comnenus in the year 1116 A.
ID. After the car has made the pro-
fession Of the Orthodox faith, he is
helped by the metropolitan of Kief and
the archbishop of Moscow into the i'm
perial mantle. The crown is then
brought in and placed on his head, the
officiating prelate intoniDg something
like the following formula: "Most pi.
us, puissant, great lord, emperor of all
Russia! This visible and material or.
nament is the outward sign of the mys.
terious act by which the King of Glory
crowns thee at this moment-thee the
chief of all the people of Russia-con
lirming thee by means of His holy ben
ediction in thy absolute and supreme
authority over thy subjects" Next ht
places the sceptre in his right hand
and the globe in his left, saying. "Ol
thou crowned Of God! thou whom Ii.
has favored by his gifts and adorned
by his graces, most powerful and grea
lord, emperor of all Russi', receive tn,
sceptre and the globe! They are tn,
symbols of the supreme power which
the Most High has given thee over tn,
peoples to govern them and assur
their well-being." Various prayer
2 commonly intervene between the ac
, of coronation and that of conservation
: which is performed by the metropoli
tan of Novgorod, touching the forehead
, eyelids, nostrils, lips, and ears of tn
: car, as well as the palms of his hands
with the consecrated oil, saying tn
! while, "This is the gift of the Hol
!. Spirit" The metropolitan of Kie
). thereupon wipes all traces of the O.
from the imperial hands and counts
nance-a wholesome innovation @
comparatively modern times; for a
lately as last century the car was SUI
l posed to abstain from washing for se1
en- days after the ceremony those part
k which the consecrated oil had touched
k The great Catherine, who coul
o squander millions on war in th
I Chersonese, or a fete at the Hermitag
e kept Paurs establishment on so poor
d footing, that when he entered upo
his heritage at last, his first though
t was to dissipate it. His coronatio
p cost a prodigious sum of money. III
repugnance TO use anything that ha
? been used by his mother decided hi
'e to discard the diadem she had wor
with so much glory for herslef an
u Russia for four-and-thirty years. S
10 he commissioned his court jeweler, OF
IS Duval, an ingenious Switzer, to NAL
u him new crown, which should thro
If all others in the shade by its magni
lie cence. 1t was baptized with all sor
st of formalities. A triumphal arch W;
u erected on its path from Duval's hou
a to the Winter palace, and, as Masst
puts it, the jeweler, like other Pygm
lion, was made to fall on his knees al
worship his own work In our d;
IN the coronation of the Emperor Niche
le as, for various reasons. attracted
re good deal of attention. II was put {
IT. from week to week, and from day
k dav. until even the curiosity of foreio