Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1883-02-17
KING A-dLAKAJaS KORONA 7I0N
hR4ZE hOJIES TO 4 hRISLSt

KING A.dLAKAUAS KORONA 710N
hRAzE hOlfES TO 4 hRLSLSi
Some of our readers were not present at the
free exhibition on the I2th inst--owing to a
very natural disinclination to honor it by their
weather and other preventves. As they may
like to know how the affair passed off, we will
endeavor 10 give them plain statement Of
facts concerning it, and they can Judge il they
have lost anything by their absence.
In front of the palace is hemispherical
structure containing rows Of raised benches,
and capable of seating three thousand people,
more or less. Between this temporary shelter
which on the cards of invitation is called the
aMbhikicaftc-an the makai verandah of the
palace is a band stand raised platform or
gang plank, connects the verandah with the
band stand the platform or gang plank, is
we write as If we were now present at the
Coronation-is carpeted, and we assure our
tax-paying readers that they need not fear
there was any extravagant outlay in the walks
of carpcting the band stand is n graceful
structure, prettily decorated, and will in future
occupy some portion of the palace grounds.
The Boston thrones, by no means so elaborate
as the article commonly used in theatrical rep
rcsenations, and to be found in every well
regulated property room, are so placed, on the
Eva side of the band staud that the major
portion Of the audience see only the royal cal
and side whiskers or the royal back hair; there
are some whose eyes are permitted to rest upon
the royal nose and the royal cheek, but the
happy few who took it all in are confined to q
section of the pavilion about the shape Of q
slice of pie and bearing a similar proportion to
| the whole.
The decorations of the pavilion are cheap
mcagre and Ineffective; in fact, the only at
tempt at display is in the prettily furnished
band stand and, under the circumstances, thi'
seems to us reasonable economy.
The Boston thrones are surrounded by chairs
such as are found inthe reading and smoking
rooms of most American hotels, these are Z
|
ture. The arena in which the band stand i,
placed is about the size of circus ring, her,
the Industrial school children and Others are
gathered, and in the pavilion to which all wer,
invitations like breast plates, as few native
women did, or had never received any, which
would be remarkable indeed.
The band is here but it stands without shell
pipe feebly to the accompaniment Of parlo
organ-not an impressive instrument wher
operated in the open air.
AtII A. NJ. the spaces are all filled, it is
nasty mixture but a well behaved one; tn,
ladies in full dress''are doubtless surprised t.
find that the paint on the benches is not en-
tirely dry; the few gentlemen who are in full
dress, and who are marked men in consc
quence, bear away on their broad cloth fain
traces of fresh paint at II A. NJ. we begin IL
hope that the worst is not far off. At III
A. NJ, the royal kahilis are borne out in pro
cession and planted upon each side Of the car
peted gang plank. OF all this "fuss an'
feathers the feathers are by far the fines
feature. One native women rises and deliver
monotonous medley concerning fuss an'
feathers in general, and this fuss and thos
feathers in particular she is interrupted at in
tervals by the faint refrain Of "kulikuli"!
AT 1890 the aeshy party in tights, who ha
from time to time rushed from the palace t
the band stand, turned something over an,
rushed back again, is relieved Of his onerou
duties for the palace doors are slowly opene'
and the Coronation march begins. 1t is statel
and not unpicturesque, singular combination
of the barbarous and the civilized; the gor
geous foreign officials who are seated upon on
end Of the palace verandah, the still NOR
gorgeous ladies Of distinction who are seate
upon the other sink into nsignihcancc in con,
parison with the cataract Of kahilis that pouI
down like dsintegrated rainbow upon III
band stand.
After this the ceremonial grows vague; ther
is an evident lack OF rehearsal /; there Is a war
Of uniformity and method in the modes Of sil
ting and standing il is not reasonable to SUP
pose that one who is placed unexpectedly upo
the throne can be crowned as easily and 3
naturally as one with whom this sort Of thin
Is bred in the bone; nor have any Of thes
people had much to do with coronations nc
Is the singularly unobtrusive clerical element
any advantage SO long as i remains soltar
surpliee on the dangerous edge Of the ban
stand, nor is the Hawaiian hymnal calculate
to inspire awe OF enihusiam nor. does u,
Lord Chamberlain embcllish the scene by
( frequent recurrance to his tablets and motto,
able lack Of repose.
Were il not for our modesty VIC would vii
| ingly have given the master Of ceremonies ie
) points on Coronaiions. There is one unfailin
) receipt YOU hrsi catch your king and all h
res, follows naturally enough; you will I'm
the crown in its proper reeep,ical, and the,
will be eourtiers enough who have played the
parts until il indeed il we're not their nature,
will have become a second nature in such
case Il will be unnecessary to inform Kin
that il it becomes necessary for him to csov
himself he need not, unless he prefers to do ss
J place thumb and fingers upon the apex u II
crown and then Sc, il upon his he.sl as Il
the cover to ehahng dish.
Kalakaaa does this; and when he crowns h
J queen. whose hair dresser was apparently Nc
} acquainted with the fashion u the cIo~a. !
; places il among locks which arc hastily di