Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-11-05
A STATELY CEREMONY.
9ow the Doors of the Famous Londos
sTower" Are Locked.

"Tower" Are Locked.
Excess If ceremony was the old exc
pedient for making power venerable.
In these more practical days it oftcner
makes power ridiculous. A good deal
Of form and etiquette, however, are
doubtless necessary in official places;
at all events there is likely to be a good
deal, especially under Imperial govern
ments-and the poor fellows WHO hold
the places, and whose duties are chiefly
traditional, must do something to earn
their salary. 1t is no very great affair
for a smart man or boy TO lock the
doors OF building. but the Government
OF England makes very solemn and
deliberate job OF it Large bodies move
slowly.
Few persons are aware of the strict
ness with which the Tower of London is
guarded from foes without and from
treachery within. The ceremony of
shutting it up every night continues tc
be as solemn and as rigidly precaution-
ary as if the French invasion were ac-
tuallv afoot. Immediately after .tat-
too all strangers are expelled, and the
gates once closed, nothing short OF
such imperative necessity as ire or sud-
den illness can procure their being re.
opened till the appointed hour the next
morning. The ceremony of locking up
is very ancient, curious and stately. A
few minutes before the clock strikes the
hour of eleven-on Tuesdays and Fri
DAYS twelve-the head warden (yeoman
porter), clothed in Il long red cloak.
bearing in his hand huge bunch oil
KEYS, and attended by a brOther-warden
carving a gigantic lantern. appears in
front of the main guard-EOuse and calls
out, in loud voice:
escort keys!"
At these words the Sergeant OF the
Guard. with five or six men. turns out,
and follows him to the Spur" an outer
gate. each sentry challenging, IS they
pass the post:
.'Who goes there?'
..keys."
The gates being carefully locked and
barred-the warden wearing as solemn
an aspect and making as much noise as
possible = the procession returns. the
sentrics exacting the same explanation
and receiving the same answer as be-
fore.
Arrived once more in front of the
main guard-housc. .he sentry there gives
loud stamp with his foot, and the fol.
lowing conversation takes place be.
tween him and the approaching party:
WHO goes lhere?''
"Kevs."
"Who.e keys?"
"Queen Victora's KEYS"
advance. Queen Victoria's keys.
and ais WE'LL
The yeoman porter then exclaims:
Sod bless Queen Victoria"
The main guard devoutly respond:
Amen
The officer on duty gives the word:
present arms"'
The iirelOcks rattle; the officer kisses
the hit O. his sword; the escort fall in
among their companions, and the yeo-
man pOrttr marches maiestically across
the p, radc alone, to deposit the keys in
the Lieutenant lodgings. The cere-
mony over. not only is all egress and
ingress totally precluied, but even
within the walls no one can stir without
being furnished with the counterSign;
and any one who. unhapply forgetf.l.
ventures from mis- quarters uDprOyided
with his talisman, is sure to be mad /.
the prey of the first sentinel whose post
he crosses All of VIII CHI is pleasantly
absurd. and rem nds us of the stately
manner in which the crown was ca
ried about when the White Tower was
on fire IOutk'S COMPANION.