St. Landry democrat., 1888-03-24
THE IMPERIAL FUNERAL.
Imposing Ceremonies at the Funeral of the
Late German Emperor-The Procession
to the Tomb.

CntAG
Imposing Ceremonies at the Funeral of the
Late German Emperor-The Procession
to the Tomb.
BERLIN, March 1.-THE funeral of the
late Emperor William took place yester-
day. The weather was extremely cold,
and the troops, who were ranged four
deep along the route taken by the funeral
cortege, wore heavy cloaks. The low
temperature had no apparent effect upon
the people, and hundreds Of thousands OF
spectators occupied the space behind the
soldiers, while every window along Unter
den Linden was crowded. All the houses
on the thoroughfare were covered with
mourning and exhibited flags with black
drapery. At the street crossings massive
pillars draped with black and surmounted
by Prussan eagles had been erected.
The route Of the funeral procession pre-
sented most imposing aspect, entirely in
keeping with the deep sorrow and
reverence Of the people The center OF
the road was strewn with gravel and fr
branches. In Pariserplatz large Grape
festoons, entwined with laurelss were hung.
The Brandenburg gate was draped and
there was large arch in front Of 1t upon
which were the words: "God bless you"
dral IN accordance with the programme.
The Emperor Frederick was not present,
the weather being too severe to permit OF
his exposing himself. The service began
with soft prelude on the organ, during
which the mourners began to assemble.
DR.. Koegel, the court chaplain, then read
passages from the ninetieth Psalm and
verses 25 and 26 of the eleventh chapter Of
John, after which the choir sang, II Know
That My Redeemer Liveth."
Passages were then read from Psalm xc.
and Timothy iv. Z, =, the chaplain conclud-
ing with the words, BLESSED are they who
die in the Lord, now and evermore" The
choir responded with the words, 'Yea, the
spirit saith they shall rest from their Ia
bors, their work shall live after them"
The prayer was then intoned, "What God
Doeth is Well Done"
Dr. Koegel delivered the sermon stand.
ing beside the coffin. His text was, "Lord,
| now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in
peace, according to Thy word, for mine
eyes have seen Thy salvation" He con-
cluded with the Lords prayer, and the
| congregation then sang the hymn, Gwen
Mich Einmal Sollscheiden." A motet from
Graun's "Tod Jesu" was then sung by the
choir, after which the members of the Sing
Academic rendered "Wie Herrlich Ist Die
Neue Welt"
At 1915 o'clock DR.. Koegel pronounced
the benediction, while at the same time
volleys were fired by infantry on the out
side The Cathedral ceremony closed with
the singing of ''Holy, holy is the Lord"
The scene was truly memorable when,
| amid the strains Of the final chorus and
the sharp rattle Of volleys outside twelve
reglmental commanders slowly and rever-
| emily raised the coffin from Its resting
place, moving forward with it on their
shoulders to the principal door. Before
| them walked high court official.
The procession was in every way worthy
| of the occasion. The military display was
| magnificent, though somber the entire
escort, composing the elite OF the army
| wearing dark overcoats and mantles, owing
to the extreme cold. ALI the surrounding
Of the funeral car were invested with
| solemnity.
In the Sieges hall, as had been arranged
| the procession halted and Crown Prince
William, who had thus far walked imme
| diately behind the funeral car, now en-
tered carriage, accompanied by the Kings
| Of Saxony, Belgium and Roumania. The
| other royal persons at the same time took
seats in carriages following that
of the Crown Prince. The order oil
| the procession was now changed
the garde du corps assuming the place oil
escort and officers Of lower rank reliev.
ing the pail bearers. The cortege ther
moved onward until it reached Charlotten
burg.
The sight of the chief mourner, the heir
to the throne, accompanied by three Kings
of German blood, followed by the most il
lustrous representatives of every Euro
peon country, whose presence gave evi
dence Of the universal veneration in which
the deceased was held and by long line OF
statesmen, all combined to give the scene
| an impressiveness that was reflected in the
demeanor of the dense throng watching
the cortege.
At 3:15 o'clock the remains were received
at the mausoleum by the pastor of Chariot
tenburg and Chaplain Koegel then read the
passage, BLESSED Is the man who resisteth
temptation" and the Lords prayer. The
chaplain then closed the solemn service
with the benediction. Members of the i'm.
perial family and the other mourners then
withdrew, the Generals taking farewell OF
their dead master by placing their hands,
as il in salute, upon his coffin. A salvo OF
artillery announced that the ceremony was
over.