Huntsville gazette., 1889-04-13
COURT PAGENTRIEs.


9As Universal Disappearance OF Old-Tims
Ponp and Display OF Royalty.
The time seems fast passing away
for the frequent great state pageants
in which the royal courts of Europe
were wont to indulge. 1t is true that
now and then we hear descriptions Of
gorgeous ceremonies, attended by all
the state and show of the olden time,
but they become more and more rare
~ the age advances.
Attention Il called to the fact by a
notable exception to it which was re-
Gently seen at the Winter Palace, in
St. Petersburg. The Russian New
Year comes eleven days later than
ours, and is preceded, according to the
rules OF the Russian Church, by
very strict fast of six weeks. Then
all the pomp of the Imperial court is
displayed as the new year opens. On
the last Of these occasions the festivity
was observed with quite as much
splendor as in earlier days. 1t was
half European, half Oriental. The
costumes and uniforms were dazzling
and varied. and Circassians and Sibe-
fians We'd with European Russians in
the brilliancy and gorgeousness OF
their displays.
The halls of the Winter Palace, says
graphic account, "were converted, by
means OF rare tropical plants, into
gardens of delicious verdure; the
mellow sheen of thousands of wax
candles contrasted with the brilliancy
Of the electric light, shining on buffets
heaped high with the coronation plate,
and background of supper tables
was laden with native and exotic
delicacies."
Such scenes, which were once not
uncommon at European courts, are
now rarely presented at any except
the Russian court.
In England gorgeous state pageant
Is in these days rare indeed. On the
occasion Of her jubilee, year and
half ago. indeed Queen Victoria made
q brilliant celebration, at which Kings
and Princes attended in a glittering
flock; but even then it was noticed
the Queen did not wear the great
crown of Britain, which. with the
Koh-i-noor cleaning in the center,
visitors to the Tower of London see
Enclosed in glass.
Paris has not witnessed any very
splendid pageant for more than twenty
years. Parisians who remember the
display of Napoleon ILL.,. when, in
1867, he was visited in turn by nearly
every crowned head of Europe, and by
at least one Asiatic potentate, can find
nothing tnat has taken place since to
equal it. France is Republican, and
since the downfall of the Empire has
become less Ostentatious.
It used to be the boast of Spain that
the court OF Madrid was the only great
court in Europe. '.Madrid es sofa
corte," the Spaniards used proudly to
declare in their musical tongue; but
tho glories Of the old Spanish court
have pretty much passed away. There
is still . more stiff and rigid ceremony,
indeed, at the Madrid palace than in
any other. and host of royal servants
pass daily through a strict routine;
but even coronations and royal bapt-
fsms are performed with far less
brilliancy of ceremony than formerly.
1t is said that the present King of
Italy lives in almost as modest a sim
plicity as his father, Victor Emmanuel,
did before him. Certain it is that
Rome rarely witnesses a great royal
pageant, while it is deprived. to some
extent at least, of the stately parades
made by the Pope and his Cardinals
when he was the temporal ruler of the
Eternal City.
The German pageants of the modern
day are, for the most part, great mill
tAry reviews and maneuvers, designed
70 set forth the armed prowess of the
Empire, and the same may be said Of
those of the Austrian court
With the more democratic age is
vanishing the old-time pomp and dis
play Of royalty. as if it were felt that
snch display is out ofplace at a period
when the people are taking greater
share In the Governments. and at
period, also, when immense sums of
money are needed by the sovereigns in
order to keep up their huge military
armaments.-Youth's Companion.