The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1895-01-25
ANIMALS IN PAGEANTs.
Norscs Enhance the Pomp Of Procession,
ON state Occasions.


ON state Occasions.
Horses regarded as material for state
professions occupy "a different place
from that assigned to other animals
by European custom. In the east, led
horses, richly capari,oncd, always form
part Of the show ON state occasions,
and i'm princcly stables many animals
are kept solely for professional pur-
poses In modern Europe. except in
military funerals. horse, are always
ridden or driven i'm pagcants, of which
they have been an Indispensable part
since the four white stceds drew the
Roman general i'm his triumph. Those
best remembered in England are the
queens crcam-culorcd state horses.
With their names plated with purple,
and each led 10y a broad purple rib
bon, they were most striking object
in the jubilee procession.
I'm England the military funeral is
the only pageant i'm which the horse
appears without it's rider. The custom
is probably ancient beyond record the
horse having been led 10 the tomb and
there killed for the use of it's rider in
the next world. In the tomb of Chill
dcric, father of Clovis, the skeleton of
his war-horsc was found with hundreds
of small gold ornaments which had
decorated its harness i'm the funeral
procession. But the impressive custom
now i'm use at the military funeral,
when the charger follows the body TO
the grave with the boots hanging re-
vorscd on either side, seems 10 be a
modern revival OF an ancient custom.
In Tudor times the horse, or horses,
of the dead soldier followed the body,
but without the silent appeal of the
empty saddle. At the funeral of Sir
/ Philip Sidney, for example, immediate
/ Is following the car came his horse for
/ the field, or charger, led by an esquire
/ and ridden by one his pages, who
/ trailed "a broken lance. His "barbed
/ horse" for state occasions, covered
with cloth OF gold, also followed, led
/ by second esquire and ridden by q
page I'm fun dress, who carried in his
/ hand hattle-aN reversed. Here is
] perhaps, the origin of the curious Gus
tom of reversing the boots, unless both
are associated with the old classical
symbol of death, the inverted torch.
Ina the funeral procession of The duls,
. of Wellington twelve horses drew the
car; these were covered from eyes tC
fctlocll- In housing OF black velvet
. with biacl, ostrich plumcs upon THEN
heads. The dukes funeral was mod
. clcd upon thc precedent of that of Johr
Monk, first duke of AlbcmarIe, the only
change iu the trapping, of the horse,
being that the animals were only
plumcd on the head, instead of carry
ing "a second plume ON The crupper
which, as the tail was hidden by the
. velvet clothing, had rather ludicrous
. appearance.
but iu the funeral of the duke of Al
] bcmarlc, ICED horses formed an impor
/ tant part of the procession Mourn
ing horses, as they We're called, drapeC
i'm black cloth and plumed, We're dis
. tributed an intervals i'm the cortege
. The "chief mourning horse" followed
the standard of England The funeral
car was also followed by cream col
Ored "horsc of honor" with crimson
caparisons, I'm the duke of Wellington,
funeral procession. The only led horse
was his charger not Copenhagen. but
the animal which he was i'm the habit
riding in hi, last years, Yet the rider
less stecd pacing behind its master,
bier awakened the emotions OF th,
gazing thousands with au ap seal m .r.
potent and direct than that of am tb.
accumulated pomp which preceded it
-INion Spectator.