Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-21
The Gray City Of the North Has a
Festival,
A coHVocAr1oN OF TEE CLERGY
Scenes During the NJ Getting of the
General Sydods.
IN FAMOUS SURROUNDINGS
of The Evening Star.

This has been a very festive week In
the gray metropolis of the north. Once a
year, in the merry month of May, Aud
Reckie' fo1gets that she is very old and
has seen more dreadful sights in her time
than almost any other town, and becomes
as bright and gray younger and less
nicked city would have some right to be.
In May, when the great, black castle rock
and the gray turrets of the fortress are
half hidden amid the soft spring green
of it's hanging gardens, when Princes
street is gay with the stars and stripes and
gorgeous tartans are lavishly displayed
in every shop to catch the early Ameri-
can tourist and his hard-earned dollars
the lord high commissioner for Scotland,
who represents the queen, comes with much
pomp and ceremony to open the general
synod of the Church of Scotland This is
the merriest time of all the glad new year.
for Edinburgh and the gaiety, which might
if economical be made to last the whole
year-for the Scotch are grave and sober
people and don't expect great deal in
week.
1t is strange that this display should be
in connection with a church, and that
church the Presbyterian Church of Scot
land, but so it is.
During the synod week Princes street
swarms with ministers of all sorts and
conditions. The Free Kirk the "Estab-
lished Church and the United Presby-
terians which are only few of the di
visions into which the Presbyferians have
split themselves up, are all out in force.
1t is their great annual holiday and the
hotels, cafes and shops are crowded with
them and their wives. Edinburgh Is ex
pected to devote herself exclusivelysto their
amusement and entertainment and she
has always proved to be an excellent hos
tess.
;1f
high commissioner, who is chosen from
among the Scottish peers. This year, for
the fifth time, the Marquis of Tweedale was
selected.
the ancient Palace of Holyrood. at which
any gentleman may be presented pro-
vided only he is willing to wear court dress
Ia suit Of black velvet. with knee breeches.
point lace, frills buckled shoes, sword
and cooked haD. or. falling this, full even
ing dress. AS the leyee is held at II O'Clock
in the morning this rather tries mems
souls and painfully suggests that they've
been out all night and forgotten to change
their clothes. At the levee the keys of
the good city of Edinburgh are formally
presented to her majesty's representative
by the lord provost with a more or less
fowery little speech, and at once returned
to him with another speech and the COM
forting assurance that the commissioner
considers them and the citizens safe in the
provost's keeping for another year.
Picturesque Parade.
When all these formalEies are over
procession Is formed and winds up past
Cation Hill, through Princes street, bril-
liant with flags. across the Mound and up
through the "old'' town to St. Giles Cattle
dral. This procession Is a gorgeous affair,
quite splendid in its way and far more
aristocratic than a London lord mayors
show.
First comes the famous Highland Regi-
ment. the Royal Scots, in gay tartan kits,
red coats and great ostrich feather bon
nets with its band of pipers playing old
Scotch airs. After them follow the state
coaches, with postillions and outriders in
blue-and-silver liveries and powdered hair.
In these are seated the commissioner and
the marchioness, with the maids of honor
and the aids-de-camp. Next come the lord
provost and the city fathers, gorgeous to
behold. in crimson and ermine, the mace
bearer walking ahead, the lion kingat-
arms, the college of heralds, with the pur-
vuisants and state trumpeters, dressed for
all the world like the kings on pack of
cards. and riding in beautiful gilded coaches
that would have put Cindereila's carriage
to shame: the faculty of advocates. in
gowns and wigs with two lonely little
pages in livery and powder and the fine
dragon regiment, the Royal Inniskillings,
guard outside the church doors, while the
Royal Scots line both sides of the High
street, from st. Giles to the Assembly
Hail.
In this beautiful old church of st. Giles,
hung with tattered banners from many
hard-won battlefield. John Knox preached
his last sermon. and near by an inscrip-
ton in the pavement. u: K, 1872" marks
his grave. Here Jenny Geddes hurled her
stool at the deans head as he read the
hateful liturgy for the last time. and here
it was that James VI took leave Of his
people on his accession to the throne of
l. neplo md ssyua nj if,r11V nd
ing to visit them often, and to remember
them when he should be ava in foreign
rairts.'" edinburgh is now only seven
and half hours from London).
Reception ut Holyrood.
We reached the gates of Holyrood about
10 o'clock, and as there were many car
riages ahead Of ours we had to wait some
little time. The moon was shining over
Salisbury crags and lighting up the beau
tiful ruined abbey and the many towers of
the palace. Behind and far above 1t the
great, dark, n-shaped mountain seemed
to keep guard while Holyrood itself looked
as IL it's fairy godmother Qf a palace can
be supposed to have SO useful a relative)
had touched 1T with her wand so changed
was 1t from its usual rather gloomy ap-
pearance Instead of bare stone corridors
and the dust of ages We saw everywhere
crimson carpets, tall palms, ferns and
flowers, fountains and thousands of softly
tiilCo anu SAduSu uSHE5. we were re-
ceived by some truly magnificent funkeys
and passed on to the ushew, who an
nounced us in loud and dear tones as we
went forward to make our curtseys to her
majesty's- representatives In the throne
room.
These private apartments Of the queen
are not open to visitors, and this is the only
occasion when one can see them. The old
er wing of the palace. which contains
Queen Mary's rooms and where Rizzio's
blind stains the floor, Is always open.
The throne room and the others Of this
suite are quite unaltered since the days
when Prince Charley held his brief court
here, and there are some fine portraits. as
well as a great deal Of very beautiful Gobe-
lin tapestry--sIn this more modern wing of
the palace is also the great 'banqueting hall
and portfait-gallesy. built; by Charles II.
This was used tonight as a supper room,
and very -prettfty7, h looked with It's flowers
and ferns and palms and thousands Of wax
candles In tall silver candelabra, against
the dark oak-paneled walls, ard grim old
portraits.
The throne, with its great crimson silk
canopy and gold-embroidered ~. r." is
just like an old-fashioned four-foot can
opted bedstead. There was. dancing in this
room and we saw some wpnderful Scotch
reels, danced by officers q the Highland
Regiment in their fuli-d!ess kits and