Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-01-26

"
she burst into tears, and then, addressing
herself to the archbishop exclaimed, Il beg
your grace to pray for me-" The whole
party, consisting of the little queen, the
prelate. the lord chamberlain and the late
kings physician, Sir Henry Halford, then
knelt, and there, in the middle of the
night, offered up prayer to heaven that she
might be strengthened from above and
guided to the blessing of her people.
That was how Queen Victoria com
menced her long and prosperous reign, and
now it may well be said without fear of
contradiction that her prayer offered up on
the night of her accession has been fulfilled
and that her reign has proved blessing to
her people
Victoria was from the first idolized by
the English people Her youth appealed
to their sympathes, and her good sense to
their respect. She became sort of national
pet, yet withal she was admired for her
'"isdom. her rectitude and her firmness
UrvilIe speaks with somewhat of regret of
the last mentioned characteristic, evidently
holding that the ordinary impulsiveness
and perhaps even the mistakes of youth
would have been more charming. The
glories and splendors that attended her
coronation-are they not all set down in
the chronicles of the day2 The ceremonies
occurred on June 2S, 1888. Never had Eng
lands metropolis been so crowded. Places
along the line of the royal procession
brought high premium. BY dark on the
preceding day the people began to gather
At daybreak of the 2Sth the popular en-
thusiasm had reached high pitch. The
procession outdid anything of the kind that
had before been witnessed in London. Be-
sides the troops, which were ordered out in
full force, there were twelve royal car
riages, each containing two ladies and two
gentlemen, and each drawn by six pranc-
ing horses. Then came the queens state
coach, drawn by eight cream colored horses
and attended by yeoman at each wheel
and a footman at each door. The corona
ton itself was held in the vast building al
ways used for the imposing ceremonies of
English royalty Westminster abbey. Vic
toria's train of royal crimson velvet and
ermine was borne by eight young ladies of
noble birth. Cannons doomed, trumpets
sounded, and men and women cheered out
side the building, and from every part OF
the sacred edifice were heard enthusiastic
cries of God save the queenP Hats and
handkerchiefs were waved aloft. peers and
peeresses put on their coronets, and bishops
donned their caps, The guests included
other sovereigns, and they yielded to no
one in the enthusiasm of the moment
The "enthronement" was singular por
ton of the ceremony The young sovereign
was lifted bodily into the royal seat, being
surrounded by archbishops, bishops and
peers. His grace of Canterbury knelt and
did homage for himself and other spiritual
lords, and all kissed the queens hand. Her
unces, the Dukes of Sussex and Cambridge,
removed their coronets and did homage
with set and elaborate speech. They touched
the crown upon her head, kissed her left
cheek and then retired. The peers also
touched her crown, but kissed her hands.
A Marriage For Love.
Queens enjoy a privilege which is with
held, save in leap year. from women occu-
pying less august position in the social
scale-nameiy, that of themselves making
the offer OF marriage, instead of waiting to
receive the proposal from their suitors
And it was therefore Queen Victoria who
a year after her coronation at Westminster
abbey, on June 2S, 1888, invited her cousin,
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg- Gotha, to
share his life with her. 1t is only stating
the truth to say of this marriage, however,
that it was one that had been agreed upon
for many years, providing Victoria herself
approved of the young man. For a time
she is recorded as having been not well
pleased with him, but there is no doubt
that she fell in love with him before the
union was proposed by her. The nuptials
took place on the 10th of February, 1910, at
the Chapel Royal, St. James palace. The
wedding breakfast was given at Bucking