Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-01-25
THE PROCLAMATION READ,
EDWARD VII. NOW IS KING.
TIVE OF SEMI-BARBARIC
SPLENDOR AND RITES.
MANY QUAINT CEREMONIES
MARKED THE FIRST CHANGE OF
RULERS BRITAIN HAS HAD
IN HALF A CENTURY.

LONDON, January 24.-London to-
day was given glimpse of medieval
times. The quaint ceremonies with
which King Edward VII. was pro-
claimed at various points of the me-
tropolis exactly followed ancient pre-
cedents The officials purposely ar
ranged the function an hour ahead of
the published announcement and the
Inhabitants, when they awoke were
surprised to find the entire way be-
tween ST. James palace and the city
lined with troops. About 10000 SOL
diers, life-guards, horse guards, foot
guards and other cavalry and infantry
regiments had been brought from AL
dershot and London barracks after
midnight. All the officers had Grape
on their arms and the drums and
brass instruments were snrouded with
Grape The troops, in themselves,
made an imposing spectacle, but they
were entirely eciipsed by the strange
spectacle presented by the officials of
the college of arms.
The contingent from the college of
arms was composed of three kings at
arms, four heralds and eight pursuit.
wants. The costumes of the two lat
ter were gorgeous beyond compare.
they wore ta0ardS, garment reSemD-
ling the costume of kings depicted on
playing cards. These tabards were
beautifully and heavily embroidered
with silk lions, the
Royal Coat-of-Arms
and flowers in bewildering confusion.
There was the rogeu dragon, the blue
mantle and the maltraVerS, with all
the armorial bearings of that quaint
ola body, the college OF arms, in full
and solemn array. A blare of trum
pets announced the progress of the
cavalcade as it prOceeued through
Trafalgar square and the Strand.
The chier interest of the morning
centered in the entrance of the her
aids procession into the city at Tenn
pie Bar. The gray minarets of the
= law courts and the tall spires of the
strand churches doomed pnantom-like
out of the fog, while long double
line of overcoated troops stood chill
ed and motionless along the half-de-
serted streets. The clocks in the law
courts and St. Dunstan's tolled out In
a mournful manner the quarter hours
until 9:15, when out Of the gray mist,
from within the city boundary, APP
peared procession of carriages,
forming the lord mayors encourage.
1t was there that the two professions
were to merge in kaleidoscope grand
eur. The lora mayor, sheriffs, alder
men and mace bearers, in scarlet fur
trimmed robes, cooked hats, ruttieo
shirts, silk knee-breeches and low
lbuckled shoes, peered out from
The CindereIIa-Like Coaches
that would have been the envy of
Alice in Wonderland" Overhead,
in the midst of the pageant, the great
griffin, which marks the city bound
airy, spread its wide fantastic wings
like some Hindoo god. n their good
liyeries the white-winged cOachmen
OF the lord mayor looked down con-
temptuously upon soldier, herald and
peer
In the olden days veritable bar or
gate separated the city from without.
To-day ten strong policemen stretch
ed a red, silken rope across the thor
oughfare. in honor of the city's an
cient privileges.
AS the clocks struck the time. the
officer in command of the troops
cried Attention" The rife stocks
came down with a click upon the as
phalt pavement. and two gold laced
trumpeters appeared at the Griifins
side. The lord mayor and sherifs,
mace4beareTs, chaplain, rememoiancer
and the white wigged Judges OF the
city courts left their carriages and
grouped themselves to gether between
the lines of drawn up troops. Then
the city marshal, who was on horse
back, wearing a uniform of scarlet,
gold laced, with scarlet plumes, rode
up to the barrior and the Morrow
king-of-arms. whose green and gold
fabard outshone those Of his collea-
CUES
Appeared ut the Imaginary Bar.
His trumpeter blew a shrih blast,
which the lord mayors trumDeters
answered. and then the city marshal
rode up to the barrier and demanded
Who goes there?" the Morrow king
of arms replied that it was the kings
herald, come TO read a proclamation.
Enter, herald" said the marshal,
and the herald was conducted TO the
lord mayor and aldermen, who were
still grouped in the street.
The herald then read the pr0clama-
ton, to which the mayor and alder
men replied:
We, with one voice consent. tongue
and heart, pledge allegiance to King
Edward VII"
The trumpeters blew a blast while
the wondering crowd stood barehead-
ed and silenced, not knowing what TO
DO, till military band in the process
sion struck up God Save the King"
This familiar air has still but one
meaning in England and the crowd
took up the words feebly, with God
save the King on the tongue, but
With God save the Queen" in mind.
A Few Streets Further On
the proclamation was read again and
the procession advanced, by way of
Ludgate hill, to the royal exchange.
The final proclamation was made in
front of the roya. exchange. The
square before the exchange, with the
prison wall of the Bank of England
on one side and the massive official
residence of the Lord Mayor ON the