New-York tribune., 1902-09-07

From The Pail Mall Gazette
II the coronation has any lesson TO impress on
the ordinary Individual, II Is thdt SO saS'y
rfvrned by Oliver Wendell Holmes:
Irw+IIs win th. beaver in Canadian brooks
Nutue may flourish on an old ctaNa'; 10.
But and nature scorn the SHOCKING ha'-
For the hat pToclaims the man or woman Moo
ern delineatOrS of character ScFuihl%e Ihe pans
OF the hands but from time linIheIhoFidl liIe
keadlear has constituted sign for all VINO walk
abroad TO read. The head Is covered, not lot
shelter from the weather, but as a sign OF
status Just as gloves hespeak Eenultty, because
their wear originally testified 10 freedom from
manual work. Clothing for the body Is q htces-
sity but the covering OF the head Is one OF the
superfuitIes ordained by clFlhZatoh, lor III.
hair is a natural thatch, and even centuries OF
artificial tiles have not Yet made man a ual"
headed animal. ON the contrary, ne olleh yea,
to go about with no other covering for his mead
than the natural of his own locks, submit
ting with i'll grace TO the conventions and the
tyranny of the topper. Were the hat mercy
shield from sun and rain II would not exist IN It's
present form, but all headgeaF, from the crown
u the cricket cap, is essentially SIIhpoHC' aIc
only incidentally protective
The crown The hat in its earliest form, ana
orgi. ated as the hlIet r band round the temples
keep the long hair from faIllhS over tiie IA'e-
Gariands Of flowers and WrcajhS Of leaves were
so used and marked their WeaIer as less savage
than his contemporaries. or sgnaIZed some
great event in his life. such marriage, or VIC
tory in combat. In time these wTeaths aSsuIiitu
distinctive characters, and betrayed the quality
Of the person at glance. The poet bound hls
hair with laurel and the victorious warrior with
bay leaves. The king naturally chose MET OF
20 d and hence the evolution Uf the crown, THIS
Landau conception being clearly seen IN ihr
Byzantine crown OF Hungary The covering q
the head was thus 4 sign Of superiority ana af-
vertisement Of status, which fact IS stun pre-
s. rived in the revcrentiai removing OF hats IN
church and the presence OF the dead. 10 women
and royalty. For the headGcar bespeaks rank,
and courtesy requires that IN the presence of su-
periCrs a man should acknowledge ms own m
feriority by ahaSinS himSef-by reno wing the IN
sigma Of his own rank. which is his hat. In
Spain the dignity of gr4HdeeShip, as also that of
a cardinal, is called hat. for the KING orlgl-
nally conferred it by addressing the person
"cubraos' tcover yourseD. This constituted a
declaration that the kiEg regarded the noble
man as his equal The order of grandees was
divided into three classes First, those who Gov
cred themselves 1T before addressing the
King; second grandees who covered themsel es
after speaking to his majesty, but before they
received his answer; and third. those who could
oily assume their hats when they had made
their last obeisance and retired into the crowd
of courtiers. Al the present day the formal
Spanish gentry show great courtesy to the hat of
a visitor. He is not allowed to mold II In his
hand nor put it the ground, for IL is taken by
the punctilious don and cushioned Ike a crown
on the best sofa chair In the room.
The same symbolism will mark the ceremony
in Westminster Abbey. The King is but first
among his equals, and by assuming their cor
onets at the moment his majesty receives the
crown the mobiles of Britain declare themselves
his peers. Subsequently they signify their ser
vice to the King by removing their coronets
before doing homa ge him. The judges like
wise proclaim their equality with the sovereign
by covering themselves in his presence The