The Holly chieftain., 1902-08-15
WITH IMPOSING CEREMONIES
KING EDWARD VII. IS CROWNED


won extravagant encomiums, especial
ly from the women. many of whom de-
clared that Queen Alexandra did not
look a day over thirty-tive.
The Queens own crowning WAS brief
and simple. When the four Duchesses
went to hold canopy over her majes,
ty's head, the Duchess of Marlborough
and the Duchess of Portland led the
way. They performed their duties ex-
cellently. At the approach of the cru
cial period for which the peeresses had
long practiced, namely, the putting on
Of their coronets the moment the
Queen was crowned. a fntter Of ner-
vousness ran through their ranks and
coronets were pulled out and patted
and pinched into shape, their faces
hardened with anxiety and then all
their arms suddenly went up, and coro
nets, large and small, were put in
place, some crooked and some straight.
For the next five minutes the peer
esses disregarded what passed before
them; first one and then another turned
around for advice and help, and then
ensued 4 mutual pushing of each 9th
er's coronets into place.
No stage effect could have equaled
the climax that ensued the moment the
crown was placed upon King Edwards
head the sudden Illumination by hun
dreds of electric lights making the
thousands Of priceless jewels, including
those in the crown itself, to sparkle
with dazzling brilliancy.
The instantaneous movement of the
peeresses, the placing of their coronets
upon their heads, the choir's loud
God Save the King" with its unhar-
monious yet genuine refrain from thou
sands of male and female throats. con-
stituted such an outburst of pent-up
thankfulness and rejoicing as even
Westminster abbey. with all its his
toric traditions, never before witnessed.
Nearly 100 Americans must have wit
messed the ceremony in the abbey.
Among them were Mrs Cushman Il.
Bavis and Mrs. Willard of Washington,
Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Willard accom-
panying Sir John Agnew; Madame
Waddington, who was Queen Alexan-
dra's especially invited guest Mrs.
Battles, Mrs. Hartman, Mrs. Post, Mrs.
Dudley Leigh. Miss Astor. Mr.. and
Mrs. Charles Yerkes. Lady Barrymore
and Lady Michael Herbert
While the King and Queen were in
NJ. A1o w al u NiiuPSA many Va thC RSNic
broke ranks and lined up along the ap-
proaches to the altar. The younger
members of the nobility. some of them
being scarcely ten years of age, who
had previously been kept in the back
ground, then Joined their older rela-
tives. General Kitchener, with his
hands on the shoulders of a little page,
was conspicuous among these.
The first to appear from the chapel
was the Queen. As she passed between
the ranks all the mobiles bowed low,
the Queen acknowledging their salu-
tations. When her majesty reached
the nave some one shouted, "Three
cheers for the Queenw and the old ab-
hey rang with cheers as the Queen
slowly passed into the annex, men and
women rising from their seats and
shouting with as much good will as
any of the crowd in the streets.
Nearly ten minutes later the King
entered from the chapel, still wearing
the crown and carrying the scepter and
rod. As the King passed the chancel
arch those in the body of the abbey
commenced to cheer. The sound grew
peers and peeresses, generals, admir-
ulS NHolc vast
throng, rose and hurrahed at the top
of their voices. Until the last man
in the procession had disappeared in
the annex the cheering was continued.
The King bowed and smiled, evidently
delighted with his reception and then
the organ and orchestra played God
Save the King"
The departure of the King and
Queen from the abbey was signaled by
another salute, the massed bands play
ing God Save the King" The entire
route of their majesties' return to the
palace was marked by scenes Of en-
thusiasm similar to those which greet
ed their progress to the abbey, the
more circuitous route through Club
land and Constitution Hill giving the
hundreds of thousands of persons oc-
cupying stands, windows and roofs all
opportunity of greeting the new
crowned King and his consort before
they re-entered Buckingham palace,
which they did in the midst Of remark
able scenes of enthusiasm, the entire
crowd from Constitution Hill down
wards joining In the singing of the
national anthem.
Shortly after the return of the King
and Queen to the palace it was Off
cialiy announced from there tllas the
King had borne the ceremony well and
that he had suffered In no way from
fatigue, and this was confirmed by the
presence of the King himself, when, in
response to the repeated plaudits of
the crowds, his majesty, accompanied
by the Queen, appeared on the balcony
Ia 0--