The age-herald., 1902-03-08
THE STAGE MANAGERS
 OF THE CORONATION

Charles T. King in London Daily Mail
 A modest-looking gentleman in a round black coat and soft felt hat very much dented in, with black beard and a pair of shining dark eyes. walked quickly down Pail Mall.
 As he sped along a group of men In front of the Carlton Club recognized and saluted him. He saluted in return, smiled out of one of the cheerio/t, kindliest faces you would meet In a days march, and went on his way
 He Is the busiest man of all the men made busy by the coming of the corona tion. He is the Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal of England. son of a hundred earls. hereditary marshal and premier duke. by birth the chief arranger of the coronation ceremonies.
 All the gorgeous kings of arms, all the learned interpreters of aged rites at the college of heralds, the dean and chap pter of Westminster. all the peers of the realm, all the knights of all the orders the primate and Archbishop of York and the lord chancellor obey his rule. No lord or duke or belted earl however bright his coronet, however mellow his family tree. however bravely his ancestor fought at Agincourt of Bosworth Field of Qua tre-Bras. can attend the coronation with out an invitation from the earl marshal
 Nay, his Majesty the King himself puts not on his coronation robes until their make and shape and cut and color have been ordained by the Earl Marshal He arranges the coronation procession itself
 He 1t is who has given the order for the closing of Westminster Abbey the Monday after Easter, and the reason of its closing Is in order that seats gal at his command for the people for whom he Is to find room. On him has fallen the delicate-perhaps hopeless-task of pleas ing six thousand people by finding them just the right seats in the Abbey for the crowning of their Majestes. If the Duch- ess of This or the Marchioness of That has to crane her slender neck to see the growing with the Crown of St. Edward or the anointing of the King with oil. who shall have the petulant blame but the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl Marshal?
 Everybody who knows the present Duke of Norfolk is quite certain that if he has to use stern measures he will use them with true politeness. and that if he has to deeply disappoint anybody he will do it in such charming manner and with so much real modesty that it will be inl- possible to find fault with him. He has the sword of steel in the softest and smoothest of velvet scabbards-but the sword Is there all the same.
 He Is a nobleman not only in the De- brett sense-he is one of natures noble- men.
 Here is a statement of the Earl Mar shals duties in brief:
 To prepare list for his majestys royal sign manual of all peers to attend his majesty 'in their proper robes and coro- nets" To cause a scheme or formulary of all the procession to be drawn out To inform the office of works what preparations shall be necessary to have made in Westminster Abbey" To issue his warrant order that 'the keys of all galleries and other places built in West minister Abbey" be delivered up to him. To control the preparations in the Abbey and the entire disposal of the seats. To see that in the west aisle "a passage shall be preserved for the procession to pass-twenty-four feet wide" To issue orders to the Lord Chamberlain for pro- viding the habits for his majesty and the royal princes and coronets for the princess.
 Ills has also to issue warrants to the Lord Chamberlain to provide a staff for the Earl Marshal truncheon of silver gilt for the Lord High Constable, and crowns, chains, collars, badges or jewels for Garter Principal King of Arms, and for Clarenceux and Norroy Kings of Arms a scepter for Garter, and collars for the heralds. Also crowns, jewels badges, chains or collars for Lyon King of Arms of Scotland. Ulster King of Arms of Ireland and Gloucester King of Arms
 The Earl Marshal has, further, to send letters of notice to the high officers of state intimating their several appoint ments and to require their attendance at attend, to call upon the sergeant-at-arms to be there with their maces to publish all orders relating to the coronation and the ceremonial of the procession when settled, and to forbid any person to print the ceremonial without his license.