The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-06-19

land were crowned and which, tradition
states. is the veritable stone once used
as Jacobs pillow II is said 10 be a
good omen II the stone gives forth a
sound like a sigh when the king seats
himself. as that is an infallible token
that he is not only the legitimate SOW
ereign. but will have "a long and pros
porous reign. The chair in which the
queen will sit TO be crowned is not so
ancient, having been made i'm 1889 for
Queen Mary. II was last used in 1891
by Queen Adelaide. After the amounting
the archbishop places the st. Edward
crown on the kings head. and the va
rious insignia of royalty are offered
him. The sword OF state is girt about
him. a Bible is presented 10 him. the
solemn "Te Deum' is chanted and the
act of enforcement is then considered
complete.
As the crown is set upon the head OF
the last English Edward and the first
Edward of the house of Sake Coburg a
mighty shout goes up OF God save
the king" The peers. till that mo-
ment uncovered, will put on their coro-
nets and the bishops their miters, while
fanfare of trumpets proclaims the
great event that has taken place I'm the
dDDtNg SdlNbS Vi Aditllhil tdl yiilk Nle
tidings TO the people outside the walls.
Leaving his coronation seat, the king
proceeds 10 the throne OF homage,
when, in accordance with a mediRval
custom, he receives the allegiance of his
highborn subjects--first princes of the
blood who, with coronets removed,
lightly kiss their sovereign on the
cheek, while the lords spiritual and the
1 hga Ha nj
Each one repeats the formula i'm use for
centuries-"I do become your liegeman
of life and limb and of earthly worship
and of faith and truth, which / will
bear unto you to live and die against all
manner of folk, so help me God" While
this homage is rendered gold and silver
coronation medals are thrown by the
lord treasurer TO the choir and lower
! galleries.
The coronation Of King William and
| Queen Adelaide rather than that of
| Queen Victoria has been taken as the
basis for this latest function. as the
latter ceremonial did not include the
| crowning of a consort. The crowning
| of Queen Alexandra will Immediately
succeed that of King Edward. and not
until this has been done may the peer
|
! queen as she sits in her coronation
chair will be held a canopy of cloth OF
gold similar TO that which is held above
! the king, only IL will be supported by
| four beautiful duchesses instead of by
| four garter knights. The four ladies
who are considered TO have been sig
nally honored by this choice are the
| Duchess of Sutherland, the Duchess OF
Montrose, the Duchess of Portland sfsrc
the Duchess of Marlborough. The ias
named, as is well known. was formerly
Miss Vanderbilt and is an American by
| birth She is one OF the most beautiful
| OF the quartet and is the first Amer
! lean upon whom has fallen the dstinc-
| ton of attending a queen in this ca
| pacity.
As. aside from the solemn import OF
the ceremonial in it's civil and ecclesi-
astical aspect, much of the coronation
| grandeur depends upon its meretricious
glare and glitter. an allusion to the at
/ tendant expenditure may be excused on
| the ground that it is conspicuously OBJ
| trusive.
! AS compared with former ceremonials
Of the sort, this latest coronation fan
exceeds in cost any similar function
that has preceded it. The only one that
has approached IL is that of the last OF
| the Georges. and this did not exceed
sf2, SOC. .O00 including $l25,0 900 for the cor
onation robe and 1925, 900 expended or
| the crown.
| Queen Victorias coronation cost only
! $3.50 900. and that OF William ~. did not
| exceed $3.50, 1000. The coronation which
most nearly approached it in moderr
/ times was that of Car Nicholas oi
J Russia. which reached total, includ
| ing the expenditure by government and
/ civic authorities, OF 500 000, 600. Still tn,
mere matter of expense is not to b,
/ thought of i'm connection with an event
/ that will probably outliye the centu
/ ries and survive until remotest times.
! To most of the English people tn,
/ coronation ceremony is the concrete
! presentation of that tradition and rev
| erence for antique custom that is in
I grained i'm the national life. A kinl
without a coronation would present q
/ them as sorry a spectacle as a kinl
/ without a crown. In fact, the function
and the emblem go together and are In,
/ tended TO go down TO history one anC