The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-08

invaded the island. 1t was placed on
the sacred hill of Tara and called Liza
| Fail, the fatal stone" or stone OF
destiny" According to the Irish leg
| ends, if the claimant for the throne OF
the Emerald Isle was the righttul
| heir, the stone, as he sat upon 1t atrthe
| coronation groaned aloud; but it re-
manned silet if he were pretender.
In $50, B. C. Fergus, one of the royal
family of Ireland, founded the Scottish
monarchy and hence the stone was TAX
en- to Scotland. King Kenneth in
$50. A. D., placed it in the
monastery at Scone. Be the myths
| as they may, the stone was held in
great veneration by the Scots, who be-
| lieved that while it remained in their
country the state would be mistaken"
Their kings down to John Ballot were
crowned upon this stone.
Edward l, in one of his invasions of
| Scotland, seized the stone, took it to
London and had it placed in Westmin-
ster Abbey, and had a handsome, rich
| ly carved chair made to contain it.
| Only once has this been outside those
| sacred precincts, and this was when
| Oliver Cromwell was installed in it as
| Lord Protector in Westminster Hall.
| So this is the history of the old chair,
| perhaps but little the worse for its
| age-about 600 years-upon which Ed
| ward VII will sit when crowned King
| of Great Britain and Ireland and EN-
| peror of India.
! A stout railing in front of the chair
| keeps visitors from coming too close
to it, but those who can get within the
| railing will see cut in the back: "P.
| Abbott slept in this chair Jan. 4, 1901"
| This little lad, as the story goes, was
member of the Westminster School
who proved thus to his schoolmates
that he was not afraid to sleep all
alone in the great abbey. Just what
was done to him when his wood carv-
| ing talent was discovered is not re-
Vealed.
| The other chair-for there are two
| in the chapel-is the one made when
| William of Orange, husband of Mary,
| the, daughter of James II, was called
| to the throne. They ruled conformity.
he as William III and she as Mary II.
While all London has been ringing
for weeks past with the music of ham
mer and saw as reviewing stands along
the route of the procession were climb
ing higher and higher, all has not been
| still within the abbey. Echoes that
were all but dead have been awakened
as the carpenter piled his trade within
these sacred walls. Galleries are be-
ing built along the west sides of the
north and south transepts. These are
|
lively.
Repairing and cleaning the abbey has
| given work to scores of men who each
| day at noon hold a little service under
| the direction of Dean Wilberforce in
one of the grand old cloisters. When
| everything is in readiness the thrones
of the King and Queen will be placed
in the sanctuary proper. East of them
| and Immediately in front of the altar
| with he 70 hot
will be placed the coronation chair,
taken from Edwards chapel where it
| has been since the jubilee of Queen
| Victoria. The royal procession will en-
| ter from the west. Peers and peeresses.
knights and commoners and all others
permitted to witness the gorgeous spec
tacle will be in their places first.
What a. sight it will be-white robbed
choir boys, elegantly dressed women.
| the clergy with silken gown of black
| relieved by scarlet and purple, the
knights arrayed in all the splendor of
their crosses and badges. Various in
| sigma of his office are carried in the
| procession before the King. some of
| them, the spurs for instance, going
back to the far-off days of chivalry.
| The King and Queen, before taking
their seats, will kneel in private pray
| er. Then the service of the Church
4
will be somewhat abbreviated and the
| communion service will be used The
| Nlcene creed will be recited. The coro-
| nation ceremony will be conducted nv
the Archbishop of Canterbury. the
| highest church dignitary in the realm.
The sermon for the occasion will he
preached by the Bishop of London.
Inc oath is then administered to the
| King as he kneels at the altar and
places his hands on the Bible.
After the oath comes the curious
| ceremony of amounting. The King will
| pass to the coronation chair and seat
| ed there will have placed on his head
just few drops of perfumed oil, the
sign of the cross being made by the
| Archbishop as he pours the oil.
| The crown is blessed by the Arch
bishop and then placed upon the
! Kings head, and he is led to the
throne. The Queen is next crowned.
| prayers are said and then the neer,
| esses VIII put on their crowns and the
| coronation is over.
l had often longed for the day whom
l might visit Westminster Abbey. and
the excuse given me in the approach
OF the hlng s coronation makes me
| grateful to Edward for being crowned
| Two friends who had come over from
america with me accompanied me on
! the visit to this "Walhalla" of England
We went into the building by the
north entrance, or Solomon's Porch
and sat awhile in the north TRANSIENT
TO think, gradually getting accustomed
| to the dim religious light" for a serv-
! ice was in progress. When all was
| stlll again we began a tour of the an
hey. kindly curate led us TO the
chief points of interest, and as we
walked told me the history of the
| structure.
Far back in the Middle Ages. about
the year 6l6, there reigned in England
a King Sebert by name, a holy man
who had already built a fame and dedI,
Gated il TO the Apostle of the Cen
! tiles. Paul. As runs one story az
him, feeling that he ought 10 honor
the other great preacher, sebert de-
cided. having had "A vision. 10 build
a church in memory OF 81
Peter. So, on Thorny Island
IN the Thames. IL was buiit
ana as this minister was in the west
end, IN was called Westminster. re-
cause 81 a promise IN the vision The
fishermen were 20 give a tenth Of me
salmon caught IN the Thames TO the