Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-08-22
VOLUME XLII.-NUMBER 80.
THE CORONATION.
MORE SPLENOOR BUT LESS
HEARTiNESS.

ance OF the Highest OF Earthly Functions
The Skeleton at Every Feast Is Plainly Out.
lined The Crown Almost Knocked to Floor
by the Nervousness Of the Archbishop Of
Canterbury-PIaced on the Head Reversed
Archbishop Almost Overcome and King
in Not Much Better Condition.
A London dispatch to the Examiner,
OF the 9th, gives the generally unwrit-
ten portion of the great ceremony of
coronation just concluded. Here is
its gist:
King Edward VII. is a crowned
monarch. At last his hearts desire
has been gratified.
A sigh of relief too deep for words
went up from the hearts of his devoted
people people as the cannon doomed
the joyful tidings to the outside world.
The Kings punctuality and the per.
fectly ordered arrangements were all
but set at naught by the physical ieetle.
ness OF tho octogenarian, Archbishop
of Canterbury, and DR.. Bradley, Dean
OF Westminster. Both of these eccle-
siastics were unequal to the trying
strain of the ceremony, and the Dean
nearly tainted before its close. The
Archbishop of Canterbury, almost
blind. had to be led around, and being
unable to read he repeated the same
prayers more than once.
The actual crowning was marked by
misadven ture we'll calculated to i'm
press a superstitious man like the
King. When Dean Bradley presented
the crown on a cushion to the Arch.
bishop, the latter, unable to see it,
eroped about with his hands until
they were directed by the Duke of Nor
folk toward the crown, which he then
almost knocked off it's resting place.
The King gave nervous start, but
quickly regained his appearance of
composure. Then the Archbishop
grasped the crown in his trembling
hands, and the King, seated at the
time in King Edward's chair, leaned
bis head forward to enable the Arch
bishop to place the emblem of sover-
eighty upon it more easily, but the
Archbishop extended his hands too
far, so that the crown was behind the
Kings head.
Instantly the King put his head
back and into the crown, but discov-
cred that it was on wrong, being re.
versed, and in his desperation the King
twisted it around with his left hand
without removing it.
This was a most trying momeat
and when the King felt the crown Sc
curely on his head he leaned back on
his throne, looking deadly pale and
It was > trying ordeal for the great
audience, as we'll as for the King.
The Archbishop twice came very near
to complete collapse.
A few minutes after the King had
ascended the throne came the climax
to his feebleness. He was kneeling TO
do the first homage of all the subjects
Of the King. when suddenly he almost
and would have fallen upon
his Sovereign's knees had not King
Edward tenderly, but firmly, grasped
both the prelate's hands and lifted
him to his feet.
The Bishops of London, Winchester
and Durham clssped their arms
around the Archbishop OF Canterbury,
the King kissed his wrinkled hand,
the Archbishop's head fell back, his
feet moved slowly and mechanically,
and thus he was more carried than led
from the throne.
One curious result OF the Arch.
bishops mishandling of the crown At
the fateful moment was that the King
was hailed with the cry, "God Save
King Edward" before he was actually
crowned.
The Archbishop Of York effected the
Queens coronation with proper des.
patch, but the remainder of the cere.
mony dragged, owing to the increas-
ing weakness of tho Archbishop Of
Canterbury.
The King suffered mentally and
physically. The communion was
greatly protracted. During it he had
to kneel, and shifted uneasily on his
knees, passed his hand repeatedly
across his forehead, and betrayed many
signs of impending fsintness. Hap.
PLY his pluck upheld him, but when
at the close OF the function he went
into the Stuart Chapel for the final
rites, he seized the opportunity to en-.
ter the retiring room, where he re-
mained so long that most alarming
rumors flew about.
He took nearly thirty minutes to
recuperate, but even with the aid of
stimulants his almost ghastly color as
he passed down the nave and through
the streets to Buckingham Palace was
universally remarked. The ceremony
instead of lasting only seventy-five
five minutes had occupied one hun
dred and fifty, and only the Kings
courage saved it from q sensational
termination.