Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-08-14

e
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
and the British dominions beyond The
sea, king, defender of the faith, en-
peror of India, was yesterday crown
ed without hitch or harm and London
is noisily celebrating the event fol-
which the world has waited as per
haps it never waited any other coro-
nation. In all respects the celebra-
ton was impressive and it was car
ried out with the perfection of detail
and lack of accidents that has rarely
characterized similar displays,
Throughout the day wherever and
whenever ,Aeir majesties were seen
cheers were loud and long, especially
was this so on the return journey of
the king and queen to Buckingham
pala,o.
Until the booming Of the guns that
announced the browning of King Ed
ward and Queen Alexandria, there
fingered in thousands of minds a
nervous apprehension that even at
the last moment some untoward
event would plunge the people into
CONSERVATION.
In Westminster abbey the scene
was nothing less than marvellous.
Nearly 1000 members of the nobility,
clergy, and gentry had gathered, with
lCreign princes, ambassadors, colon
ial rulers, potentates and leaders
from the furthest quarters of the
globe where the union Jack flies, to
10 honor to the king. Two incidents
T the service in the abbey will live
in the memory of all who witnessed
them. The first of these, which al
most developed into a dramatic con-
tretemps, conferred around the aged
archbishop of Canterbury. From the
commencement of the service the
archbishop had the greatest difficulty
in reading or remembering the pray
ers. The book from which his almost
blind eyes endeavored to read shook
Ill his hands and when he came to
place the crown upon King Edwards
head his huge frame, towering above
the seated king, swayed so violently
that the bishop of Winchester had to
support him, Wnue the dean of West
minister put a guarding hand under
the crown. 1t was evident that the
archbishop of Canterbury could not
see the kings head, and, after crop
ing around, he was just about to com
plete the most important part of the
ceremony, when it was discovered he
had the crown with the back to the
front, Slowly he raised it, but too
late to prevent the choir from prema-
tUrely bursting out with a loud God
Save he King" Amid a tension that
mad grown 20 a pitch of painful neTy-
ou-ness, the archbishop finally man
aged to place the crown correctly up
on the kings head. A few minutes
later came the climax of his feeble
ness. He was kneeling to do the first
homage of all the subjects of the
king, when suddenly he almost faint
ed and would have fallen upon his
sOvereign's knees had not the king
tenderly, but firmly, grasped both the
prclate's hands and lifted him to his
feet. The bishops of London, Win
chester and Durham clasped their
arms around the archbishop of Can
terbury, the king kissed his wrinkled
hand, and the archbishops head fell
back, his feet moved slowly and me
chanically, and thus he was more
CO RED than led away.
The tremor which this event
caused had scarcely subsidized when
another eXquisitely human touch
varied the proceedings. and the king
was forgotten in the father. Instead
of merely accepting the homage of
the prince of Wales. King Edward
put his arms around the prince and
kissed him, and then recalled him and
wrung his hand with a manliness of
parental affection that brought tears
20 many eyes To those who were
able to see clearly these two episodes.
the magnificenCe Of beieweled
women the splendor Of uniformed
men and even the historic grandeur
Of the coronation office itself sank al
most into secondary interest
An incident relating to royalty was
the presence Of the duchess of Neck
leuhurg- Srelitz, who. at the express
desire Of Queen Alexandra. sat at
exactly the same spot as she occupied
at the coronation of Queen Victoria.
Tho moment the crown was placed
on the kings head hundreds Of cleo
trio lights illuminated the abbey. add
ING wonderfully to the hrilliancy Of
the scene. God Save the King was
rendered as never before by fhou-
sauds Until a very late hour dense