Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-03-01

Of the coronation. The head. hands,
and shoulders of both King and Queen
are touched Herewith, this anointment ,
being regarded as signifying and con-
veying an junction from on high,
through which the recipient receives
spiritual strength to do valiantly and
to bear burdens patiently" 1t is from
this that comes the description of the
monarchs as the "anointed of the
Lord" and the practice of amounting
kings and queens in token of their
elevation to supreme power antedates
by many centuries the act of corona
ticn.
Let me add that whereas the throne
used for the coronation of King Ed
ward is that known as the chair OF
Edward the Confessor, and comprises
the so-called Lila Fair or stone OF
destiny upon which all the kings of
Scotland were crowned until the time
of Robert Bruce, and which is believed
to have been used by the Patriarch
Jacob as a pillow when he dreamed MS
dream of the angels, the throne used
by Queen Alexandra will be the one
which was first used by Queen Eliza
beth on the occasion of her coronation.
1t is only when the Archbishop of
York places the crown upon the head
OF Queen Alexandra that the moment
will arrive for the peeresses present to
don their coronets. The peers alone
nut on their coronets when the Arch
! bishop of Canterbury places the crown
upon the Kings head.
One of the strangest anomalies OF
Europe is about to come to an end In
manner which but few had contemplate
| ed and which will, therefore create
very general surprise. Within the last
year or 80 a revised and universal code
of criminal and civil law has been in
augurated for the entire German En-
| pire and which has contributed even
more than the army and navy. the GUS
| toms union and the common postal sys-
| tenn to weld together and to unite the
various sovereign states comprised In
the federation known as the German
Empire The creation of this code was
| rendered indispensable by the fact that
| in many OF the states, notably in Prus-
STA, the code was of ancient origin, and
no wise in keeping with the spirit of
| the times. Many of the laws We're such
| anacroniSms as to be incapable of exc
| cution, while there were numerous Of
| lenses arising from altogether modern
| &C ndtiOns OF the present day, and
| never contemplated by our ancestors.
which We're left without any penalties.
| Besides. the laws of some states We're
| in direct contradiction to those of 9TH
ers. leading to no end of confusion.
| a1ah nrato1 hy
| jurists representing every one of the
states of the German Empire and
after il had been comprehensive SUI
preme Courts of Appeal being estab-
lished at Leipsig, in Saxony, instead of
| at Berlin-every sovereign of the con-
| federation gave his sanction thereto
and the code came into force.
| Now, one of the clauses of this code
stipulates that it is superior to all state
| laws and rights already in existence.
and that where the latter conflict with
| the code they must give way. The
| code provides that each German state
must have a popular representation
| that is to say that every German citi-
zen has the right to a share in the gov
| eminent not. only of the empire, but
| likewise of the state to which he be-
| longs, by means of a vote. Now,
Mecklenburg is the one state in Ger
many which has until now been with
out any kind of popular representation
| in its local government. The extraord-
mary anomaly has prevailed that,
| while the Mecklenburgers We're privi-
| legged to vote for the election of their
representatives in the Reichstag, or
Imperial Parliament, and were repre-
scented in the matter by their own dele
gates. they We're excluded from any
vote or share in the government of
| their own particular state, where an
altogether feudal system of govern
| me1t dating from medieval times, and
| thoroughly medieval in character
survives to this day.
Briefly speaking. Mecklenburg is with
| out a constitution. There is species of
parliament known as the Landau"
| which meets once A year for a few weeks
only, but on which the people are not rep
1 resented save by the mayors of a few
| towns. With the exception of thesu
| mayors. the Diet Is composed exclusively
| of "RittergutSbesizer- that is to say,
| owners of landed estates of the class OF
| knights In principle, only hereditary
/ kllSUtS-tuat is 10 say, nDDieS OF
| degrees who are owners of ancestral eS-
| tateS-should have right to sit and vote
| in the Diet. But, owing to the stress of
| time, some of these estates have been
| sold by their original owners to people
| who are very far from being nobles-whu
| are, on the contrary. of the most plebiar
| extraction, and Vet who have owing to
| the acquisition Of these estates, become
| entitled to sit and to vote in the Meek
| lenburg Diet.
| There have even been cases of women
of the Berlin half world who, having ac-
quired a vast amount of money by a life
| of infamy, have devoted portion of their
i'll gotten gains to the purchase of these
| feudal estates in Mecklenburg, and as
such have become possessed of the right
| to vote either in person or by proxy In
| the Diet. whereas rich merchants and
| manufacturers have no voice whatsoever
| in the government of their state except
| ing such as they could indirectly exercise
| through the mayor, ifsthey happen TO be.
| long to any particular town. But the
| mayors in the Diet are in such numerical
| minority consisting of less than per
| cent of the entire body, that their voices
! are practically of no account. On these
| landed estates their owners, moreover.
| exercise q despotism of the most extra
| ordinary character, which however has
| become considerably tempered by the in
| PRODUCTION of the new code. Indeed, the
! condition of the masses in Mecklenburg.
| especially the condition OF the Industrial
| and manufacturing classes, simply battles
description.