The Washington times., 1906-06-18
CRADLE OF MORSE
DRAWS THOUSANDS
TO CORONATI ION
Significant Ceremony to
Occur on June %.
Populace Joyful.

CHRISTIANIA, June Is.-The corona
tIon Of King HaakOn VII and Queen
Maud Of Norway, on June . IN the
cathedral OF the ancient capital. Trond-
hjem, only three degrees south OF the
Arctic Circle. VIII be an event Of the
utmost significance TO the Norwegian
people.
King Haakon. the sailor prince Of
Denmark. Will be crowned IN the his
toric city from which the Mortimer
sailed many centuries ago on sea-roving
expeditions that were fraught with mo-
mentous consequences for the human
race It was from this cradle OF the
Norsemen that a famous band of cut
throats took ship for the cOnq7JerinC Of
France. the Vikings that ruled Nor
mandy and were the forefathers OF Rob
ert the Devil, William the Conqueror,
and a long line of French mobiles and
English kings.
First Haakon's History.
At TrondhJem Eric BIoodaxe strove
and slaughtered and was succeeded by
the first Haakon. 70 whom the old
chronicler SnOrri Sturlusson gave the
name Of THE Good" At Trondhjem,
Haakon the Good tried TO make Chris
tIans out Of his pagan subjects. and
was forced himself to make sacrifice
to Odin.
At Trondhjeim reigned Olaf the Quiet,
Haakon Maagnusson. who brought peace
10 the land; Haakon the Sleepy, so called
from the clemency he gave his enemies,
and Haakon LOnglegs, all Of them fight
ers on land and sea, all of them stirring
figures in ancient Morse chronicles.
The Danish prince. in assuming the
title of Haalon VII, took hold immed-
lately on the sympathies and imagina-
tion Of the Norwegian people. He has
much right TO wear a title which has
come down through the centuries from
the old sea rovers, for the new King Is
a sailor to his finger tips, so much so
that when he was selected as King he
confessed that his education had been
altogether that of sailor and not that
which would prepare him to be a states
man.
Danish Sailor Prince.
The new King is a few months short
of thirty-foIr years old. The Queen is
nearly thre years his senior. His fun
name is Christian Frederick Carl George
VaIdemar Axel. and he is the second
son of King Christian Of Denmark, four
Of whose children now sit upon Euro
greece.
Queen Alexandra of Great Britain and
ireland. the Czarina of Russia, and
King Haakon.
AS a child Prince Carl was set apart
for a naval career. In the naval acad-
emy he Jared exactly as the Other stu
dents did, no better, no worse
He began his active career in 1870 as a.
midshipman, and in the summA. OF 1904
reached the grade of captain n me Han-
ish navy. He is liked by his fellow-of-
ficers. and the common sailors are said
to hold him in high regard: His favor
tte subject of conversation Is the sea.
which should endear him to his Nor
wegian subjects
The King is a strict disciplinarian and
a lover of hard work He Is rather shv
and unapproachable, but devoted to his
friends
The King and Queen Of Norway were
married in July, 1896. They have one son.
Prince Alexander Frederick Christian.
He IS now in his fourth year, and is
said to resemble his maternal grand
father, Edward VII of England.
The Queen is the second daughter of
the King of England Through Queen
Maud the NorwegianS feel certain that
the enormous coast line Of their country
will never lack the protection of the
British fleet in time of trouble.
The Queen Is tall, stately, and Is re-
Rarded as beautiful. She has the at
tributes that should make for .er popu-
lsritY with her husbands subjects.