Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-05-13
CORONATION DAY
FOR MEAMED
The New Sultan Of Turkey Girded
on the Sword of Osman and
Held a Plow.
ANCIENT CUSTOMS BROKEN
Christians Admitted for the first Time
to Witness the Ceremony of Grid
ing on the SwOrd-Day Passed
Peacefully and Everybody
Celebrates the Event.

Constantnop,o. May Io.Mehmed V.
ended his coronation day" by plowins a
fLrrow in the lawn at Dolma Bagtsche
rslace. symbolically at least by holding
tie plow handles for fraction OF a
minute while two horses dragged it
few yards. In carrying ont tho ancient
test Mehmed V. showed himself to be
sound Of body and fit to bear the physi-
| cal burdens OF the empire.
II has been a day both Of fulhlmcnt of
ancient customs and Of the breaking OF
them. Christians were for the first time
admitted to the small mosque attached
to Ayoub Mosque and allowed to see the
| ceremony of girding the sword of osman
upon the sultan Among 20 persons pres
crt were Buchanan Pasha, an American,
and Woods Pasha, an Englishman. both
Of whom arc in the Turkish service.
They were impressed with the beauty
arc the solomnitv Of tho ceremony.
which. with the chants of the priests.
cnly lasted 20 minutes.
AT the Ayoub Mosque Mehnod drew
| the scimitar of his ancestor, Osman I.
| founder of the Ottoman Empir" from its
| sheath and standing square in front of
! = group Of BUILDINGS called the Sublime
| Forte raised the weapon high. and by this
act took possession of the Turkish
| Empire
The service there as described to
y correspondent consisted first Of
the usual prayers. Then the three
priests chantod special prayer
| for the sword Eirding Holy one If
I<onia" then took the case containing the
sword OF Osman broke the seal, removed
the sword. kissed it and handed it to
| Shcik II Islam. who in turn kissed it
and offered it to Mehmed. The Sultan
kissed the sword and returned it tc
Sheik tl.slam, who in turn handed Il
! back to Holy one of Konia" who thei
eirdcd the weapon on the sovereign as &
symbol that the spiritual power of tho
church had been committed together will
tho temporal rule TO Mehmed. Tho
sultan then prayed in silence and the ccre
monies within the Mosque ended Will
singing a chant.
The day wthstanding runors # re
dictionary plots. passed peacefully an'
without sign Of disturbance. LIGHTS arr
blazing in the minarets and mosques o
, Constantinoplc tonight. the ships in tn
harbor are outlined in electric bulbs an,
the city generally IS celebrating
enthusiastically the girdng Of the ney
Sultan.
All tho members OF the American
embassy including Ambassadors Leish
man. Secretary Lewis Einstein. Thr
, Secretary 4. campbell Turner and Pri
waite Secretary Frank SlanN Wcr
present at the diplomatic tent.
After having passed the ambassa
dorial stand tho sultan stopped at tn
Il Mosque Of Mohammed the tonauerol
+ near the entrance to the Adrianopl
= gale. He prayed alone by the tom
' of Mohammed for quarter of n
y hour. lie then resumed his siN-mil
y tourney to the sublime Porte. when,
l he drove to the Top Kapou palace an
| gave a reception to number Of dis
) tinguished persons
Along his route of march boys an
II girls from all the schools in the cit
d sang HYMNS
y His Majesty concluded the ceremonie
g. which lasted in all five hours. l
p leaving from the vinegar sellers wha
II for his palace on the other side of II
le golden horn in a state barge prope'l'
l. by eighteen rowers dressed in white 81
10 tunics and red hreeches. The Sultan I
clined on cushions In the partially @
closed after cabin. smoking a cigarett
As the galley swept by It was salute
from the warships in the harbor al
- the forts on shore.