The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-23
THE CORONATION IS OVER.

And now tho great ceremonial, pa
| geant, display, and procession involved
in the coronation of England S King
and Queen arc things Of the past. They
were doubtless gorgeous beyond pow
erS of description, and lavish beyond
all idea Of thrift. 1t might be asked
g. And what did it all amount TOT
| What does display Of this kind mean
in our practical and utilitarian age!
Could not the effort and the money dis
bursed in the gorgeous ceremonial and
the long preparation for it, have been
better appled7'
To these questions doubtless two
different replies could easily be OF
fered From 'he utilitarlan standpoint
the answer unquestiouahly might be,
that the display was vain pomp and
shadowy glory, wastoful. oppressive on
the people, and coutemptuous of the
pauperisn. squalor, and misery which
so closely bordered upon it in the City
OF London. From this point of view
the argument that the money should
have been applied 10 relieving people
in distress. mitigating human misery.
uplifting the poverty stricken, aud Civ
ing a chance to those who might be
helped, to live better hfe. would have
been sound. From the Christian and
moral standpoint, the answer would be
that it would nave been infinitely pref
erabie to apply the money in the dl.
rcction of relief for the people, rather
than in the way in which it was spent
From this point of view, the money was
squandered,
On the other. hand, denial of This
position might be incisive and per
cmptory: for it could be claimed and
shown that the people generally are
impressed with such a gorgeous display,
aud delight in it. Even Americans by
the thousands, who are theoretically op.
posed TO everything relating to royalty
were attracted by this great function;
aud much more would the subjects Of
Great Britain be impressed with the
glory and majesty of the gorgeous
ceremonial. And then, il has very
practical aud impressive Office in i'm.
pressing the representatives of subject
numbers TO take part in the splendid
ceremony. Native rulers oi India and
their representatives who were present
would he overawcd by ceremunials like
fbiS ,yI.h thair 4 h,t
revivals of ancient and picturesque
glories, as they could be impressed in
no other way. And it is immensely i'm
poriant, especially at this time, for
and overawing display for the benefit
Of India. For the past few years India
has been a soothing mass of unrest and
active discomfort. The pomp and cere-
monial of an ancient royalty which is
able to show forth such rich and mag
uiGcent ceremonial. is exactly the thing
10 impress the mind OF the East In
dians with the power and majesty or
Great Britain. as nothing else could
possibly do. East Indians might be
shot down by the tens of thousands in
the quelling of mutiny, and the power
thus displayed would altogether fail
in impressing their Imagination. as
compared with the splendor displayed
in these coronation ceremonies. So
that. both from the standpoint of i'm
pressiveness. and of the exhibition Of
wealth and power as shown in these
coronation ceremonies, the advocate of
them would have pretty good case
from the British governing standpoint.
But it Is now all over. and the world
OF pomp and show has its safety for
the present. After il gets over the
pride and satisfaction which ii will
feel in tho display of this gorgeous
ritual. II will then be ready for some.
thing else; for the modern, restless
world Is ever ready TO welcome a new