New-York tribune., 1912-04-04
KING GEORGES MAUNDY
How This Day Will Be Observed
al the Various Courts of Europe.

"a skets OF PROVISIONS IN tne ndiuS VI the
.ovsreisn. while in Catholic countries the
.ld-fsshioned and picturesque ceremony OF
a., yrasbjng Of the feet Of twelve poor men
- tvelye poor women by the monarch has
,oe, retained The last English monarch
% nerform in person this ceremony of
.oebinc the feet Of twelve poor men was
tZ,,e James H. Subsequent to this the
,0et-vsshing was delegated by the monarch
=. ,ba Lord Hlgn Almoner. and We arc in
,orr,ed that on April Is, 1871, beinS Maundy
rr,,rsdav. there were distributed at the
harnueting hall. Whitehall to forty eight
,oor men and forty-eight poor women the
Kire's age being forty-eight years. boiled
,,dss Of beef and shoulders OF mutton,
hoD,ls of ale large wooden platters OF iiSh
and Ioayes. each platter comprising one
large ling. two large dried cod. twelve ied
berrinss and twelve white herrings. After
mi. each person received shoes. stockings,
uron voollen cloth and leather bags, with
.,o,enny. twopenny, threepenny and four
nornv pieces Of silver and shillings TO the
auount of about four pounds, that is TO
say, go.
MS Grace the Lord Archbishop OF YORK
Lord High Almoner of the King, pei
,..-,ad IN that occasion the annual cere-
,oorv of washing the feet of twelve OF the
,or,y-eight individuals in the Royal Chapel,
.,.s,cb wa, formerly done by the kings
themselves. in imitation of our saviour
..a,,srn of humility" The other thirty SIX
had 70 go without having their teet "",neu
- % content themselves with the gifts
King lanes II was not the only posi-
p.for,nation sovereign 10 WASH thc i'e'
=, the poor on Maundy Thursday queen
rY,zsbeth with all her aversion 10 every
,L,,s nertaining to the Catholic Church' re-
,.ire6 this ceremony. and is on recor" DIS
ho,,,g washed the feet of thirty-hihe "oIIi-
en- nm Naundy Thursday in March' 4o'-'
after the feet had been duly scruooeI ~
Tho laundresses,' and after that py 'ie
ord Hiyh Almoncr. In fact queen hess
,,,,.ni,,co vas restricted to pouring drop
-.,.o4 u.ater on their feet, which ste
.t.us,,,,,, touched with a napkin, crossed
and kissed -, ,oo, has
>-,uadavs the washing Of the feet mas
heon abandoned by the crown OF hnsiaiiu
ir tbe celebration OF Maundy IhursodS'
aud tho ceremony will be restricted 10 tne
dis,ribution of the royal Maundy doie a'
Westminster Abbey. with consioerdpie
amount of pomp and ceremony Whlch 10
well worthy Of attendance. The recipieh,s'
carefully selected. correspond in NUMBER III
the case Of each scX. with the age OF the
sovereign. Men and women are dressed IN
black on the doors OF the Abbey peihs
oDened. they are conducted TO their place
nv the yergers and I'LL the lowest row OF
.eats in the choir forming two columns
reaching from the organ TO the sacrarluin'
On one SIDE sit the women, on the other
the men.
Suddenly the organ begins to peal forth
and the procession appears. entering
through the nave to the choir. " Is
headed by the beadle of the Abbey. bearing
the mace Following him are the ro!di
cboristers. the grown-up members OF ~hlch
are officially termed the gentlemen or the
choir" These fall into their regular places
a. the procession advances. Next come
three clergymen. representing the recipi-
epts of the ROYAL aims. They carry bou-
ousts the coIors Of which are invariably
red white and yellow. Following them Is
the gorgeously apparelled sergeant-ma)or
p Of the Yeomer of the Guard.
All eyes are directed toward the two next
comers and their burden. These are two
gigantic Yeomen OF the Guard, carrying,
shoulder high an immense brass dish. from
the edge o. which. in a perfect circle, de-
pend long red and white purse strings, ter
mnating in silken tassels. On the top or
the purses Law twelve we'll filled bags OF
chamos leather. The dish is laid by the
Yeoman Of the Guard upon tall. circular
osken table Of ancient date that looks az II
il might have been made for the purpose
and for no other Then the Yeomen of the
C,HA
Of the table. and behind them, on their way
TO the sacrsrium. pass Dean Armytage
Robinson Of Wells Cathedral. who is the
Lord High Almoner; the Sub b-Almoner'
Canon Sheppard; the Lord Bishop Kyle
who is Dean Of Westminster Abbey, and
the canons Of the chapter thereof. Heomen
OF the Guard some sixty in number all
armed with halberds, form a line on either
side Of the choir.
The Office for the royal Maundy Ia then
intoned by the Dean Of Westminster, and
at the conclusion of the first anthem the
first distribution takes place. The two
Yeomeu Of the Guard lift the brass dish
from the table and march to the head OF
the line OF women. They are followed by
the Lord High Almoner. the Sub-Almoner
and their secretaries. the latter in court
dress, and, passing along the line, the doles
OF money. representing about $40, all In
newly minted silver, are handed by the
Lord High Almoner TO each Of the recip-
tents in turn, IN antique red and white Kid
purses. a third anthem is sung. and then
there is a second distribution. TO the former
recipients. of second purse, containing
another so. Thereupon, with a prayer for
the King and Queen and the royal family,
and benediction by the Dean of Westmin-
ster, the royal Maundy function at West
minister Abbey is closed.
The first that one hears of Maundy
Thursday in England is in the reign OF
King Alfred, who performed not only the
washing Of the feet ceremony, out also the
distribution OF the MaUndy gifts, at Arun-
del Castle. Much controversy has taken
place about the term "Maundy." Some be-
heve 1t TO have its origin in the Latin
dies mandati." when Christ broke bread
with His disciples, commanding them to do
80 In remembrance of Him. Others insist
that the term is derived from the old Saxon
word 'maund," which. originally denoting
basket, afterward came TO signify any
gift or Offering made therein. This Inter
pretation Is countenanced by Shakespeare,
who speaks OF "a thousand favors from her
maund she drew" The poet Drayton
speaks OF "a little maund being made Of
hosiers small" while Herrick refers to the
word as basket In his lines:
Behold for US the naked Graces stay.
With msundA Of roses for TO strew the way.
AT Vienna the imperial Maundy Is OBJ
served with all the oldtime medieval pomp
and state OF the court Of Austria by this