The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1937-05-14

setting of the sun on May II. All
night they had to stick to their
watch and all the next day. Yet
they did not even see the coronation
ceremony itself. They witnessed
only the procession as it passed up
the Mall.
Queen Precedes King.
The ceremony at the abbey was
only for the peerage, the persons
of royal blood and the kings repre-
sentatives. With the clergy, they
were waiting at the west door of the
handsome Gothic edifice, taking
their places inside as the approach
of the coronation coach, an ornate
vehicle made for Queen Anne in
1861, was noted. Once inside they
were doomed to sit for seven hours
in their heavy trappings of crimson
or purple velvet and ermine, never
moving from the 19-inch seat spaces
allotted them until the end Of the
day, after the King and Queen had
departed.
When the coach pulled up, Queen
Elizabeth proceeded ahead to the
recognition chairs, there to await
her lord. When King George eHs
tered, to the sound of anthems and
prayers, he was introduced to the
four sides of the assemblage by
the archbishop of Canterbury, who
assumed the mastery of the ceremo-
MES from that point on.
1t was the archbishop who, a few
minutes later, was to ask the king:
"Sir, is your Majesty willing to
take the oath?" The king answered,
according to the ritual, II am will
ing" and the Archbishop questioned
him:
''Will you solemnly promise and
swear to govern the peoples of
Great Britain, Ireland, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and the IN
ion Of South Africa, of your possess
sions and the other territories to
any of them belonging or pertain
ing, and of your Empire of India,
according to their respective laws
and customs?"
81 solemnly promise to do So"
the king replied.
''Will you to your power cause
law and justice, in mercy, to be exc
cuted in all your judgments?" the
archbishop asked. And the king re-
piled, II will" He promised further
to uphold the clergy and the Church
Of England.
King Given His Vestments.
There followed long drawn out
communion service during which
the king was presented with the
various jewels with which the Of
fee vests him, and was anointed
upon the hands, breast and face
with the holy oil. Among the jew
els presented him were the staff
and sceptre, with the cross and
golden spurs, handed down from
the time of st. Edward; the three
jeweled swords signifying mercy,
temporal justice and spiritual JUS
tice; the kings sceptre with the
dove symbolic of mercy and equity;
the sword of state; the kings gold
and diamond orb, surmounted by
the Christian cross; the crown of
state and the imperial crown of In
dia. The jewels used in the cere-
monies are reputed to be worth at
least sos, 900, 600.
Then as the king kneeled before
the altar, the archbishop placed the
Crown of St. Edward upon his head,
but only for a fieeting moment for
it's weight is unbearable. He
prayed:
"God crown you with crown Of
glory and righteousness, that by the
ministry of this our benediction,
having a right faith and manifold
fruit of good works, you may obtain
the crown of an everlasting king
dom by the gift of him whose king
dom endureth forever"
The choir sang:
"Be strong and play the man;
keep the commandments of the
Lord thy God, and walk in His
ways"
Solemn, thought-provoking advice
for the man who must wear the
crown of one of the most inpor-
tant nations on earth in times when
the seething caldron of the worlds
hate threatens hourly to boil over.