The Washington times., 1937-05-11
NOW
COrOnGtiOn's
Past Menus
GONE FOREVER
By HELEN ESSARY

"A NJAA4k = AA4SW SSNJSs
What's the use Of anything?
Just how much will the placing OF
the Royal Crown on the head OF a
young man tomorrow affect civil
Eation?
What difference will it make,
really, if the Duke Of Windsor and
Mrs. Simpson hold hands mean
while in a borrowed chateau in
France? .s..
And how will the Pulitzer Prize
awards affect literature? CTWo
members of the committee have
not seen the play, read the book or
the poem to which they gave the
great prizes).
What, repeats the Cynic, IS the
use Of anything?
The world is only a lot Of chat
tering magpies!
Despite this peSSimiSm there IS
one silver lining in ton1orrow's
coronation festivities. Nancy Ran
dolph wrote from London yester-
day that peers and peeresSeS need
not sit eight hours, starved and
thirsty, in cold Westminster Abbey.
They are going to take their
lunches in the small, velvet-lined
hollows of their coronets. A sand
wich or two and a cream cake prob
ably. Well do I know the British
sandwich. All bread. Deal bread
and a slice, Of very cold roast beef.
That the peereSses get q chance
at any noi1rishment indicates the
present exalted standing Of women
in the British Empire. When
George w, the first Of the Georges
to be born in England, was
crowned, the peers dined in West
Minister Hall on enough hearty
food to put three times their
number under the royal table.
The peeresSes sat in the gallery.
Wrapped in noble womanly reSig-
nation and hunger pains.
Certain noblemen, according to
authentic records, tried to hand
I'D q bite or two to the women OF
their hearts or their hearthstones.
One attentive fellow was observed
tying up an entire cold chicken
in napkin and tossing it to his
son and heir and his duchess.
The King, George ~, sat mean
while On A raised daiS in the CEN
ter of the hall, Around him were
the nobIemen of his realm. These
gentlemen conveyed the food to
His Majesty. After serving each
course, they backed away from
the Royal presence down the entire
length Of the hall. This feat was
regarded with awe and highly
commended, particularly in Lord
Anglesey, who had left one Of his
legs on the battlefield at Waterloo.
One piece of pageantry to be
omitted by George VI was gal
lantly staged by his ancestor,
George w, and was probably the
inspiration for some Of the best
efforts Of MeSSrs. Ringing.
I refer to the ceremony Of the
Challenge which took place while
the King was eating his dinner.
This pretty flourish began when
the son of the hereditary Kings
champion, the Rev. John Dymoke,
rector of ScrivelSby in Lincoln
shire (the Reverend Dymoke, ST..
had decided not to risk his own
neck or his dignity in carrying out
the hereditary program) came gal
looping through the Gothic arch OF
the hall on q magnificent white.
charger, borrowed for the occasion
from Astley's Circus, then playing
In London, Young Dymoke was
cleaning in armor and o plumed
helmet. He carried a gauntlet,
symbol of a Knightly Challenge.
The Duke Of wellington and the
Duke Of Howard, also on horse
back, supported the Challenger"
The Duke Of Howard, it is said,
somewhat marred the stirring
quality of the ceremony by swear
ing very loud at his mount who,
being circus trained, was bored
with Westminster Hall. When the
Champions gauntlet had been
thrown down three times, the last
time at the foot Of the Royal dais,
the King drank to the Champion
out Of a Gold Cup.
Thomas Hood addressed this
poem to Rev. John Dymoke in
honor Of the event:
':How delightful to sit by your.
beans and peas
With . goblet Of gOOseberry gal
1antIy cIutched
And chat Of the blood that
delug'd the Pleas
And dFenChed the King'S