Evening star., 1937-04-25
own Washington concerning presiden-
tial inauQ1lralS and r,arades

own washington concerning presiden.
tial inaugural and parades.
Upon the day Of days set for George
Tvs coronation many Of the specta-
tors had arrived and were at their sta
tions by l am, and it was required Of
all ticket holders that they be in their
places by o'clock.
The coronation procession formed in
Westminster Hall and moved along
a walk covered with blue carpet and
raised sufficiently above the ground
to give the spectators the fullest pos
sible view. Every possible site for the
galleries between Westminster Hall
and the Abbey was utilized. The prices
for these locations ranged from to
20 guineas "a guinea averaged 81
shlllings or about the equivalent nf
$525).
Brawny pugilists were assigned as
ushers to these reservations and es
doorkeepers to Westminster Hall and
the Abbey.
At 10 o'clock the coronation process
sion was to have started from West
minister Hall, but was delayed Is
minutes because Lord Gwyder, official
ing as the lord chamberlain, split his
knee breeches while getting into them
and had to wear his old pair after all
The artist Hayden, describing the
arrival Of the King at Westminster
Hall. speaks Of his being preceded by
great officers of state. Then he says,
Something rustles and being buried
in satin, feathers and diamonds rolls
gracefully into his seat. The room
rises with a sort of feathered, silken
thunder. Plumes wave, eyes sparkle,
glasses are out, mouths smile and one
man becomes the object of attraction
to thousands. The way in which the
King bowed was really royal AS he
looked towards the peeresses and for
eign ambassadors, he showed like some
gorgeous bird of the East"
AS the procession set forth for the
Abbey the whole of the peerage, in
their state robes, walked according to
had not been elevated to the peerage
had on sort of Elizabethan fancy
dress of white and blue satin doublet
with trunk hose. OF this occasion
Sir Walter Scott has written, Sep
arately SO gay a garb had an odd
effect on the persons of elderly or ILL.,
made men, but when the whole was
thrown into one general body all these
discrepancies disappeared"
Preceding the King walked three
bishops carrying the paten, the chalice
and the Bible. In front of the
bishops were the great officers of
the state, one bearing the crown,
another the orb, still another the
scepter and a final one the sword
Of state
Under cloth of gold canopy borne
by the baronS of the Cinque Ports
came the King, his 9-yard train of
crimson velvet ornamented with
golden stars, sweeping out majesti-
cally behind him when let down by
the royal train bearers. His hat was
black Spanish one with a floating
plume of white ostrich feathers above
which was a heron's plume Under
meath the hat was a wig, the curls
from which fell over his forehead.
A tremendous ovation greeted every
step OF the Kings progress and for
a man upon the heels of so he
managed to give the appearance of
truly regal and almost vigorously
youthful appearance.
Entering the Abbey shortly be-
fore II to the singing of the Hal
leluJuh chorus" pursuant to his own
suggestion, which was almost in
audible because of the firing of the
guns outside and the shouts of en-
thusiasm from within, the King, de-
spite the great heat of the Abbey
and the encumbrance of his heavy
trappings of state, managed to go
through with the ceremony, which
lasted until 4, without physical
collapse of any kind.
Yet, this first gentleman of Eu-
rope" who was crowned with such
ceremony had such little part in
the actual control of his realm that
the crown suffered great loss of
power under his reign.