The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 10, 1902, Page 29

QLE5443440 “— SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 1902. SURROUNDED BY MEDIEVAL SPLENDORS OF HIS KINGLY COURT, EDWARD THE SEVENTH, RULER OF WORLD-ENCIRCLING EMPIRE, ECEIVES CROWN OF HIS ANCESTORS AT OLD »WES TMINSTE_I{ | Loyal Subjects of All Rank | Show Their Devotion to the Monarch. Queen Alexandra Shares in Homage Paid by People to His Majesty. . ONDON, Aug. 9.—Edward VII, R, I, by the Grac.a of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and' the British Dominions Beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Em- peror of India, was to-day crowned without hitch or harm and to- night London is noisily celebrating the event for which the world has awaited as, perhaps, it never awaited any other coronation. In all respects the celebration was impressive and it was cai- ried out with a perfection of detail and lack of accidents that has rarely characterized similar displays. That pride of empire which marked Queen Victoria’s Jjubllee was lacking; and in its stead there pervaded all classes a keen recollection that only six weeks ago their King lay in danger of death, and this to-day produced thank- fulness and genuine sympathy for the man rather than adulation of the King. This feeling was voiced by the Archbishop of Canterbury when he inserted in one of the coronation prayers the words “for whose recovery we now give Thee heartfelt thanks.” Yet this did not prevent the public from voicing appreciation of such military display as the short procession gave them a chance to see. Earl Roberts, commander-in-chief of the forces, was once more the hero of the hour, and, next to the King himself, received the heartiest welcome of the assembled crowds. ‘““Here comes good old Bobs" was invariably the signal for all the reserve power of British lungs to be brought into play. Lord Roberts rode alone and constantly bowed and smiled acknowledgment before his greetings. Lord Kitchener was . not as easily recognized, but he was seen as he rode with Sir Alfred Gazelee and Admiral Sir Edward Hobart Seymour and was the crowd's next favorite. At various points along the route of the procession Lord Kitchener received thun- derous ovations, which he acknowledged neither by look nor by bow, but as English crowds are used to this treatment from Kitchener, it quite failed to suppress the enthusiasm. Long and Loud Cheers for Their Majestics. But it was for the King and Queen themselves that the people really let themselves loose. Throughout the day whenever and wherever their Majesties were seen the cheers were loud and long, and especially was this so on the re- turn journey of the King and Queen ‘to Buckingham Palace. Until the booming of guns announced that the crowning of King Edward and Queen Alexandra had been achieved, there lingered in thousands of minds & nervous apprehension that even at the last moment some untoward event might once more plunge the nation into consternation. When this was passed the unrestrained jubllation was as much a tribute to the King’s personal popu- larity as it was an evidence of relief from the tension of the last few weeks. So, while the scenes on the streets were robbed of many of those elements that usually accompany a great pageant, they will long be remembered, perhaps somewhat tenderly, by those who stood on the stands, at windows and on the sidewalks to see King Edward after he had won almost from the Jaws of death his crown. Marvelous Scene in Westminster Abbey. In Westminster Abbey the scene was nothing less than marvelous. Nearly 7000 members of the nobility, the clergy and the gentry had gathered with for- elgn Princes, Embassadors, colonial rulers, Indian potentates and leaders from the farthermost quarter of the globe, where the Union Jack flles, to do honor to the King. ~ Two incidents in the service in the abbey will live in the memory of all who witnessed them. The first of these, which almost developed into a dramatic contretemps, centered around the aged Archbishop of Canterbury. From the commencement of the service the Archbishop had the greatest difficulty in read- ing or remembering the prayers. The book from,which his almost blind eyes en- deavored to read shook in his hands and when he came to place the crown upon King Edward's head his huge frame, towering above the seated King, swayed 80 violently that the Bishop of Winchester had to support him, while the Dean of Westminster put a guarding hand under the crown. It was evident that the Archbishop of Canterbury could not see his King's head, and, after groping around, he was just about to complete the most important part of the ceremony, when it was discovered that he had the crown with the back to the front. Slowly he raised it, but too latp to prevent the choir from prematurely bursting out with a loud “God Save the King.”” Amid a tension that had grown to a pitch of painful nervousness, the Archbishop finally managed to place the crown cor- rectly upon the King’s head. A few minutes later came the climax of his feebleness. He was kneeling to do the first homage of all the subjects of the King, when, suddenly, he almost fainted and would have fallen upon his sovereign's knees, had not King Ed- ward tenderly but firmly grasped both the prelate’s hands and lifted him to his feet. The Bishops of London, Winchester and Durham clasped their arms around the Archbishop of Canterbury, the King kissed his wrinkled hand. the Archbishop’s head fell back, his feet moved slowly and mechanically, and thus he was more carried than led from the throne to King Edward’s Chapel, where he was revived. King Hugs and Kisses Prince of Wales. The tremor which this event caused had scarcely subsided when another ex- quisitely human touch varied the proceedings, and the King was forgotten in the father. Instead of merely accepting the homage of the Prince of Wales, King Edward put his arms around the Prince and kissed him, and then re- called him and wrung his hand with a manliness of parental affection that brought tears to many eyes. To those who were able to see clearly these two episodes, the magnificence of the bejeweled women, the splendor of the uni- formed men and even the historic grandeur of the coronation office itself sank almost into secondary interest. No stage effect could have equaled the climax that ensued the moment the crown was placed upon King Edward's head, the sudden illumination by hun- dreds of electric lights making the thousands of priceless Jewels, including those in the crown itself, to sparkle with dazzling brilliancy. The instantaneous move- ment of the peeresses, the placing of their coronets upon their heads, the choir’s loud “God Save the King,” with its unharmonious yet genuine refrain from thousands of male and female throats, constituted such an outburst of pent-up thankfulness and rejoicing as even the historic walls of historic ‘Westminster had not echoed before. Connaught Is Saluted in His Motor Car. From § o'clock this morning the scenes outside the abbey grew gradually in splendor and color. The gorgeous preparations for thecrowning ceremony reached their climax there. The troops present were picked regiments of the army, and the bands of music were the best the English barracks could send out. In the background of this pageant was Westminster Abbey, so transformed by decora- tions and stands that it was scarcely recognizable and serried rows of gayly dressed people rose in tiers of seats from the roadway on each side to a great height. Near the west door of the abbey stood a double line of soldiers in blue uniforms with white straw hats, making a block of color in the line of troops. Behind them, in a blaze of gold, the band of the Royal Horse Guards walted for the King. Suddenly, in the midst of all this old world pageantry, occurred an ab- solutely modern, unprecedented incident. For the first time in any English coronation the troops saluted a motor car. Tt ) was that of the Duke of Connaught, in command of the troops in London, mak- ing his final round of inspection to see that all was well. He was recognized and cheered loudly. Then the last of the peers’ carriages dashed past. A wild welcome was accorded to the two nurses of the King during his illness as they came up to the abbey, just in front of the royal carriage and pair which brought the children of the Prince of Wales. The nurses wore the blue print dresses and white caps and aprons of their hospital. All this time, at short intervals, sthe bells of St. Margaret's rang and the air was pulsed with the thrcbs of the big drum of one band after another until the final touches were at last In readiness. Suddenly a hush came down upon the waiting throng, and a few minutes later the procession marched slowly past. The first real burst of cheering for the King’s own procession was given for Lord Kitchener, who rode by unmoved and slient, followed a little later By Lord Rob- erts, who alzo had a hearty welcome, and by a brilliant cortege of Indian Princes. The King next drove by, with the Queen smiling by his side, and from every one of the great stands clustered around the abbey there went up a roar of wel- { come and then was heard the magnificent sound of thousands of voices singing k s e —fe the national anthem in the open air and the guns orashed and bells rocked in R AR Ty every tower as the royal standard was broken out into the breeze above the ab- I . RA OBES OF STATE bey entrance and the sovereign passed within. QUEEN ALEXAND IN HER R 4 EDWARD THE SEVENTH IN OFFICIAL COSTUME. The whole thing had been so splendidly stage managed that all went off with-" y # — out a hitch, and almost without incident.