McCormick messenger. (McCormick, S.C.) 1902-current, May 13, 1937, Image 3
McCORMICK MESSENGER, McCORMICK. S. C.. THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1937
GEORGE VI AND ELIZABETH CROWNED
Five Million Voices Cry, “God Save the King!” as Guns Boom
Glad Tidings From Historic Tower of London.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, officially crowned in one of
history’s most spectacular and colorful coronations.
London, England.—“God save
the King! ”
As the great guns of the Tow
er of London boomed forth the
news that the Archbishop of
Canterbury had placed the
weighty Crown of St. Edward,
the Crown of England, upon the
head of George VI, the cry came
forth in a mighty swell from
five million throats as from the
throat of one man.
This was the climax of the great
est show on earth, a show for which
a generous share of the throng
which lined the six and one-half
miles of the processional route had
waited without moving from their
places through the dampness of a
London spring night and, indeed,
through part of the preceding day.
Those of the King’s subjects who
had not been able to afford $2 to
$250 for a seat that would assure
them a glimpse of their new mon
arch on his proudest day began
marking off space along the curb on
the afternoon of May 11. Smart
alecks who thought they could put
off their vigil until sunrise of Cor
onation Day were doomed to stretch
their necks an inch or two in twelve
hours of straining to see over sev
eral rows of earlier arrivals.
*‘A Quiet Empire.”
It was a heavy day of work at
the end of many back-breaking
weeks of preparation for the 9,000
gentlemen and ladies of the peer
age whose rank and purse entitled
them to sit for an entire day in 10
to 25 pounds of clothing per capita,
on a hard seat 19 inches wide with
out ever moving. But it was a mag
nificent show.
‘‘The Lord give you fruitful lands
and healthful seasons,” said the
archbishop in the benediction which
followed the crowning of the King,
‘‘victorious fleets and armies, and a
quiet Empire. . . ”
No one in Britain could deny that
in a time of world-wide unrest, a
time of urgent necessity for im
perial strength and unity, the politi
cal expediency of ‘‘a quiet Em
pire” prompted the government to
make of this the most splendid cor
onation in all history. The gov
ernment expense in the crowning of
George VI has been estimated to
be double that in the coronation of
his father 26 years ago; its backing
of the dazzling pageantry required
expenditures of $2,620,000 of pub
lic funds, not counting an estimat
ed $500,000 spent by the royal house
hold in entertaining royal and for
eign guests.
In the vast coronation pageant
the government hoped to lend new
emphasis to that sentiment which
is the real bond holding the empire
together, and which is symbolized
by the crown and the man who
wears it. There is still an under
current of dissatisfaction over the
abdication of Edward VIII. The new
King and Queen must be popular
ized to the fullest possible extent.
The coronation was an opportunity
to accomplish this, and the govern
ment could afford to let none of it
slip past.
The show and the crowd lived up
go all advance billing. It was es
timated that there were 300,000 vis
itors who had to cross the ocean.
All London’s 12,000 hotel rooms
were sold out. Souvenir manufac
turers and vendors did the expected
land office business. The drink bill
for toasting the new King was
guessed at $10,000,000
Queen Goes First.
Pomp and regal solemnity were
byword of the day from the time
the King and Queen boarded the
coronation coach at Buckingham
Palace in mid-morning. Eight mag
nificent cream-colored horses drew
the ancient four-ton vehicle down
the streets it has traversed since
1761, when it was built for Queen
Anne. In its heavily ornate gold
and jewels it carried the spectators
back through the .pages of history
to those days before the American
colonies had revolted and prevented
the British Empire from including
the lion’s share of North America.
The ancient coach, a tradition at
coronations, bore the royal couple
down the mall to the Abbey, where
the Queen’s procession left the King
to enter first, so that she could
stand and wait for him by the chairs
of state, or recognition chairs, in
front of the royal box where the
other members of the royal family
were seated.
Peers and peeresses were in their
places before the central figures of
the coronation drama arrived. And
before them the real martyrs had
assumed their positions. These were
the eight newspaper photographers
the government had permitted to be
present.
Abhoring the thought of flash
bulbs marring the solemnity of such
an occasion, but still anxious that
pictures be taken, officials hit upon
a solution. They provided camou
flaged quarters for camera men in
false pillars and other positions
which blended into the background
of the Abbey. Narrow slits in the
walls of these refuges enabled the
cameras to peer out at the spectacle.
But the poor “photogs!” They had
to be ‘‘set up” before anyone en
tered the Abbey and maintain their
cramped positions for eight or nine
hours. They were not permitted
to withdraw until everyone else had
left.
A general color scheme of blue
and gold with rich, soft velvet hang
ings made a brilliant background
for the cast and for the spectators
in their gorgeous uniforms and
gowns. Peeresses wore robes of
crimson velvet, trimmed in ermine,
unless they happened to be of royal
blood, in which event they were re
quired to don the purple velvet of
royalty. The court gowns worn un
derneath were of white, cream, sil
ver or gold. Fashion experts es
timated that the most economical
of them cost at least $1,200. Uni
forms of the men started at about
$600 and went up from there.
History’s Greatest Gem Display
This did not, of course, include
the jewelry or the coronets. The
cheapest coronet could hardly have
been purchased for less than $100.
The total of all the rings, bracelets,
necklaces, etc., worn by the 9,000
present must have run into the mil
lions, and was probably the most
costly and magnificent display of
•
The Crown of St. Edward, or
Crown of England, made for Charles
II in 1662 and worn, because of its
excessive weight, for but a fleeting
moment by George VI during the
coronation ceremony.
gems ever worn in one place at
one time in the world’s history.
Rank of the members of the no
bility was indicated by the amount
of ermine on the robes of the wom
en and the length of their trains. A
duchess was marked by four rows
of ermine on her robe, and a train
two yards long. A marchioness was
permitted three and one-half rows
of ermine and a one-and-three-
fourths-yard train; a countess half
a row less of ermine, half a yard
less train; rank was further graded
down at half a row and half a yard
per classification.
The head of the procession, which
had included a great list of digni
taries, the King’s representatives
and royal persons with their fam
ilies from all over the world had
been waiting at the west door of
the Abbey, and as the royal coach
approached, filed in to await their
monarch. Following them came the
chaplains, deans and officers of
Westminster, then the archbishops
with the Queen consort and the
ladies and gentlemen of the court.
Enter the King.
Noblemen close behind bore the
staff and the sceptre, with the cross
and the golden spurs, and the three
swords which signify mercy, tem
poral justice and spiritual justice.
These were the trappings of St. Ed
ward, with which English kings are
invested.
Then came more dignitaries, and
the King’s sceptre with the dove
symbolic of mercy and equity; the
King’s gold and diamond orb, sur
mounted by the Christian cross; the
crown of St. Edward, the patent and
the chalice and the Bible.
Then entered George VI in the
crimson robes of state, to join his
Queen, and march through the choir
and up the stairs to the theatre.
Passing the thrones, they then
kneeled at the faldstools before the
recognition chairs to offer prayers.
Next they proceeded about the Ab
bey to all four sides before the
view of the assemblage. The King
went to his chair and once more
faced each side of the Abbey as the
Archbishop, in loud tones, an
nounced him.
After the regalia had been
brought and placed by the dean of
Westminster upon the altar, the
Archbishop asked the King, accord
ing to ritual, “Sire, is your Majesty
willing to take the oath?” and the
King answered, “I am willing.” He
gave his oath to govern the peoples
of Ihe British Isles and the Empire
according to their laws and cus
toms; to maintain the profession of
the Gospel and the Church of Eng
land. After he had kissed the Bible
and signed the oath, the King re
peated and subscribed to the dec
laration required by parliament and,
with the assemblage, prepared for
the communion service.
Following this lengthy service,
the King, having first removed the
cap and robes of state, ascended to
the throne of St. Edward, the an
cient chair which contains beneath
its seat the historic Stone of Scone
upon which the kings of Scotland sat.
as they were crowned a thousand
years ago. After a silken pall had
been put over the King, the Arch
bishop anointed him upon the
hands, breast and face with the holy
oil, and he was ready to be pre
sented with the spurs and the
sword.
King Receives His Crown.
These given, George VI removed
the pall and was clothed for the first
time in the royal robe of purple.
The orb and cross were brought
from the altar by the Dean of West
minster and placed in the King’s
hands by the Archbishop. He was
next invested with the ring and the
sceptres.
Then as the King bowed his head
the Dean of Westminster brought
the Crown of St. Edward, and the
Archbishop, receiving it from him,
held it but momentarily upon the
head of the King (its weight is ter
rific).
This was the signal for the trump
ets and the guns in the Tower of
London, for the peers and peeresses
to cry “God save the King!” and
for the millions who, along the pro
cessional line outside, had been
waiting for that moment, to toss
their hats in the air and cry like
wise, “God save the King!” The
peers were now allowed to put on
their coronets.*
There followed more religious
ceremonies of great length and sol
emnity, and then the coronation of
the Queen, following which the peer
esses cried, “God save the Queen!”
and donned their coronets.
Still more long hours of cere
mony. Then, in the early evening
the King’s coach at last passed once
more down the processional route,
and the millions who had waited all
day for the sight went home happy
© Western Newspaper Union.
Parading the Fashions
A STYLE show De Luxe for De
Ladies on this De Lightful
Spring day I
Betty Ann feels just a bit the
most elegant of the three for her
housecoat is superlative. She has
“skirts” like the ladies in the
feminine yesterdays; her basque
is form-fitting; her sash has a
bow, and her sleeves puff.
Mama, very young for her
years, can not resist styles that
bring more compliments her way.
The no-belt feature of this one is
definitely new, and does wonders
for the figure a bit past the slim
stage. The continuing collar,
which in soft pastels is always
flattering, gives the break re
quired by the all-in-one waist and
skirt. The fitted top and flaring
bottom make for style plus com
fort, a demand matrons, even
though youthful, always make.
Winifred on the left is privately
making up her mind to have a
housecoat, too; though she is
mightily pleased with the way her
print has turned out. She chose
this style because the fitted, brok
en waist line and front seamed
skirt are so very slenderizing.
She’s on her way to the 4-H meet
ing now and has only stopped
to remind Betty Ann of the picnic
“The Jolly Twelve” are having on
Tuesday.
Pattern 1285 comes in sizes 12-
20 (30 to 40). Size 14 requires 3%
yards of 39 inch material.
Pattern 1282 is for sizes 14-20
(32 to 44 bust). Size 16 requires
5% yards of 39 inch material. It
requires 2 1 /£ yards of ribbon for
tie belt.
Pattern 1983 is for sizes 36 to 50.
Size 38 requires 5% yards of 39
inch material. With the short
sleeves it requires only 5 yards
of 39 inch material.
Send your order to The Sewing
Circle Pattern Dept., Room 1020,
211 W. Wacker Dr., Chicago, 111.
Price of patterns, 15 cents (in
coins) each.
© Bell Syndicate.—WNU Service.
— —~ ' ... 1 3
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Copr. 1937, King Features Syndicate, G. F. Corp. Licensee
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