Evening star. [volume], December 03, 1905, Page 6, Image 58

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
A! AI.I.,, athletic, handsome young
ft How. more the well-groomed En
glishman of noble blood In phys
ical appearance, dress and m i a
? , '!? is than the royal Dane he surety
?. J 10 be formally seated upon tit)
ki" 1 lli!,t"rlr throne of the Xi>r.i->
Kings as Haakon VII.
the !'HW dvna?iy is to be born even while
U>e most autocratic dynasty |? ,he wor d
raj> 'ott?llj| to ita fall.
W hat about th- personality of (his vounc
man. (>allV(1 ,,v a practlcaily unlte() ^
t'om cumpamtivfl obscurity to be the
davs wh' ,he."ew lin? of kings in these
rampant?eU "PirU ?f democr-> ?
StUoV:^"at CCremoaie3 wiI1 the crown or
?t. oiaf be put upon his brow?
W liat of the ancient Norse capital m
w> ch he will be crowned, of the el'uUly
Sue'iLce' a1"^ Wher" ,h? C('remonie^(wiH
Jhat wnii ,fnd th' castl,s ir> Christ iania
uuten i i ^ ?f the new ki"8 and
Queen vthat also of that?
*
PJn~ /,'ri;".T Car,> "^ona son <* Crown
way Hi tt? ?f D<*nmark. King of Xor
*?s' ' r r ?f Ber"adott-S does not
Zl * . 0ver ,he "PPer half of the
therSr Peninsula Wular opinion to
the contrary notwithstanding
PH^n5^?^i,rt"shis '-olT' Crown
" > ?iohn ,r,r tCnVj'n is'rf
n?w1ta;ioved ki"'?
bJPS'a- ?
the seu ?Id' ls a ver'l?bie son ot
ra r.p"'' Wi,s sf< apart for a naval '
father' u?| '"b>"
when he passed "P P, 1 ?, y":irK ?'<J
mission into th- naval academy'"'?01" "h"
sppnf t hu* i-oo-?i0?i - Utni.\. rherc in* ,
mm0=.t
ssjaSISi
??F. lea^'ng the academy, he beean his
in Z,casrr a* a mldshipman. That was
^rri, himself
in Ihe wX ?,h"M ?r KJ|" **vors
*
* *
?nVh|"n J'' 'S<"a th" prinof' is a hard worker
Wm v^.'T"?8 har,, Work from a" u"^r
him. Yet ho |? WP? ,ike(1 by Ws offl
him in MtTmon !'ai:ors ure **><* to how
him In high regard. He is a strict disclpli
manTn ThlT' """J a martln-?- and the
man ?le forecastle is the first to appre
ciate the difference.
bile on shore his associates are usually
n the s1udvamJ ,"f hia ls s??
I"'.' s'lu]> of naval problems. On re
landhis wTf" l'hUl!"' ?r a "OJt>urn '? Eng
land. his wife s home, his first task is t..
J?" "p those of his naval comrades in the
Swn hhTtni^f Io"K ,ulks wlth 'hrn..
uuen his way, his one subject of conversa
tion is always the sea and the things that
appertain thereto. Ir. thia one trait he
for "the kin? '!'" ^'orw,'KianM Immensely.
huvo i i ? have made their history
have u-en men of the sea? largely
I.',h?? h,he Princ"'1< strong characteristics
? .h" neV,?r ue*tect? a friend, once he
h? ?"e' hlie ln the naval academy
nnH^r.Cair<' ,slr?n?l>' attached to its chief
and his good wife, whoip he. along with the
Ile^afls ?m*'hSflrtCtl0""e,y ,erma "Mams."
lie tails on her to pay his resnpr?f? at r
uUpror!otUmwbenever h<1 receives
UP!, he K,"'s to her to blush like a
scl)eol girl over her congratulations His
hooimates are always sure of a hearty
nand and word from him. and they hav'e
had many a revel together when the ?L
of the service has permitted. Booa
^ rut. '.l. ,s not f,lsy to gain the nrlnr?-?
friendship. From his youth up he has been
exceedingly _phy. and onjv when he ? with
boon companions does (ft permit his real
revealed. Ills reserve do-* not
break down until after long act|B-iintinee
and then only seldom, far he i? u m iri ^hu
desires not a liost of more or lei,
friends, but a small boXiy of triads
?of the firmest und truest sort. \
A ?iu-e way not to win the pr'.h
ship i* to he servile to him in any degree
whatsoever. Perhaps his strongest aver
sion is for servility, and it lias been re
marked frequently th?t that man in Copen
hagen who hates the snob or the truckler
more than any one else Is Prince Carl.
*
* *
Here is a little story aptly illustrating
this trait:
A Copenhagen agent who was returning
to his home after an absence abroad of
several years' duration met a young naval
officer of prepossessing appearance in the
railway car. and It was not long bafoie the
two were engaged in an animated and
friendly social chat Each talked as the
other's equal, and when they parted at the
end of the journey there was the hearty
handshake of equals.
Three weeks later a festival was held in
the city in which the royal family tOok part.
The merchant was present, and what was
his astonishment to recognize in Prince Carl
his yojing and entertaining traveling com
panion. Instantly his frank demeanor of
three weeks before changed, and he ap
proached the prince with soft and honeyed
words. But this time the prince gave the
merchant only polite attention.
When the merchant departed the prince,
turning to a companion, related the incident
of the ride, adding: "And now, when he
knows my rank, he comes to me as a snob
and not as one man frankly to another. I
have no fuither use for him. and the pleas
ant words that were on my lips when I saw
him approaching would not come out when
he showed his true character in his servil
ity."
Carl is not enamored of festivities or show
of any sort. Neither is he an orator, like
his father, nor has he his father's faculty
of getting in close touch with the people.
He makes few speeches. All are carefully
, weighed before being uttered, and he is yet
to pronounce a joking toast. Light and
graceful speech fs not in him. He is frank
ly spoken. like the average sea dog. and as
little of a speaker. But, for all his shyness
and reserve, he is well liked by the Danes
generally.
I'niike most memlvrs of royal families,
the new king-elect has carefully screened
his private life from public gaze. Ever
slnc<- his marriage he has received only his
closest friends in his home, and as a result
little is known of his home life, except that
while his wife devotes herself to literary
work in her leistfre hours the prince is
busy wrestling with problems of navigation
or deeply engrossed in reatl ng standard
naval works.
?
* * I
Of course, both the prince and princess are I
devoted to their only child, who manages
to get around fairly well under the rather
burdensome name of Alexander Frederick
htlward Christ Ian. He is now in his third
y?ar. and on the authority of visitors to his |
father and mother's unostentatious apart- !
ments in the castle in Copenhagen belong
ing to King George of Greece, the boy is
boss enough in the home to make his father
get down on the floor and play with him
by the hour. Many profess to see in the
child s features much likeness to his august
maternal grandfather. King Edward VII.
For some time the prince's love of liis
home and his strong aversion to having
himself or any. of his figure In any discus
sion kept him from allowing his name to be
brought forward as that of a candidate for
the throne to which the Norwegian people
have elected him. Only when he became
convinced that It was his duty to allow his
candidature to he announced did he permit
of Its being done. Tndeed. all are agreed
that he has a strong sense of duty, and in
this he fs much like his sturdy old grand
father. who has so long held the respect of
all Europe.
According to his friends, the new king
realizes his numerous shortcomings for
kingship, chiefest of which is that he has
been trained wholly for the sea and not
at all for statecraft. But, his friends ar
gue. Norway could have chosen most any
other prince and fared a great deal worse,
for It Is not often that ft man of royai
blood Is found who i* chock full of what
is interchangeably known in America as
horse or common sense.
The prince and princess were married In
July of iswt. He was born August 3. 1872.
She Is nearly three years his senior, having
been born November 1st, 1S6D. His full
name Is Christian Frederick Carl George
Valdemar Axel. As a daughter of a daugh
ter of King Christian, the princess has been
well received by the Danes. Ho-w she will
impress the Norwegians as Queen Maud
remains to be seen.
*
* *
The coronation of the new king and Cttrtfen
will take place not at the capital. Chris
tian^, but at Trondhjem, to the north, and
<*j?ly three degrees south of the Arctic cir
cle. The Norwegian constitution makes It
obligatory that the king be crowned here:
"Tlie crowning and anointing oj the king
shall take place ? ? ?" In the Cathedral of
1 rondhjem at such time and with such cere
monies as lie himself shall il?
view of this provision, all the kings who
liave reigned jointly over "Sweden and Nor
I
| way since 1S14 have been crowned at
Trondhjem.
This town, third In size in the kingdom,
with a population of less than 25.000, has
been called "the strength ar.d heart of the
country." It is, indeed, the cradle of the
kingdom of Norway. Ii was here, on Bra
toren, that the ancient Norse kings were
elected and crowned. Here the famous
Orething used to meet. From here sailed
many of the sea-roving expeditions a thou
sand years ago that were fraught with
such deep consequences to the human race.
Here was the royal residence till late in the
middle ages, and here, from the close of
the tenth century till Norway's union with
Denmark in the fourteenth the country's
history centered. ,
As early as 9WJ, when, according to many
authorities, the Norsemen were busy antici
pating Columbus' great discovery, King
Olaf Tryggasson dedicated a church to St.
Clement on the town's site. But St. Olaf,
who Christianized the country, Is held to
have been the real founder of NIdaros, as
the town was originally named, twenty
years later.
St. Olaf, as King Olaf Haroldsson, reign
ed in NIdaros until lOii", when Knut, the
famous Danish king, ruling in England,
drove him into exile and had himself pro
claimed king in NIdaros. Seven year# later
Olaf, leaving the friendly Russian court of
Jaroslav, entered his native land, only to
meet death at the hands of a peasant army
in the battle of Vaerdalen.
Great as his Influence over his people had
been in life. It was manifolded in death.
The land was filled with stories of the
miracles that drops of blood from his
wounds had wrought. King Olaf Kyrre
built a church over his tomb. On his be
ing canonized the body was transferred to
a reliquary and placed on the high altar,
and from then on until the troublous times
of the reformation it was a cause of pil
grimage for the devout, not only from all
parts of Scandinavia, but every European
country as well.
This church, kno^n in ecclesiastical his
tory as Olaf Kyrre's Christ Church, was
the original of the cathedral In which the
coronation ind the anointment will take
place. Because of the importance which
St. Olafs shrine had given to Trondhjem
li was raised to an archbishopric in the mid
dle of the twelfth century, and shortly after
that the famous Archbishop Eysteln de
cided to enlarge the church to a cathedral,
in order to make it meet the requirements
of a .metropolitan see and accommodate the
vastly increasing number of pilgrims to St.
Olaf's shrine.
*
* *
Eysteln pushed the work forward until
he was compelled to flee to England to es
cape punishment at the hands of King
Sverre on account of ecclesiastical conspir
acy against the throne. He was In exile
three years. During that time he pre
sumably gave close study to Canterbury
Cathedral; then building, for when he re
turned home he began constructing his ca
thedral's distinguishing feature, the great
octagonal choir, for which architectural au
thorities hold that Canterbury's horseshoe
shaped eastern end served us the model.
Eysteln died in 1183, with his great work
far from completed. Through the follow
ing years It was carried on by his success-,
or*, and at the beginning ot the fourteenth
century the cathedral pronouneed tin
lahftd, ?
first of the long series of disasters to the
cathedral stretehing over a period of 400
years. The choir w;is destroyed by fire and
had to be rebuilt. A hundred years later a
stroke of ligh-ning wrought much damage,
and a hundred" j-ears after that a great fire
destroyed the town, as well as the cathe
dral. which was restored only to be reduced
in large part to a mass of ruins by two
fires occurring In the first decade of the
eighteenth century.
But the greatest" disaster befell the ca
thedral in the days of the reformation. Then
sacrilegious hands snatched the relics of
St. Olaf from the high altar, and with their
disappearance the pilgrimages ceased and
the cathedral speedily lost the pre-emi
nence it had enjoyed for so long a time in
the eyes of Christendom. Accounts differ
as to what became of the relics. Some
authorities say that they were interred *n
the quaint burial ground that has sur
rounded the cathedral since the founding.
Others hold that they were removed to Co
penhagen and there given decent burial.
But no one knows really where the relics
of Norway's sainted king rest today, though
Norwegians generally cling to the tradition
that they lie nurled within the shadow of
their famous cathedral, where on Satur
days, according to an old custom, the peo
ple come to scatter flowers over the graves
of the dead.
From the last fire until 1S<S> the cathedral
was allowed to remain in its ruined state.
Since then the work of restoration has been
pushed forward, until now all except one
part of the cathedral, in plan a cruciform,
has been fully restored. The great central
tower has risen in all Its old-time grace
fulness; everywhere white marble pillars
once more bring out the beautiful green
shade in the color of the soapatone used
throughout in the construction, and this
stone is as luxuriantly and quaintly carved
as in th-? days of Eystein and his powerful
successors. Prince Carl will be the first of
Norway's modern rulers to be crowned in
a cathedral not In large part simply ruins
of its former glory, when kings were crown
ed and bi'ri-.d there.
Like tie church, the town Itself has suf
fered numerous disasters?fires, civil war,
p^sttlence. The fires have taken from the
town <*11 vesMpe of mediaeval character;
its wooden buildings, strewn along wide
streets?a r re ait'on to prevent the spread
of conflagration?are modern in style; and
so, though the new king and queen will be
crowned in the nation's ancient capital,
they will yet be crowned In a town which
has notlririg physically In common with the
Tror.dhjeni of St. Olaf and Knut, of King
Sverre and Eystein and the other large
?Iguios of Norwegian history in the early
thousands. Vet, in what other town, in
what other cathedral, could Norwegian king
and queen more fittingly be crowned and
anointed? '
*
* *
Although the Norwegian constitution Of
1814 states explicitly that the coronation
shall take r-*ce with such ceremonies as
the king himself shall determine, it is a
fact that every king since that date has
ascended the throne with practically similar
ceremonies. These ceremonies, more or less
altered, have come down from the time of
the undent Norse kings. They are strik
j ing in their simplicity, when compared with
coronations in other lands; and there is no
cident to the coronation of Oscar II and
his Queen Sophia, thirty-two years ago last
July 18.
Oscar and Sophia made their appearance
in the ancient Norwegian capital two' days
prior to the coronation and took up their
abode in the Stlftsgaarden, more like a
comfortable two-storied mansion than a
royal palace. The harbor was filled with
Swedish, Norwegian and foreign warships,
dispatched thither In honor of the event.
The little town was decorated profusely
with flags. Troops were posted everywhere
about the town as guards.
The coronation ceremonies began early on
the third day, with the royal procession
from the gates of the Stlftsgaarden. It pro
ceeded through the Munksgaarden (Monk's
street) to the northern side of the cathe
dral, where Is the king's doorway. At its
head marched the lower court and state
functionaries. The higher officials also were
on foot; so was.the king and likewise the
queen, whose long white silk train, heavily
embroidered with silver, was borne by three
maidB of honor., The king was in a 'gen
eral's uniform under an ermine cloak, and,
besides other decorations, he wore a plaque
of St. Olaf. The royal children were In
line, but the new crown prince, owing to
his tender age. Will probably be left at
home when his father and mother are
crowned. The procession was an hour in
passing, and one of its marked features
was that every one in it was on foot.
On entering the Cathedral, the king was
received by the Bishop of Trondhjem. sup
ported by two others bishops and surround
ed by numerous clergymen. After several
short prayers, the king was conducted to
an armchair, placed on th? right of the
altar, and the bearers of the imperial .ban
ner and the royal insignia ranged in a
semi-circle about him. The queen was re
ceived in like manner and placed in a chair
opposite the king's.
When all were placed the organ ceased
playing and the king and queen knelt in
prayer in solemn silence. When they re
gained their seats, tihe royal insignia were
? placed upon the altar, divine services be
gan, and after several hymns and brief
prayers the bishop of Hamar preached a
short and appropriate sermon.
Then the king rose and went to the royal
throne, jplaced upon temporary steps in
front of the altar. The princely mantle was
taken from his shoulders and the royal
mantle, with its gold embroidered crowns
upon purple velvet and with bordiers of
ermine, was put upen him.
' v ... ?
* *
The king kenlt upon the footstool. The
bishop of Trondhjem dipped a flnge* In the
anointment horn and made the sign of the
1 cross on the king's torow, breast, temples
and hand-joints, saying, as he did so:
"May the Almighty, Eternal Ood pour
over you His spirit and grace, that you
may, with wisdom and strength and good
will, ?o rule over us that the name of the
LdVd be glorified, that right and truth pre
vail, that the weal of the land and of the
people be furthered and confirmed."
The king was now seated on the throne.
The crown was placed on his brow, and
from the bishop's hands he received the
scepter, the globe and the sword, which had
been in lt*t scabbard, lying upon a cushion.
The sword was unsheathed by the king
sentence, were over, the klng-at-urms lifted
up his staff and exclaimed:
"Now King Oscar is crowned king of Nor
way, he and nobody else!"
Cheers, flourishes of trumpets and th.0
royal salute of 112 guns followed.
After a prayer by the bishop of Trondh
jem, the king rose from his throne and re
turned to his chair in the nave. Then the
queen was conducted to the throne and the
same ceremonies were gone through with,
except that she was anointed only on the
brow and handjoints. The coronation clos
ed with the singing of the conducting verses
Of the cantata written especially for the
coronation, divine services having been be
gun by singing the first part.
In the procession back to the #tiftsga&r
den. the king and queen walked in full re
gal pomp, wearing- the royal crowns and
carrying Scepter and globe. It was 1:30
o'clock of the afternoon when the last of
the procession disappeared behind the
Stiftsgaarden gates, and the coronation was
over.
Of course, there followed a banquet. It
was spread in the banquet hall and 700
guests were present. And, of course, the
ne>w king will mark his coronation with a
banquet, along similar lines in the same
hall. In such fashion does tradition hedge
a king about, in spite of ail sorts of lati
tude guaranteed to him by so powerful a
document as a national constitution.
The oath thai the king takes before the
storthing, immediately on assuming his
kingly duties, is set down in the constitu
tion:
"I promise and swear that I will govern
the kingdom of Norway in accordance with
its constitution and laws, so truly help me
God and His Holy Word."
*
* *
The castle in which the king and queen
will live occupies a corimanding elevation
In the city of Chrlstiania. o.. rlooking a
portion of the capital and the harbor. It is a
spacious stone structure in the midst of a
spacious park. Its cornerstone was laid in
1828 by King Carl Johan (Bernadotte). It
was completed in 1848, and by reason both
of its short life, as castles go, and the im
provements that have been put on it from
time to time, it is one of the most modern
royal residences in all Kurope.
A goodly portion of the castle's fittings
belonged to King Oscar. These are now
being replaced by the Norwegian govern
ment, and in other ways the castle is be
ing made ready to receive the new rulers
and the youthful crown prince, whose
apartments and those of the future crown
princess are on the second and third floors
respectively, the.on? directly above the
other. -
The second' is the main floor. It is reach
ed by a broad and sumptuously decorated
staircase. On the right are the king's
apartments, on the left the conference
rooms and the large salons for receptions
and court purposes. The queen's rooms are
directly under the king's, the suites being
connected by a private stairway. These
rooms are being wholly refurnished. King
Oscar had his furnished with silver wed
ding gifts and faintly portraits; the queen's
also were largely fitted with mementos of
her reign. About the onl ythings that will
be permitted to remain In the apartments
are the portraits of the Bernadotte family
hanging in the king's office and constitut
ing its decorations. As the new king has
Bernadotte blood in his veins, the portraits
?will not be in be_d taste.
The council room, where king and min
isters confer, has always been simply fur
nished. The state and royal libraries cover
the greater portion of the wails. A Spar
tan could ask for nothing plainer.
*
* *
The state banquet rooms, the various sa
lons, the audience room?all are rich ex
amples of various styles of Interior decora
tion. There are numerous rooms for ladles
and gentlemen-in-waittng and other court
functionaries. A royal chapel is in the
nortih wing on the second floor. Store and
guest rooms take up the major part of the
third floor, while the basement is given
over to the servants, kitchens, laundries,,
etc. There are one hundred and fifty
rooms all told, thirty-five on the second
floor and fifty on the first.
The massive chandeliers that formerly
were striking features of the great salon
running through the second and third
floors, were removed and sold at public
auction when an electric lighting system
was Installed in the palace. In time these
cliandeliers came into the hands of Crown
Prince Christian of Denmark and ft Is said
that one of his gifts to his son. when he is
formally placed on the Norwegian throne
will be these chandeliers.
When the new ruler# fee! like it they can
ascend to the flat roof of the castle, mount
the platform at the flagstaff's base, and
from this vantage point survey not only the
entlro capital, but the fjord on which'it t=
situated and many square jniiw? of
apartment they have occupied Jrx thdX
uncle's castle irl- Copenhagen. slnCS thei#
marriage.
THE AUTO PROBLEM; ,
Right of Locomotive Owners to UtO-*
nopolize the Streets.
Lambert Tree, in the CMoago Newfl.
So many people derive pleasure fro? llifl
use of the automobile, so many use i% fof
practical business purposes and 80 much
capital has come to be invested In Its maa?
ufacture and that of the various appljanoei
which go -with and form an essential part
of it, that It is difficult at this time, irhetf
the auto fever is at its height, t? inquire
into Its raison d'etre on the publio streets
and highways without exciting' resentment
In extended circles.
Some persons are unable to see why they
may not exercise the freedom of locomotiofl
along the public thoroughfares In any kind
of conveyance which suits their lnclin&tlort,
without stopping to consider that this Is
only true provided their mode of locomo1^
tion does not Interfere with the safe use of
the thoroughfares by other persons having
an equal right to their freedom whether
they be on foot or riding in ordinary vehi
cles drawn by horses.
Liberty ^n a state of society does not
mean the right to pursue one's sweet will
without regard to whether it conflicts with
the safety or general welfare of the re
maining members of It having equal rights.
If It did the laws oreventlng the stor'ng of
gunpowder in certain places, tiring of guns,
the running at large of swine, the driving
of horned cattle, racing^ horses or passage
of railway trains through the public streets
and a hundred other wise laws and ordi
nances in restraint of the citizen's entire
liberty of action would have to be consign
ed to the waste basket.
There are also persons who are such dev
otees at the shrine of progress that they
tremble at the thought of questioning the
fullest freedom to the use of Inventions
having for their purpose more speedy loco
motion by those who have the means to
command them.
Serious differences of opinion exist, how
ever. as to what constitutes progress, and
it is not always safe to -jump at a conclu
sion that every new Invention, even In the
way of rapid locomotion, is the genuine ur
ticle and denotes a rise in the world's
methods of doing things.
It canrot be possible, however, that
either of these classes is entirely blind to
the fact that a conveyance as dangerous In
its destructive power as the ordinary rail
road locomotive has been Introduced upon
crowded city streets and frequently travel
ed country roads, iu the hands, for the most
part, of incompetent or ignorant persons, or
is able to disguise from itself that thetr
introduction has been followed by accidents
so frequent and so distressingly fatal as to
make it apparent that the perils of street
life have been increased more than BO per
cent since their appearance.
Indeed, It is perhaps not too much to say
that some of the more conservative of the
owners ,of machines and devotees of rapid
transit are beginning. In a half-hearted
way, to admit that the authorities do po:v
sess the light to make laws and ordlnan< r-s
subjecting them to some sort of regula
tion.
Without' reference to what Is transpiring
daily in other cities in the way of auto ac
cidents, scarcely a day now passes In Chi
cago and its vicinity on wltich citizens are
not killed or injured in the public streets,
either directly or Indirectly by means of
these modern Juggernaut cars, which are
increasing In number every day.
Whether the running of these locomotives
?for that is what they are?along the pub
lic streets and roads is compatible with the
safe use of them by other citisens. either
on foot or in vehicles drawn by horse pow
er. for which uses-they were originally laid
out and Intended, and. If not, whether the
use of them by these locomotives is fair or
legal, are questions which may have to be.
j sooner or later, tried out. At certain times
of the day and night it Is as dangerous to
drive along certain streets or cross them on
foot as It would be to drive or walk about
any of the railroad switch yards surrouud
ing I he city ?'
It does not require any great discernment
to see that popular resentment is steatfl.y
increasing agalnstHhis method of street lo
comotion.
On the European continent autos and
their occupants are frequently stoned anil
sometimes fired upon. In Great Britain,
wb-ln the same thing is being done to some
exter.t, the authorities are Just now trying
the experiment of regulating them by the
infliction of severe penalties. Thus, a man
caught exceeding the sped limit is. on
conviction, fined what would be equivalent
to i f) here, auJ the conviction Is indorses
on Itis I'd nse. For the second offense he is