KING'S JUBILEE

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 128, 1 June 1935, Page 6

KING'S JUBILEE

SERVICE IN ST. PAUL'S

MAGNIFICENT SOLEMNITY

NATION'S GRATITUDE

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, May 11.

The four thousand people in St. Paul's perhaps felt proudest of all who participated in the King's Jubilee' celebrations, for the Thanksgiving service was the chief event of the day. All the outside splendour was but a mere detail compared with the crowning act of worship beautifully thought out and developed during many preceding weeks. St. Paul's is a vast building so lofty, so full of natural light and white marble that the effect on entering at 9 a.m. looked a little cold even on a summer morning. But by 11.30 a.m. when the scene was fully set, there were richness and warmth to an almost unexpected degree. The picture took quite two hours to develop. Individual arrivals, mostly uniformed and decorated with epaulettes of shimmering gold or silver, seemed lost in the vast edifice, but the impression was different whea masses of.colour began to arrive in successive processions. For instance, there was the procession of his Majesty's Judges, in gowns of scarlet, capes of spotless ermine, and full-bottom wigs; there was the procession of scarlet-gowned civic dignitaries, many of whom had "passed the chair," their robes trimmed with costly sable. As they progressed from the west door to their stalls in the far distant choir they provided a grateful touch of rich hue. Then there followed the procession of the Beefeaters from the Tower, wearing the full wondrously picturesque and historical dress of scarlet. These beruffled men were on duty and they took up their allotted stations, with pike at the "slope." Magnificent and impressive were the men of the Bang's Bodyguard, the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms, tall men all, with Brigadier-Gen-eral the Earl Of Lucan in command. They wear tunics of scarlet and gold, brilliantly shining helmets of gold from which fall the immensely long drooping white plumes, characteristic of the origin of the Corps. These men do not doff their helmets. It is their proud prerogative to wear them in church as well as out of doors. They proceeded to their allotted stations, with crimson colours proudly borne at; the head. Each man stood throughout like a statue,'with halberd in one hand and sword in the other. Brigadier-General A. F. Home, who Visited New Zealand riot long ago, is Clerk .of the Cheque and Adjutant of the N Corps. ;He obtained necessary leave from the King to make the trip. MASSING. OF COLOUR. The members of the Corps Diplomatique, with their ladies, assembled in the south transept, brilliantly apparelled in the varied uniforms of Continental style and unusual colour combination. Their ladies, are always beautifully gowned. From now on the pattern grew and developed in the most interesting manner, and uniforms of the Boyal Navy, the Army, the Air Force, the Privy Council, the becoming black velvet Court dress were dotted everywhere, the men always forming the picture. Women, as a whole, do not "shine" on these occasions. Civic dignitaries, members of the Common Council, were .grouped, robed in mazarin blue. There -were others in hospital blue, the badge of the wounded. This was a small party of twenty men broken in the war. Most of them will probably wear blue to the end of their days. They; were 'a few representing many. Magnificent were the Indian Princes, fourteen of them seated in a row, apparelled in rich fabrics, brilliant in colour, wearing wonderful turbans with d|imond ornaments tfcat scintillated' to the sunshine which formed a great shaft of light as it stretched in an acute; angle from dome to floor, illuminating also the Richmond gold mosaics' in its trail. Erect and impressive were the four Indian orderlies, fronv Buckingham Palace, who stood together throughout the service. TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL. Another remarkable procession consisted of the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Prime Minister wearing the handsome uniform of an Elder Brother of Trinity House, members of the Government with places in the Commons, Prime Ministers of the Dominions, gold-braided in Privy Council uniform, Sir Joseph Bhore as representative of India, the Lord Chancellor, and Cabinet Ministers in the Lords. Their places were to the north of the chairs in which the King and Queen would sit, and their uniforms appeared as a block of gold in the foreground of the north transept. In the photograph taken later Mr. Lyons and Mr. Forbes stand out with marked prominence. There was a procession of clergy wearing vestments, headed by the Bishop of London in cope and mitre, supported by the Dean and Canons Residentiary, going to the west door to be in readiness to meet their Majesties. To the chancel there was a tremendously long procession of clergy, of many denominations, of choirs augmenting the Cathedral choir, headed by the Children of the Chapel Royal (or Royal Choristers) in ,their scarlet "lyverey," w'»ich is the same today as it was in Tudor times. In the rear came the Archbishop of Canterbury in cope of cream and gold preceded by crozier bearer. In this procession were several "Virgers," and one wondered what was the origin of this spelling. Subsequently the information was imparted that St. Paul's always uses this form of spelling, which so appears in the statutes of the Cathedral: its derivation is the Latin virga—a wand. The more usual "verger" is Anglo-French. THE ROYAL FAMILY. Meanwhile, the eight rows of crimson chairs, arranged for the Royal Family, were still unoccupied. In front were the two large chairs of crimson brocade with faldstools which awaited the King and Queen. This group of seats for sixty-five people faced the High Altar, with its ornate and effective reredos. In the Sacrarium were massed rhododendrons in crimson and purple, and upon the altar were vases 'of pure white blooms. All who occupied these seats belonged to the Royal Family, except only the King's four honorary aides-de-camp, the Maharajahsof Bikanir, of Patiala, and of Jamu and Kashmir and Sir Umar Hayat Khan. There were clergy of other churches in full canonicals, including the Armenian Bishop in gold with tall mitre and staff, and the Chief Rabbi, Dr. Hertz. Presently the congregation rose to greet the first-comers of the Royal Family, with the Duke of Connaught in Field-Marshal's, uniform, at the head. The Duke walked with dignity and firm step despite his eighty-four years. He sat in the front row. With him were Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught, Princess Alice Countess of Athlone, the Earl of Athlone, Lady Maud Carnegie, Viscount Lascelles, Hon. Gerald Lascelles, and the Earl of Macduff. - At 11.25 the silence inside the building was disturbed by the sound of dis-

tant cheers and a fanfare of trumpets. The signal was given for all to rise, and 4000 rose en masse. Very slowly came the Bishop of London, the Dean and the Canons, the Heralds, the officers of the Royal Household. These, accompanied by the King and Queen, had come to give thanks. Lord Alienby, Gold Stick-in-Waiting, led the way. They came, magnificently regal and with stately dignity, followed by the Queen of Norway, the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of York, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose of York, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Princess Louise, Princess Victoria, the Grand Duchess | Xenia of Russia, and the Earl of Hare- . wood. ! With this procession came Garter ■ King-of-Arms (Sir Gerald Wollaston) and the four Heralds, Richmond, Ches- ' ter, Somerset, and Lancaster. The Heralds walked behind the clergy; " Garter King-of-Arms was beside the : Lord Mayor. They all wore the tabards ■ which are reserved for occasions of great ceremony, such as coronations • and the State opening of Parliament. i Based on the design of the Royal ■ Standard, the tabards are embroidered i in brilliant colours. Garter's tabard is ) even more magnificent than those of , the Heralds, for their yellow satin is t replaced by his cloth of gold and the ■ whole of his tabard is more heavily . embroidered. Garier and the four I Heralds wore their official scarlet - coatees, with gold lace varying in l quantity with the wearer's seniority, s and black Court breeches. On arrivi ing, Garter and the Heralds donned : their tabards, which are only worn in E processions. E Documents in the possession of the I College of Arms include collections of - early tables of precedence, the oldest ■ of which was prepared in 1399 for the ; coronation of Henry IV. The appoint- ■ ment of Heralds is in theory in the peri sonal gift of the Earl Marshal, the : Duke of Norfolk, but in practice ■ Heralds are generally selected from i those with long service in the College - of Arms. The four who took part, i Messrs. H. Martin, J. D. Heaton-Arm- - strong, A. Russell, and G. Bellew, have - all been officials of the college for ' many years. 1 "GOD SAVE THE KING." The King and Queen stood in their i places. The Duchess of York had I Princess Elizabeth by ■ her side and . Princess Margaret Rose, for whom a cushioned stool had been arranged. As I the King and Queen remained standE ing, the gi*eat organ gave the note and r the thousands of voices lifted themselves to the dome of St. Paul's with one rejoicing shout, "God Save the '• People in New Zealand could hear ' the music, the beautiful words of the '. Archbishop's address, the lesson read r by Dr. M. Berry (Moderator of the i Federal Council of the Evangelical 1 Free Churches), the.Te Deum specially composed by Dr. Stanley Marchant (the j organist), more song, and again more - verses of the National Anthem. Both f the King and Queen entered heartily into the service, and so did the members of the Family. The Princess Royal sang throughout. As the service advanced the shaft of - sunlight changed its position until it l bore directly down upon the Common - Councillors, in blue, upon scarlet coats - and upon white heads, forming an un- - usual study in red, white, and blue. 3 Altogether the occasion was tremendously inspiring, Every heart was 1 full, and everyone realised the solemn- - ity of the occasion. The beauty of the , service was in full accord with the r beauty of our faith. The entire cont gregation realised the impressiveness :, of the occasion and there was no disturbing element. 1 The procession was re-formed and :, left the Cathedral to Pnrry's March e from "The Birds" and to a second fan--3 fare from the trumpeters. No one I else began to leave till the signal was 1 given, and then the exit was most j leisurely. Many people lingered r rather in still further appreciation of i. a momentous occasion. No one privi- . leged to be present will ever forget ;, the majestic and inspiring historic - scene.