The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 1911. THE CORONATION,

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12765, 21 June 1911, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 1911. THE CORONATION,

In his " Memories "of Westminster Abbey Dean Stanley explains 'that: the Coronation of our Kiirj; is a ceremony which really consists of two quite distinct parts. The Coronation itself ■is a soiular function. The " sa.rina: ' or consecration or ordination of the King 'is a reliyious service. As another writer reminds iis, the s'ec-u ; lai| part, the Coronation' in the::'narrow sense, is an a:t whose* history-goes far back even to the times earlier than the appearance of Christianity. ■ The"-King" of the early Teutonic, tribes Mas elevated on. a shield, carried rotaid in procession, sjhonn to the assembled liooplo, -presented''with a spear, air! 'crowned with a !diadem bound rouna the forehead. Out of thi* simple form there has been developed in 1 tlio course of time all the elaborate se;ular ceremony of Vi nioderii : tbronatioh—Vtbe roVing of the monarch, the pro ession , jind elevation, the mutual oaths of king and people,' the re:o^iiitioh, the sceptro and iroun and ball. As the i>ations became Christianised, the natural desire grew up to have a Christian minister present and a Christian blessing piymouneerl on this grbat event. The ; first recorded appearance of a representative of the* churJi at a Coronation was in 457, at the Coronation of Leo 1., Emperor of Constant?nople, though probaMy the custom had besome established by that time. The first recorded form of service was that used—and probably invented —by Columba when in 571 he " ordained" Aidan to bo King of the Dalriad Scots. From this beginning, the Scottish form of service seems to have spread, first to Northumbria, then to Southern England, then to France, and rronr France (over most- of Europe. Tie steps ill the historic development are: Columla, in 571; Egbert, . mho was Aivhbisliop of York from 732 to 766; then the crowning of Charlemagne in 800; then the regulation of Coronation services in England and Frame, in Sicily and Jerusalem; and lastly the, spread of these services .in various forms to every nation in Europe. Tho Marquis of Bute, who has tried to discover and write- the history of the ceremony, sa>s- that a minister of the churJi wlio A\as asked to be present and to bless the at of crowning would naturally ask himself, " What shall 1 do? How shall.' I proceed?" The natural answer would be, " Imitate the Hebrew coronations reroiided in the Old Testament, and anoint the king." But the-strange thing is that Columba did not anoint. He "ordained" .Aidan by the lading on of hands. It vn*i when the servi c passed from Scottish into En?li>h bands that we first bear of ".'sacring "' or ." anointing.''. The S.ottish idonl seems to have been to (i ordain " the king as a minister or -•ho. 'church is ordained; but the English changed the ideal of, ;t,be servi c and made it an at of consecration, like the consecration of «i bishop, Thus the' hv> ing on of hands gave pla c to {ho-anointing, and the anointing r--1----vc-loped into a very elaborate function, j There are tv. o kinds of oil used, the ( special bind, or " chrism," beeing used, only fov the bead, while the more or- j dinary kind is used for the upper parts oi tbo 'iody. There are oven cases recorded of a king being stripped from tho wai^t upwards in order that the «il mip.lit coror his whole body. The elaborate form of the.. English service, was developed- and adopted in 1307, aiid it remained in use until 1685 and 16,89. From that timo.it has been gradually changed, .abbreviated, and simplified. "At ea h sulsequent.,Coronation some feature has disappeared."

The tendency to-day ..throughout Europe is to simplify sur-h services and ccreinoiiies, some nations even dis ardii.'f< them altogether. Where they remain ihey always show the dual vature, the so-jular and the religious elements, the crowning and the consecrating or blessing. Hut Britain is the only country now left where the "chrism" is used for anointing the

bead. In elaboration of the meamng of the two ', distinct featurejj of this great national ceremony, the "Argus" i gave expression to sentimeft|s whu:hj we think will be endorsed by the great tiiajority of His Majesty's throughoiiu the Empire: 'The first or secular act may not untruly be said to ■■! moan election and. mutual responsibility. Tha* King is ax'septed by the people, and mutual oaths of responsibility are exchanged. Thafc is what is mean*./ by the crown. The crown is a secular symbol with a secular meaning; dt means the headship, the truly representative headship, of the secular A State: The crown has nothing to do withVany kind of religion, still less with any particular branch of the church, but it has a great deal to do with duty and responsibility and mutual obligations. The se2ond act, the blessing or { sacring 'or laying on of hands, is ol quite ' a different nature. It mean« V f.hat the King is no. longer merely a steward ov trustee for the nation; it j means that the King is to be regarded j as a stewai'd or trustee for God. Ho l.epomes a 'minister. in the old Scriptural sense; and a ' minister' is not merely one-who.: serves the people, he : is one who in a special kin I of way is appointed to\:'|4sve-God. ': This introduction of an element of....religious rii ual into the great ceremonies, of. 6»u J public life is not unknonn even in ihe most modern States. The purely so;:u-' lar State is tho ideal, of, the .modern | world, it .is the most perfect putcoma of the Christian principle jof .absolute toleration; yet even in su^|i countries as the United States and Australia tho '■ federal, or central Parliament is. always' opened with prayer. For the modern' State does not wish to-deny. God or to' derogate from the divine* stewardship of King and Parliament and office in , "public life. What the modei-n Stato ] sets its fa.c against is denominational. interference or snobbery or unfairness. So'even here in Australasia we c«n rejoice that the Coronation of bur^lyUigj includes the religious as well as the, secular element: We,like, to thinkihat the King of this great JGmpu-'j is r.ot only a minister of the people, but! also a minister of, God.; rOur jjravers for the * King throughout ■ all our' chui'ches only echo: the feeling and wish of the people that thef King should regard hiins''elf as a steward'of Almighty j God to'^do''* 'justice^' and to uphold righteou?ness r': iJii'oughont1 ' the1 realm. .And it would bo well if all public-' hi<)n, could so look' on their- office^/as yi trust from the people and a trust-frOYa OorJ. | Perhaps- also it would r bo* well if we could,/1 with, that very obje:t in /ie'v,' introduce!a littlei nicrre"b£-religious sorvice into our . great public functions We do not need a State religion or a State denomination-; of..■■ the Christian religion—that ? is.. a,»g;r.Qat, ; pyil. lint avo do need the religious element in puMio life,, tho feeling that public offro,is si stewardship from p Gqd. Tsie .Corontv tion of, our King teaches.. t.hai> great lesson^ and we in. Australasia are oiw ot those paoples- who .specially• need to learn it. For nearly a hundrod yenrs now w6 have bee.ii fortunate Sin.,lom\ monarchs. Thoiiv I'vilo lias. iiutd3> the vows and services of their: Coronatikm n reality. Long may, it so continue. The hope-and <prayer of the people are that George the Fifth >may follow iho> liigh example set by 'Edward. at?d by Vi - toria> Wo hardly expect or b'esii'o in those days to see greatness on the throne—the greatness of an Elirsa 1 eth, a Cromwell, or a William lIT. But we do expect goodness—fidelity and wisdom, uprightness and reverence, strength, of principle and per re t cov.rtesy of manner; and it is tho hope of British people everywhere -that the Coronation, ceremony, both in its so uflar and in its religious aspe;t. may be only the 'earnest' of things to como " To-morrow the people of Now Zealand will give visible expression to that hope by inaugurating the Enipirc*wi:lo celebration of King vGeor^Vs Coronation. In point of time we s^al.', of course, be somewhat prema'i'lfe in oir rejoicings, for, .the King will not he ■crowned at, Westminster; uobil •son:? twelve hows -after.,we hav^ hold our services and processions; but tho dp.sirability of adhering to tho rnlen-ln." date appointed for tho ceremony appears to have rendered ibis nnoiiialy unavoidable. Orheraisa it would liavc been more convenient, and certainly more in keeping wilh tho ivjil .. nurpL/SO of the CGlebrations, if it bo-i been appointed for New Zealand to hold them on the 23rd—twelve hours after, instead of before, the of the Kinjr. . .