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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 1905)
38 BECOME; KlN&OFiVCfBSVvaQr TALL. aUt'etlc, handsome young fallow, more the woll-groomed Englishman of noble blood In physical appearance, dress and mannors than the royal Dune he surely Is, is shortly to b formally seated upon the anojont and historic throne of tho 'Norse Kings as Haakon VII. A new dynasty is to ho born ovon while the most autocratic dynasty in the world may bo tottering to ita fall. What about the personality of this young man, called by a practically united pooplo from eomparutivo obscurity to be tho founder of the new line of Kings in those days wlten the spirit of democracy is rampant? With what ceremonies will the crown of St. Olaf bo put upon his brow? What of the ancient Norse capital in which he will be crowned, of tho equally historic cathedral where the ceremonies will take place? Ami the castle in,Chris tlaula that will be tho homo of tne new King and Queen what also of that?" Interesting Personality or the New Kincr. rTH Prince Carl. cond son of Crown Prince Christian of Den mark, King of Norway. the blood of tho Borna'dottes does not . cease to reign over tho uioor half of the Scandinavian IKnlnaula. popular opinion to the con trary notwithstanding. The Klng-elecfs mother Is Louise, Crown Princes of Denmark. Sho was Princoss of Sweden ami Norway; her father, Charles XV, ruled over the union prior to King Oscar IPs accession to the throne in 1STR, that Charles who was the best loved King of Norway has had in modorn times. , Further, the new King is tho fourth member of old King Christian's family to reach a throne within tho head's lifetime. A son rulos over the Hellenes as George 1. A daughter is Queon of Groat Britain and Ireland ami Empress of India, and anothor is Dowager-Empress of Russia. But tho first thing to be said about Prince Carl's personality is that ho, llko the famed Norse Kings of old. is a veri table son of tho sea. As a child lie was set apart for a naval oarocr. To this end he was educated by his father until he was 14 years old, whoa ho passed the examinations for ad mission into tbe naval academy. There he spent the regulation four years under tho chief of the school, the present Ad miral Carsteneen. He farad just as his comrados of uonroyal blood fared, no better, no worse: indeed, he would not countenance any favoritism from any one. instructor or mate. "I am trying to learn to he a sailor." was his way of put ling it. "ami 1 eon not learn my lessons as 1 should if tbe circumstance of my birth is colnc to interfere continually. On leaving the academy, he began his active career as a midshipman. That was in ISM. Since then He has lwi mount ed to the grade of CajAatn. att:Vnfr that only last Summer. The fact that it lias takea him 15 years to reach hi present grade "is good proof of the statement that be baa not wed his Princely rank, to boost himself over the beads of others or to gain favors la tbe service. When at sea tbe rrince is a hard work er and he demands hard work from all under bim. Yet he is welt liked by his t'flbjars, aad the common sailors are said lo bold him in utah regard. He Is a strict discittltaarlan without being a niartlaet. mid the man in the forecastle is the fin to appreciate the difference. While oh shore his aosoclHtes are usu ally of tbe navy and most of his time is spent la the study of naval problems. On returning from a cmiee or a sojourn in England, his wife's home. Ms flrst task is to hunt up those of his naval comrades in the capital ami engage In long talks with them. Given his way. his one subject of conversation is alwavs tho sea aad tbe thttags that appertain thereto. In this one trait ho should please tbe Norwegians immensely, for the JClncs who have made tlielr history havo been men of the sea. largely. One of tbe Prince's strong characteris tics is that be never neglects a friend, once he lias made one. While in the naval academy he became strongly at tached to its chief and his good wife, whom he, along with the other cadets, affectionately terms "Mams." He calls on her to pay his respects at frequent Intervals, and whenever he receives a promotion be goes to her to blush like a schoolgirl over her congratulations. His old schoolmates are always sure of a hearty hand and word from him, and they have had many a revel together when tho good of the sorvlce has per mitted. But it is notoasy to gain the Prince's friendship. From his youth up he has been exceedingly shy, and only when he is with boon companions does ha permit his real self to be revealed. His reserve does not break down until after long: acquaintance and then only- .sel dom, for he is a man who desires not -a host of more or less good woaXher friends, but a small body of friends of the firmest and truest sort. A sure way not to win the Prince's friendship is to be servile to him inany degree whatsoever. Perhaps his strong est aversion Is for servility, and It has been remarked frequently that that man in Copenhagen who hates the snob or tho truckler more than any one else is Prince Carl. Here is a little story aptly Illustrat ing this trait; A Copenhagen agent who was re turning to his homo after an absence abroad of several yoars' duration, met a young naval officer of prepossessing appearance In the railway car. and it was not long before the two were on gaged in an animated and friendly so cial chat. Each talked as tho other's, equal, and when they parted at the end of the Journey there was the hearty handshake of equals. Throe 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 recog nize in Prince Carl his young and en tertaining traveling companion. In stantly his frank demeanor of three weeks bofore changed and he ap proached the Prince with soft and honeyed words. But this time the Prince gave tho merchant only polite attentlpn. When the merchant departed, tho Prince, turning to a companion, re-, lated the incident of the tide, adding: 'And now, when lie knows my rank, ho comes to nic as a sndb and not as one. man frankly to another. I havo no further use for him. and the pleasant words that wore on my Hps when I saw him approaching wouM not come out when he showod his true charactor in his servility." Carl -is not enamored of festlvltios or show of any sort. Neither Is ho an ora tor, like bis father, nor has he his ia-,, ther'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. Ltfht and graceful speech Is not in him. He Is frankly spoken, llko the average sea, dog, and as little of a spea'kor. But. for all his shyness and jesorve, ho is wojll liked by the Danes 'generally. Unlike moat memwers. ot royai ram illes, the new klng-ectThW carefully screened his private fo from public gaze. Ever since bis marriago -h has received only the closest friends in his home, and as a result little Ms .known of his home life, except that wbitolhls wife dex-otes herself to literary work in her leisure hours the Prineo is busy wrest ling with probloms of navigation or deeply engrossod in road in g standard naval works. Of course, both the Prince and Prin cess are devoted to their only child, who manages to get around fairly well under tho rather burdensome name of Alexander Frederick Edward Chris tian. Ie is now in his third year, and on the authority of visitors to his fath er and mother's uno'stentatlon apart ments in the castle In Copenhagen be longing to King Keorge of Greece, the boy is boss enough in the homo 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 YIL For some" time the Prince's loe of his home and his strong aversion to having himself, or any of his figure in any discussion kept him from allowing his name to be brought forward as that of a candidate for tho throne to which the Norwegian people have elected him. Only when he became convinced that it was his duty to allow his candidature -to be announced did he permit of its be ing done. Indeed, all are: agreed that bet Airs a strong sense of duty, and In this ho is much like his sturdy old grand father, who 'has so long held the respect of all Europe. According to his friends the "new. King realises his numerous shortcomings for Kingship, chlefest of which is that he his been trained wholly for tho sea and not ! ai an ior Biaiecrait. tsui. nis menus argue, Norway could have chosen most any other Prince and fared- a great deal worse, for it is not often that a man of royal blood is found who is chockful of what is interchangeably known in Amor- j la as horse or common sense. The Prince and Princess were married j in July of 1S95. He was bom August X , , 1ST2. Sho is nearly three years his senior, having been born on November 1 2C. IMS. His full name is Christian Fred . crick Carl George Valdemar AxeL As a I daughter of a daughter of King Christian, j , the Princess has been well received by the Danes. How she will Impress the -! Norwegians as Queen Maud remains .to j I be seen. take ,rlace. . Because 'of the Importance wfltcu Oiafs shrine had given to. ironoojen, tvwas raisrd to an archbish opric -irf be 'middle o'fi the 12th century, and -ahortly after that the famous Arch Nshop EysteJn decided" to enlarge the church-to,.a cathedral, in order to make It meet the retirements of a metropoli tan see. and accommodate the vastly In creasing number of pfigrima to St. Olars shrine. Eyateln pushed the work forward until he was compelled to flee to England, to escape punishment at the hands of King S voire, on account of ecclesiastical con spiracy against the throne. He was in exile three years. During' that time he presumably gave clos? study- to .Canter bury Cathedral, then building., for Khen he returned home he began .constructing his cathedral's distinguishing feature, the irreat octagonal choir, for which archi tectural authorities hold- that -e-erttr-bury' horseshoe-shaped eastern . tad .served as the modeL , i . . Eystcln died In 11XL with his creal work far from completed. Through the. follow ing years, it was carried on by his1 suc cessors, and at the beginning 6f the Htli. century the Cathedral was pronounced nnlshed. . Twenty-eight years' liter occurred the j first of - the long scries of disaster tor j the cathedral stretching over a period of THE coronation of the new King and and had to be rebuilt A bundred yoars later a stroke of lightning wrought much damage, and -MO years after that a The Town and the Cathedral ot tiic Coronation. fiXu are destroyed the town, a .well as the cathedral, which was restored only to be reduced In large Jwrt to a. mass of ruins by two Jlrv occurring in 'the first decade of the JSth century. But the greatest disaster befell the cathedral in tbe days or the Reformation. Then sacrilegious hands snatched the reHes of St. OUaf from the high altar, and with their disappearance the nilnJmaces ceased and the cathedral spedlly lost, the ,.----v.iii HtTce n aa enjoyed tor so long a time la the eyes of v Christendom. Ac counts differ as to what became of" the reHca. Some authorities say that they were Interred In the quaint burial ground that has surrounded the cathedral. jJnco me leunoing. others hold that they were I Queen will take Place, not at tbe capital, Christlanla, but at Trondhjem. to the north, and only three degrees' south of the Arctic circle. The Norwegian const! -1 tutlon makes It obligatory that the King J be crowned here: "The crowning and an Vnointing of the King shall take place j ... In the Cathedral of Trondhjem, at such- time and with such ceremonies as he himself shall determine.'" In view of this provision, all the Kings who have reigned Jojntly over Sweden and Norway since iaf have been -crowned- at Trondlfjem. This town, third in size in the kingdom, with a population ef-less than 2S.0C0. has been called "the strength and heart of the country. It is. indeed, the cradle or the Kingdom of Norway. It was hero, on j removed to. Copenhagen and there given Bratoren. thai the ancient Norse Klncs i decent burial. But no one knows reallv wore elected and crowned. Here the fa- ; where the relics of Norway's sainted KJng-J mous Orothlng used to meet. From bre , "oaay. tnougn Norwegians enerjally. saMed many of the sea-roving ex'podttWwM rllag to the tradition that they lie burled a thousand years ago that were fraught wltWn the shadow of their fax&ous cathe , with such dep consequences to the htJ- J dral. where on Saturdays, according to ; man race. Here was the royal residence J an .old custom, the people come to scat till late in the Middle Ages, and " here, lcr flowers over tho graves of the dead. 1 from the clse of" the tfnth century till -From the last Are until 1K3 the Catho i Norway's nin with Denmark in the 14th oral was allowed to remain In its ruined ' the country" history centered. 1 state. -Since then the work of restoration I As early as 2?5. when, according to many has beTi poshed' forward, until now all -authorities, the Norsemen -wcro busy, an- ! QCP1 one. part of the Cathedral. In nlan ticipating Columbus great discovery. King I cruciform, has been fully Testored. The Olaf TrygRttsson dedicated a. church to ( Jroat cenjral tower. has risen-in all Its Bt.' Clement on the Tpwn's 'site, Bat"iSt. i -old-time- gracefulness; everywhere 'white Olaf. who Christianized thecouhtryi Is "ro&rile pillars Tnec more bring' out the -held to have been the real founder otNi- Lbeautlfol green shade in the color of the "daros, as the town was originally -named, fsoapstone used throughout in the con- 30 years later. j ana inis stone vt as luxarlanuy St. Olaf, u .King Olaf JHaroSLsfioa. 1 "J -quaintly-carved as in the days of reigned until WZ!. whon Knut. the famous f?rle'" ana nut powcnui successors. Danish King, ruling In England, drove him Into exile and had himself proclaimed King in Nldaros. Seven years later. Olaf. j leaving the friendly Russian court of Jaro I slav. entered his native land, only to : meet death at the hands of a peasant army in the battle of Vaerdalen. I 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 Oiaf Kyrre built a church over his tomb. On , his being canonized the body was trass- Prince Carl will bo tho lirst of Norway modern rulers to be crowned in a cathe dral not in large part simply ruins of Its former glory, when Kings were crowned and buried there. Like the church, the town itself has suffered numerous disasters flres, civil war. pestilence. The fires have taken from tho town all vestige of mediaeval character Its wooden buildings, strewn along wide streets a precaution to pre vent the spread of conflagration are modern la style; and so, though the new lung ana Queen will be crowned In the ferred to a reliquary and placed on the j nation's ancient capital, they will yet be I high altar, and from then on until the ! troublous times of the Reformation It was a cause of pilgrimage for the devout, t not only from all parts of Scandinavia, bat every iuropean country as wclL This church, known in ecclesiastical his tory as Olaf.. Xyrrc's Christ Church, was the original of the cathedral In which the coronation and the anointment will crowned In a town which has nothing pnysicaiiy m common witn tne Trondh jem of St. Olaf and Knut. of King Sverre and Eystela, and the other large figures of Norwegian history In the early thou sands. Yet, In what other town. In what other cathedral, could Norwegian King and Queen more fittingly be crowned and anointed? The- Simple Coronntion Ceremonies. TTT-I.THOUGH the Norweeian ConstI 'tution ot ISlt states expHdty that the coronation shall take place with such .ceremonies as the King himself shall de termine.. It Is a fact that every King sinco that date has ascended the throne "with- practically similar ceremonies. These ceremorrfes, more- -or less altered, have come down from the time of tbe ancient NorW kings. They are striking In their simplicity, when compared with corona tions in other lands; and there is no rea son to believe that Prince Carl will elect to have the crown of St. Olaf put on his 'bro-s: ydth. ceremonies: other than those Incident to the coronation of Oscar 1 1 mik! his Queen Sophia. 22 years ago last July Oscar and Sophia made the'r uppear ancehr the andent Norwejjl.n capital two "days prlor to the "coroaatl m. and took "up their abode in the Stiftsgaarden. more like a comfortable two-storied man sion 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 nags. Troops were posted everywhere about the town as guards. The coronation -ceremonies began early on the third day., with the royal proces sion from the gates of the Stiftsgaarden. It proceeded through the Munkgaarden (Monk's street) to the northern side of the Cathedral, where Is the King's door way. 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 embroid ered with silver, was borne by three maids of honor. The KInr 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 Crowa 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 everyone in it was on foot. On entering- the Cathedral, the King- was received by the Bishop of Trondh jem. supported by two other bishops and surrounded by numerous clergy anen. After several short prayers, the Kins' ts conducted to an. armchair, placed on the right of the altar, aad i the bearers of the Imperial banner and the royal Insignia ranged In a semi circle about him. The O ueen was re ceived In like manner and placed In a cnair opposite tne Kings. TT-l 1 . ... : eu mi wore piaceii. ine organ ceased playing and the King; and Queen xneic in prayer in solemn silence. When they regained their seats, the royal insignia were placed upon the altar, divine services began, and after sev eral hymns and brief prayers, the Bishop ot Kamar preached a short and appropriate sermon. Then the KInjr. rose and went to the roai tnrone. placed upon temporary steps in front of the altar. The prince ly mantle was taken from his shoul ders aad the royal mantle, with Its gold embroidered crowns upon purple velvet and with borders ot ermine, was put upon him. The Ki.ig- knelt upon the footstool. The Bishop of Trondhjem dipped a An ger in the anointment horn -and made the sign of tne cross ore the King's brow, breast, temples and hand-joints, saying-, as he did so: "May the Almighty, Etornal God pour over you his -Spirit and Grace, that you may, with wisdom and strength and good will, so rule over us that the name of the Lord be Klorifled', 'that right and truth prevail, 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 sceptre, the globe and the sword, which had been In Its scab bard, lying- upon a cushion. The sword was unsheathed by the King; and when returned by him was borne on high by Gen Roeder. When all these cere monies, each accompanied by an ap propriate sentence, were over, the KIng-at-Arma lifted up his staff and exclaimed: "Now. King- Oscar Is crowned King of Norway, he and nobody el3e!" Cheers, flourishes of trumpets and the royal salute of 112 guns followed. After a prayer by the Bishop of Trondh jem. the King rose from his throne and returned 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 an ointed onlv on th hrnw and hand -Lntnto The coronation closed with the singing of tne conciuaing verses or the cantata written especially for the coronation. divine services having been begun by sinking the first part. In the nroceasfon hncV tn th' Sf Iff . zaarden, tbe Kiss and Quecs. waUccd la I full regal pomp, wearing the royal crowns and carrying sceptre and globe. It was 1:30 o'clock of the 'afternoon when the last of the Drocession disappeared behind the Stiftsgaarden gates, and the corona tion was over. Of course, there followed a banquet. It was spread in the banquet hall and 7C0 guests wore present. And, of course, the new Kinfr will mark; his coronation with a banquet along similar lines- in the samo hall. In - such fashion does tradition hedge a King about. In spite of all sorts of latitude guaranteed to him by so pow erful a document as a national consti tution. The oath that the King takes before the Storthing, immediately on assuming his kingly duties, is set down In tho con stitution: "I promise and swear that I will .gov ern the Kingdom of Norway in accord ance with its constitution and laws, so truly help me God and His Holy Word." Where the Xew Kin? and Queen AVIll Live. THE castle in which the King and Queen will live occupies a command ing elevation In the city ot Christlanla. overlooking a portion of the capital and the harbor. It Is a spacious stone struc ture In tne midst of a spacious park. Its cornerstone was laid in 182S by King Carl Johan (Bernadotte). It was completed in 184S, and by reason both of its short life, as castles go. and the improvements that have been put on It from time to time. It Is one of the most modern royal resi dences In all Europe. A goodly portion of the castle's fittings belonged to King Oscar. These are now being replaced by the Norwegian gov ernment, and In other ways the castle Is being made ready to receive tho new rulers and the youthful Crown Prince, whose apartments and those of tho fu ture Crown Princess, are on the second and third floors respectively, the one di rectly above the other. The second is the main floor. It Is reached by a broad and sumptuously dec orated staircase. On the right are tho King's apartments, on the left the con ference 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 hi3, furnished with silver wedding gifts and family portraits; the Queen's also were largely fitted with mementos ot her reign. About the only things that will be permitted to remain In the apartments are the portraits of the Bernedotte fam- Hy, hanging in the King's office and con stituting its decorations. As the new King has Bernadotte .blood in hl3 veins, the portraits wilL not be In bad taste. The council-room where King and Ministers confer, has always been simply furnished. The state and royal libraries , cover the greater portion of the. walls. ' A Spartan could ask for nothing plainer. The state banquet-rooms. . the various salons, the audtencc-room all are rich examples of various styles of Interior decoration.. There are numerous rooms for ladies and gentlemen-In-waiting and other court functionaries. A royal chapel Is In the north wing on the second floor. Store and guest rooms take np the major part of the third floor, while the basement Is given over to the servants, kitchens, laundries, etc. 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 chandeliers came into the hands of Crown Prince Christian, of Denmark, and it Is said that one of his gifts to his son, when he is formally placed on the Norwegian throne, will be these chande liers. "When the new rulers feel 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" sur vey not only the entire capital, but the fjord on which It Is situated and many square miles of the picturesquely rugged country, as welL Then there Is the park for quiet strolls. Indeed, they should And their new residence much more com fortable than the none too large apart ment they have occupied in hteir uncle's castle In Copenhagen since their mar riage, Copyrlht 1305, by McCJure, Phil Hp Co.)