Coronation of the Boy King of Spain
ALPHOXSO XIII OK SPAIN AND THE QUEEN MOTHER
(Copyright, 1902, by I-angdon Balllnger.)
I 0KN under nn unlucky star, to the
I 1-1 I unonsiest crown In Europe, Al
I - I ,,h.,nsn Xlll Is ulinut to come
officially to liis own. The tall,
nervous looking man, who
writes nftcr hia name the unliicklest of nl!
Ihe numbers in the r. -cords of Spain comes
of age today when he will assume in
his own person those ancient rights
nnd privileges to which he was horn Hi
years ngo. Then the only unmarried king
in Europe ami the youngest king In the
world will sit on the throne in Madrid.
The? southeastern peninsula of Ihe conti
nent of Europe has produced its full quota
of the potentates in pinafores, wno have
helped rule the world. In Ihe last sixty
nine venrs. count Hit! Alphonso In the ranks
of the Interesting Utile company, Spain and
Portugal between them have seen two
queens In tiny short dress. and two kings
In Eton Jackets. Modern history number
thirl v-six such rhihII monarchs, Hra7.ll.
(ircoce France. England. Scotland. Sweden
and Austria each colli ribut ins to the total
of twenty-five royal Bills, most of whom
lived unhappy lives, and many of whom
met untimely or violent deaths.
W hy I.Ii..iii Hie Thlil "Ii.
It was the will of Christina that Wive to
Alfonso 111- unlucky XIII. The combined
superstitions of superstitious Spain was op
posed to the numeral. Ministers and states
men pleaded that this shadow should be
withheld from the young king, nut the
queen was unmoved In her determination to
prolong in the child the honorable name of
the father who had died before his long-
hoped-for son had come to gladden n.n
heart. Christina also wished to compli
ment, through the numeral. Alfonso's god
rather, Tope I, co XIII. "Since his holiness
has so niarvclotisly withstood Its malignant
influence," she said, "I have faith that my
son also will be able to withstand it."
If an almost perfect education can help
the young monarch in Ihis he will be for
tunate and happy as even a molher-lovo
could wish. Since he could lisp ho has
l.crn In the hand:) of tutors, Ihe wisest men
of Spain. He knows Latin, the root of nil
the romance languages; Spanish, the tongu -of
his people; French, the glib medium of
European diplomacy; Herman, the language
to which his mother was born In Austria,
and English. which even Ihe Spaniard
realizes has become the language of com
merce nnd advancement. He has studio!
religion as thoroughly as though he were to
take orders, and has been schooled fully in
geography, history, mathematics, literature,
chemistry, physics and drawing. He plays
so well on the piano that what was once a
task has become as much of a recreation as
. W - V.
1 MLl
, Si .lies of Ann 1 leil
na gral isi-lmu at the
it was lie, Just si
who served as one of
at the birth of A!
I.. M. iirr' Stor.
Hit. .1. 1. M CUP.ItY. ONE OF THE
OFFICIAL WITNESSES TO THE
lllltTH OF Al.l'IIONSO Xlll
the riding or bicycling or tennis playing or
phiiUigraphlim. In whlih the boy bint; his
found his pleasures.
oiiiluu Ceremonial.
There will be 110 coronation, of course,
for there has been none in Spain for hun
dreds of yearn. The ceremony will re
semble in many ways that which marked
the coming of age of the young 1p1.cn of
Holland. The crown of Ihe realm, a circle
of gold, richly decorated with Jewels and
pr. clous stilus, adorned with eight leaves
and closed with four arch.fi, will no noun
hi fore Ihe young king In the prncessio:i
and placed i n a cushion hi side him w l'cn
ho lakes Ills seat on Ihe throne, the royal
Fcepter In hand. Then he will lake oath lo
i I scrve the constitution, and the president
of the Senate, while all the thnus aml-i thel
HI a nil uncovered, will proclaim that Al
fonso XIII Is the rightful and duly ennsti
tuleil king of Spain.
An. org the dozens of n yal p.-: s.i-.nge-i
that will widows the ceremony Hie .Hike
of Connaught, l'rince .Vic rl of I ru-Hla, the
Archduke Frederick, the dukr of tliinia,
Prince Christian of licnmnrk. Ihe crown
prim e of Sweden, the tirand I Hike Alexis,
the duke of Oporto, the Prince Nicholas of
Creccp there w ill be n- no win) can lake
so p collar and personal an Interest In the
pneeedings as I'r. Jabez I.. M. Curry of
Virginia, who will be pres. nl as the min
ister plenipotentiary and envoy extraordi
nary from the lint'
Or. Curry In a pel si
court of Madrid, for
teen sears ago today,
the official witnesses
fonso.
Or.
The narrative of his experiences when he
tirst landed In Spain as the miuksier rroui
this country Is one ef Interest. He slepp d
ashore just an hour before the death of
King Alfonso Xll and participated In Ihe
solemn functions attending his funeral.
About two months laler," he continues, 'T
received, as did all other foreign repre
s. ntativ. s. a notice to be prepared to be
present at the birth of an heir to the
throne. A day biter another otlbial notice
came to me. brought by a royal equerry.
This was a very important looking docu
melil In a huge envelope, lied with ribbon
of the royal color and bearing the seal of
the lord "chamberlain. On Hie third day
came fnm ihe royal palace a mcMcnger.
accompanied by a guard of soldiers, to tell
me I was wanted at once. The previous
message had Instructed 1110 to wear court
dress at the lime of my visit, and I remem
ber how absurd 1 thought II was lo appear
in full veiling outfit at breakfast lime.
for my final summons hud arrived while 1
was Mill at coff.v Hut a 'swallow tall' s
the only court dress an American diplomat
can wear, so I put mine 011 and accompa
nied the royal messenger back to the
palace."
Mr. Curry then relates how he was con
ducted to the queen's bed chamber, where
the ambassadors and ministers of foreign
governments and Ihe high court olllclals
were all assembled. The room was a largo
one aid nrr.-sH one end heavy curlnltn had
been drawn to hide Ihe royal bed. After
the group of diplomats had he 11 waiting
for some time a courtier appear, d from bo
h'n.l the curtains and cried out in a loud
lone, "Long live 1110 King:
tint the heir to Ihe throne was a hoy. Soon
after a lady-ln -wail lug appealed bearing
a huge s.lver platter In her nriiis. on which
lay Ihe baby king amid laces and frills.
The dipl units formed ill a seml-iii ele,
mid the court lad., beating the Infant
11, 011ar.il. passed around Hi' Hue to permit
the olllclals lo gaze upon Ihe child. She had
fiot but half way around when the youngster
set up a lusty howl and she heat a luisly re
tr, at behind' the curtain. Or. Curry said
that this Incident did not occur until afur
the infant had passed before his eyes and
he had perf.irm.il his duly ns witness al Ihe
first public appcaian f the monarch who
will soon become the king of Spain Alfonso
XIII.
Americans Who Will Figure at Crowning of Edward VII
and her slsler plan t
ii'opyrlglit, 1'iiL', by Charles Appleton )
IHE United States nas never uco.
I I so well or so numerously repre-
I onw f.relim court as H
BUUl. ll .1 1, m'j 'n- -
u'ill be in June during coronation
week In London. The exodus of
mm
a ...-i,.or,a Vwo.n.i for the coronation be
jtilici u niia - -
gan last month and there has been a steady
Birittin of fashionable folks and plain folks
striamlng England-ward ever since. Amer
ica Is not to be represented by her people
of fashion alone at this crowning of a new
English king. The sUamship llBts show
that many men and women of comparative
social obscurity are going there, too, and
while tho smart set will he the portion of
the American contingent most on view,
there will be hundreds of quieter Ameri
cans who will view the royal procession
fom Drivate houses and who will partici
pate, If only mildly, In the many Interest
ing functions which have been arranged
as a part of the greatest week of celebra
tion that the present generation of Eng
lish men and women has known.
The number of Americans who will wit
ness the roval precession and who will
lake pirt, as far at, the rather stringent
laws of England regarding this solemn
event will permit in the event preceding
and fi l'owing the actual crowning of the
king in Westminster Abbi y. has been va
riously estimated at from 10,000 to la. 000
If the latter figure Is an exaggeration It 1
n slight one, for In the societies of both
eastern and western cities there are few
of prominence who have not already de
cided to attend the coronation festivities.
It Is going to take a great many good
American dollars to take all the Ameri
cans who want to go to Ihe coronation
there In the way that most of them have
(lectid to go. The sum total will reach
well up In the millions. If only jr.00 Is
sp nt by each American visitor the total
will bo $7,600,000 if there are la. 000 of
them. It costs money to hire a fine old
Ilritish residence for weeks at a time and
It costs more than a tnlle to connuci sum
a home as It will have lo he conducted
during coronation week If the occupants
are to cut any figure. The English trades
man may well chuckle over the American
invasion, for he knows that the arrival
of the American means the arrival of the
man with dollars, which he Is quite will
ing to Fpend.
Amer cans will undoubtedly take a ron
splcu.iu part In the social events that
have been arranged as part of the week of
celebration, for there are enough Ameri
can women of title in Indon today to In
sure a warm welcome to thufe from th"
States of established social position wh
desire the entree to Iindon's best society.
Only those American women who have
MRS. WHITELAW KE1D.
niarrbd English titles can hope to witness
the actual ceremony of the coronation In
Westminster Abbey. With sixteen Inches
of silting room to a peeress (that is ac
tually tho allotted space) there is no room
for outsiders, and wealth, position and
Influence will avail nothing in this In
stance. But the I'nted States will have at
least two representatives at the actual
coronation to every one that any other
foreign country has. I'ncle Sam has enough
tilled daughters to give him more than an
adequate representation. With such
women as the duchess of Marlborough,
Lady Naylor-U'lund, the ducheFS of Man
cluster, the countess of Essex and I.ady
Strafford to represent the beauty, the wit
and the wealth of the liiited States, the
American people may feel well assured that
their repr. sentation inside of Westminster
Abbey on this momentous occasion will re
flect credit on this country.
I.uvUIb Alnerleuil l'.lilertalniueiit.
It la generally accepted that the center of
American social activity in London dur
ing coronation week will be Hrook House,
the magnificent home of Lord Tweedinouth,
which has been taken for a period of six
weeks by Whltelaw Held, the special am
bassador of the I'liit.d States. Mr. and
Mrs. Reld will entertain lavishly at Brook
House and an Invitation there during cor
onation week will establish the claims of
any American visitor in London to gen
eral social recognition. Hrook House Is at
Hrook street and Park lane and faces Hyde
COHA. COUNTESS OF STKAFFOIIH.
FORMERLY MRS. SAMUEL COLGATE.
MHS. KKUNOtMl AN.
ft'
J ; M - 1
MRS. V. K. VANDERHII.T. Jr.
park. It was put up by the first Harm
Tweedmouth thirty-two year ago and is
not a handsome building from the outside,
being built of red brii k, like ntuny of the
best London residences. In IU Interior fit
tings, though, Hrook House Is one of the
finest places ill I b n and it Is particu
larly well adapted for entertaining. Pic
tures and statuary abound in Ihe halls and
reception roonifi and in the main hall, fast
ened to the center balustrade, is 1 no of
the proudest possessions of the Tweed
mouths, the first Hoer Hag brought to Eng
land. It was captured by 1 1 'dost son
f the house, Hon. I nidi, y Majoi ibanks,
from a wagon near Kr. on.l a. I. There is a
ballroom at Hrook House, the walls uml
ceilings of which, painted by Frag.nard,
were transferred to this house from a
French chateau; there Is a wonderfully
handsome staircase and one of tho finest
.lining rooms in England.
Mr. Reld takeB Lady Tweedinoul h's staff
of servants, accustomed !' 'he waiting on
royalty as loyalty should be waited on. so
that nothing Is lacking in the equipment
of the American headquarters to make It
one of the finest places ill London during
the coronation week and a place well
worthy to house such a d si ingulshed party
as that making up the special embassy
from the United State-.
Hut the Relds will 11. t be the ( lily Amer
icans In london especially f. r the coroiia
ll.n to entertain on a lavish schI-. Mrs.
Og.len Mills, with her twii daughters, Ml-1
Oladys and Miss Healri. Mil!.', ai d her
mother, Mrs. Maturiu l.ivii'gsl. n, wli be
there also and In London will be the guests
of Mrs. Mills' twin sister. Mis. Cavi nd sit
Henlwick, nubs. they decide to take a
London house themselves. Hoth Mrs. Mill
and her slsler plan to entertain extensively
during coronation week aim us ineie u.e ....
belter known or more popular American
society women than these two twin sister.
, lie limu-os that I hey occupy nro hui o to bo
centers of social Interest for Americans
abroad.
Mrs William Astor, the leader of New
York society, is in Palis Just now. hill she
will be in London duriiu coronation week
at the residence of her daughter. Mrs. Ilaig.
William K. Valid" Thill, who has been cruis
ing in hi.- yacht. Valiant, with Mr. and
Mrs Oliver llariinian. and Wlntield Scott
lloyt will go lo Ihe con. nation with his
entire party. Mr. and Mrs. W. K. Vauder
bllt Jr., will have a house in London,
where they will do a great deal of enter
taining. The duchess of Marlborough will
spend much of her time with her brother
and tho younger set of American socl.ly
people in London will undoubtedly make
the Vanderbilt place their headquarters
during the coronal Ion festivities.
Mrs Frances Orniond French, Mr. nnd
Mrs. Amos Tuck French and Mr. and Mrs
Alfred Vanderbilt will be the, guests of
Hon. and Mrs. Herbert F. Eulnn of Hyde
park. Mrs. Eaton Is Mrs. French's daugh
ter and is a ilsler of Mr. French and f
Mrs. Vanderbilt and she will l' u gn...
deal of entertaining for these young rela
tives during the week of celebralloi. Mr,,
d p H.l.noiit, Mrs. Herman Oclrlclm
and Mrs. Stuwesant Fih will be among a
lrg imber or American society women
who will lake hotel apartments during cor
onal Ion wei k.
mong olh.r Americans who have taken
houses are: Mrs. Charles T. Yerkes Mrs.
Elisl,.. Over. Jr.. Mrs- Albert O. Brown.
Mr ,,.l Mrs. Elbridge T. tiary,
Mr and Mrs. lie. rgo Crocker of San Fran
cisco J. Ileiny Smith, Llspeiiard Stewart,
Mrs (ioiiv. incur Kortrlght and Mrs. James
K Kornnchan. William O. Whitney will
l. in London during coronal ion week, but
,,s not d-cided whether to stay, see the
show and mingle In the social whirl, or to
,;l out into the quiet of the country until
the turmoil and excitement attending the
clowning of a king is over.
Tho B'tclally conspicuous Am. ! leans w "
are already in Imdoii or kooii will bo in
clude people from all of til- larger cities
in lh' counlry, and their names would make
u v.ry long list. The amount of the fuss
and the bother and negotiation which the
preparing, seeding and housing of this army
,.f , ricans has 1 mailed Is Incalculable.
'I to re is one real estate broker In New
York who for some Cine has had a dozen
, ..-omissions in h's hands lo secure Lon
,1,,,, houses for Americans who want lo
di Ihe coiouatioii comforlubl) .