Handstands
p. 21 · Read in the full issue
Unreality-And
At The Palace
From Stuart Inder
Nukualofa, July 4.
FOR the first hour of Tonga’s coronation today it was as unrealistic as a fairy tale. A sparkling blue Pacific morning; a dazzling wedding cake palace in red and pure white; a king and queen in scarlet, gold and ermine; and page boys in three cornered hats —all observed by important visitors in top hats and striped morning suits. An impossible spectacle .
But it came good when the unaccustomed vomp was over and ordinary Tongans swarmed all over the Palace grounds, cheering, shouting, and con gratulating their newly-crowned monarch.
King Taufa’ahau and Queen Mata’aho, in full robes, but without their weighty crowns, remained almost a full hour on the Palace porch enjoying the demonstration.
For me it was a great relief to see the crowd react and know it was genuine.
Tonga cares for her King and
Queen, and Tongans are en joying their coronation. The King has been enjoying it, too, according to the churchmen who performed the crowning ceremony—the Rev. G. C.
Harris and the Rev. C. F.
Gribble.
“You would expect some thing to have gone wrong in the chapel, but it all went with out hitch,” Mr. Harris said.
That doesn’t mean that everybody is happy with today’s church service, of course.
The chapel is so small that by the time all the important overseas visitors, the nobles and the choir were seated, there were no seats left for leading Tongans, and there is muttering under breaths in some circles, which may neither forgive nor forget.
“Why should the non- Tongans get priority?” it is being asked.
And the overseas Press thought they could have been given greater access to the tight group of Palace officials who
have been stage-managing this spectacle, which is worth millions in publicity. For them, facts have been hard to get on the spot, despite the hard work of the Press liaison officer, Jack Riechelman.
But, overall, these complaints amount to nothing much. If you want an example of popular Tongan reaction, I can offer you nothing better than the man I saw in khaki doing handsprings in the Palace grounds among the top-hatted VlP’s.
His clothing bore the legend “Tongan Prisoner”. He was a gaolbird who had been granted a coronation amnesty.