ALFRED THE GREAT AND ROSEBERY THE ELOQUENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 259, 9 November 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

ALFRED THE GREAT AND ROSEBERY THE ELOQUENT.

Winchester was en fete all last week celebrating the millenary of King Alfred the Great. There v?ere pilgrimages to the historical buildings, readings by Sir Henry Irving from Becket, lectures on Alfred and his deeds and his coins, tableaux illustrative of the events of his reign, aud social festivities of all kiuJj>. 1m celebrations culminated in the unveiling by Loid Rosebery of the colossal | statue of the King- fashioned by Mr j !■_:.,]■". Thorneyerolt, R.A. (illustrated on ihis page.—Eu. 1-S ) it staixls I at the i'oot of the High-street, on tho i Broadway, nnu i_lo.ic to the Guildhall. i 'Che figure, executed in bronze, is 13 Et ! high. The King- of Wessex stands ' with his left hand on his shield, and ; his right upholding a sword, point | downwards, and hilt-shaped like a cross held high aloft, emblematic of both warrior and Christian. The figure stands upon a huge granite monolith, and this again rests upon a rough hewn granite pedestal. The features are firm and benig-n, and necessarily ideal. Only one real indication of' the man has"come down through the centuries, the profile on his coins. On these Alfred is beardless, bnt Mr Thorneycroft has given his hero a full beard, and the best authorities are convinced that the sculptor did well to make the King1 "a bearded pard." In a fine speech Lord Rosebery refered to Alfred the Good as the ideal Englishman, the pioneer of England's greatness, with whose name we associate our metropolis, our fleet, our literature, our laws, our foreign relations, our first attempts at education. In his career was the highest type of the qualities cherished in our national character. He was noted for his absorbed devotion to duty. He was the first Englishman who never knew when he was beaten. He had the supreme quality of truth. He was^ a complete man, dealing all day wifli the common affairs of life, but with the high ideal burning at his heart. He was a true king. And then Lord "Rosebery drew an eloquent picture of the England of the present day, developed miffhtily from Alfred's smill beginnings. We have had much aerudition poured upon our heads about Aelfred (as the pedants insist upon spelling hia name on the monument), and I fancy a good many people rather sympathise with Lord Rosebery's chaff at those authorities who put a diphthong in the name where we are not accustomed to find it, and in the story he told of a conversation overheard on the steps of a free library jn London. A young girl coming away from the library is greeted by another at the foot of the steps: "Hullo, Florry, what are you doing here?" Florry: "Papa sent me here to find out about King Alfred." The other girl: "Alfred. What about him?" Florry: "Papa asked what was all this fuss about Alfred and his millinery. Not one of us could tell him, and he sent me here to find out." The other replied: "You stupid! Why, it's a drapery round his statue of course." It was a happy thought to collect the children of the city in the" afternoon at the foot of the statue and ! give them buns and. cakes in honour ».. lof the King who; after, all,-is reraem-,.^lT?£ bered by English people rather by hia experience with the cakes than by hia • educational or foreign policy. Lord Rosebery's pretty little speech,to the children was, some will think, even happier than his long and eloquent oration. Here.it is: "I believe the design of this little feast is that you should all have a lively memory vr? , the unveiling of King Alfred's statue. i Now, a hundred years ago, when . ! people wanted anything to be remem- . bered by future generations, they had j a much more disagreeable plan. They : took all the children roimd to the place they wanted to be remembered and whipped them soundly so that they should remember (Laughter.) ' We have improved matters a great deal since then, and the Mayor's method of keeping King Alfred's statue in your memory is a much better one. The Mayor told you to follow King Alfred's example. You can do it at once without the delay of a minute. You remember the story of Kins- Alfred, who was scolded for neglecting- the cakes? (Cries of "Yes, yes.") No. I am wrong; you must not follow his example, you must pass it by; you must not neglect ihe cakes but fall to as soon as possible." (Continued on Page 3.J ,