The Press. SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 1901. WELCOME!

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10998, 22 June 1901, Page 6

The Press. SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 1901. WELCOME!

In no part of this loyal colony 'has the < visit of the Beir-Apparent to tie s Throne and 3iis gracious consort been more r ! cordially looked for than in Canterbury; £ ia oome, we feel cure, yriAl they meet with f a more iheantfelt welcome. For whole New 3 Zealand, as a whole, prides itself on be- * ing a "chip of the old block" the feature " which, constitutes the chief charm of Canterbury, even in the eyes of New Zealand visitors from other parts is that "it is so English." If the aspirations of the founders of Canterbury have not been fulfilled in every parfaoulor they ibave, at I least, in this—that here is firmly planted a sapling of the good old English oak, bear- c iag every characteristic of the» parent tree, o In the first document published by the Can- o terbury Association—the earliest outline of v the plan formed for the establishment of the Canterbury settlement —we find these words: —"They 'believe that by a careful " application of the means which they have "devised, it will be found possible to preserve the blessings of religion and ervili"sation*. according to the forma, attach"ment td which has become a second' ai "tore in Englishmen, and -at the same "tune to give a fall development to the "rfartoM vthbdh «r» eaiibited, andf the ad-

u Tantogee -ninth are enjoyed bf & young" "and* prosperous people; and IJbey confi''cLentiy iope that if tite present xindertak"iug' be euooeeeful ita exaanple will be "quickly followed, and will produce ultdL- " mately the most important and beneficial " conseqoexbcee upon the Gburob, the colo"nies, and the Empire," We believe that it may very fairly be eaid that these anticipations,. formed) a little more than fifty years ago, haw been realised. We have our Eng&sh our schools and colleges on thasEnglishi model, English form, of constitutional government, with its accompanying love of freedom, and the love and reverence for the T&rone which comes to every £ngHahman as part of his inheritance ia common, witlh has birthright in -the glorious traditions of the race. And we can fearlessly claim on behalf of the jpeopJe of Caaterbiixy #M.t their loyalty and patriotism spring from the heart, and are no mere lip-service. They have given of their dearest and best in token of their fealty. The Memorial, whose foundation stone will be laid- to-day by tbe Duke of Cornwall and York, will be a testimony to succeeding generations how the people of Canterbury in the latter part of *he nineteenth century, and the beginning of the twentieth, ioved their country and their Queen. It is at once a tribute to the memory of Victoria the Good, and of those of our sons who have fought - and died in the Empire's cause. When the late Queen died, each family in Canterbury, mourned as if the Aagel of Dwrtk had crossed the threshold of its own home. More than a year before that sad event, when -bhe news came that England was on the brink of war, a wave of patriotic devotion surged through this dittle community of over-sea Britons, and it was at once felt that no sacrfice was too great to prove our undying devotion to the Motherland. The Government did their part nobly and well in sending the Fiist and Second Contingents to the front. But we in Canterbury felt that it was an occasion which required the spontaneity of private eelf-sacrifice and enthusiasm in order adequately to meet such a crisis, and to express all that was in us. And co the movement was started to fit out the Third Contingent entirely by pri-vate subscription. Our readers will remember with what electric eagerness the people responded to the appeal for the Canterbury War Fund', end 1 the "More Men Fund," inaugurated by 'The Pjresis." The province, in looking back upon its past history, ma.y note many things of which it has no reason to feel ashamed, but there is no line on the record which will be remembered hereafter with greater pride than the fact ,that it was Canterbury who led the way,' 'and took the chief share in the movement which resulted in the Third Contingent of 264* mounted men being raised, equippedi, horsed, and landed in South Africa, entirely by private subscription, without one penny of expense either to the colonial or Imperial Government. We sent forth the bravest, the cheeriest, and the most stalwart of our eons. We have no reason to be ashamed of the way in which they acquitted themselves on the field of battle. The Duke will see some of them in the stands to-day, and on the review ground on Monday, and he will be able to judge for, himself what manmef of men they are. Some of those we seat away laid down itlbeir lives in the fight, and their native land will see them again no more. Their (names will be engraven on the memorial to be inaugurated to-day, and deeper still in the hearts of their countrymen.

And so to-day Canterbury doffs its hat and greets its future King and Queen with a thorough English welcome. The o<nily tinge of disappointment in our jay is • that they have arrived almost in the depth of .winter, so that we are not able to show them our country at its best. Could we have chosea the time, we shou&d have fixed it earlier in the year, with rich foliage on our English trees, flowers in our English gardens*, the witahery of the springtime in our English woods and lanes. But there riis one tibing we can still do, and we hawe every confidence it will be done with all enthusiasm. We can, give them a rousing English cheer, and a thorough welcome, warm from English hearts.