BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18100, 16 June 1924, Page 5

BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION.

OPENING PAGEANT.

BRILLIANT SPECTACLE IN THE STADIUM. (rioa: oce ovfy cobilesi'ox.dK'.'l-) LONDON, April 24. In the vast amphitheatre at "Wembley yesterday, visitors from the Overseas Dominions must have been inspired with emotions which no other pageant in this city of pageants has ever called into play. Tho magnificent events of the day wero certainly 011 a larger scale than anything that has gono before in this historical centre, but there wa3 a factor in them which made them quite distinct from any notable ceremony of tho past. It was tho first timo that the representatives of every country in the British Commonwealth of Nations were meeting on equal terms with the representatives of Great Britain to mark an event which, was pf equal interest to all, of mutual benelit, and which could not have been carried out without co-operation. the thousands of visitors from the outlying " Dominions, Colonies, and Protectorates met, therefore, not to witness a ceremony staged for their benefit bv the United Kingdom, but staged bv them all for all. It was this spirit that both his Majesty the King and his Royal Highness the Prince of-"Wales woro quick to seize iipon. It was a great gathering of the nations-of the Empire to take-, an equal part in a gorgeous cceremonv under the leadership of one whom _.< i» the Nations in common acknowledge as their chief. It was this sense of co-operation and not of mere assistance which made all tho difference between vesterdav's pageant and all that have cone before. Moreover, it W !».s fio-operatioii in th*> arts of peace which is far more difficult trvm ■■ cooperfl.t>'on in tho' arts of war, where -on imperii fit» and.common fear i 3 the unifying force. An Empire Day. Ifc wris an Empire Day, and there was never a hint in word or movement that Great Britain was tho dominant partner in the alliance, though all would acknowledge that to be the case. The Prince's speech was from one who was speaking for all British nations. The King's reply was from ono who owned his rulership over and responsibility for the least of all the territories under tho British flag. It was a triumph of organisation that not an accident is reported in the movement and transport of all those 60,000. people yesterday. People Started out for Wembley at early hours, but whether they were early or just before the arrival of his Majesty on the they were subjected to no inconvenience' in trarvel or in finding their places in the Stadium. All the arrangements of the" programme were carried out with the utmost punctuality, and.no one probably. in all that vast multitude" could point to a contretemps in tho whole proceed* •His Majesty the King, it is said, spoke directly to six millions of his pubjefcts scattered.,in all parts of the United Kingdom. Eighty thousand people seated round the arena"'heard every word of hip speech and every wojd of that of tlie Prince of Wales. •Would -the' time soon come, many a visitor from overseas asked himself, when the ( ;King would be heard at one and tho same time by millions of his subjects scattered aver every British country in every part of the globe. Hose and Purple. , At end of tho dark oval ,- of humanity were tho massedf whito surpiiced clidir.as though a sprinkling of enow had fallen in. that particular portion of the galleries. At tho.opposite end was a pavilion of rose and purple and gold capable of holding a thousand people. It was surmounted by a massive gold crown. i'rom a rose base, sprang eighteen lofty pillars, their roots dipped iii gold, holding high a canopy of purple. fc>tftirs pianted with. Uooms of a like hue ana soft green led up from tho cfhder track; to tho central" platform, on. Which stood tho purpie and gold thrones prepared f6r their Majesties'- reception. On either side seats were reserved for tlie members of tho Hoy a! family, and those who were not accompanying,the King and Queen from Windsor'occupied themj early. These included the Princess Mary Viscountess Laseelles, who sat with her husband, a scarlet-coated Guardsman, wearing bearskin and Garter ribbon, next to the Prince of Wales ou the right of the throne. Soon the guests of the Prince began to arrive and take their places ill the pavilion—generals, field-marsiials,, in their uniforms with breasts, laden with. .decorations, the Diplomatic Corps, the Higli Commissioners for the Dominions, the representatives of the Colonies all in Court dress, berobed Lord Mayors with their gold chains about their necks. The uniforms and flowing robes of distinguished visitors from .India, made further ricli contrasts against golden hangings at the back of the pavilion. Two lines of Gentle-men-at-Arnis, in the old-times dress so familiar at State functions, were in position on either side of the dais. His Majesty's Indian orderlies were in close attendance, and representatives of all thp Dominion and Colonial white and coloured, ill a viiriet3' of uniforms, opened out on either flank of the pavilion.,, Major A. Miles represented the New Zealand I'orces. But over and above these official guests were the prominent civilians of the various British countries. The Forming Picture! The Stadium is nearly 200 yards in diameter so aJI saro immediate

neighbours became mere dots which, dissolved into the dark circle of ma*Ssed humanity. The people -waited " apparently in silekce, for tlie 1 conversation of 80,000 people-' is lost in so ivast a space, or it sounds merely as a gentle murmur in\the air. Then from the tunnel which gives access to the outer world there was movement, arid the green sward of the arena, clear till then, began to take new colours. There emerged the Ene of the - bands of the Brigade of' Guards, which presently massed ia the centre of the green. Guards of Honour followed from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The 3rd Batialion Grenadier Guards represented. Bie Army, and' the men in pate .blue uniforms from the Depot at Usbridge represented the Air Force, all marching .with the old pre-war ceremonial precision. ! A simple and dignified programme of music was chosen. Yefc ifc contained I within itself something of the BsSabolism of Empire, something that has I grown out of a people's will, j that "comes from, the misty ages"— as in the Elgar part-song, In those first quick marches of the' masked bands there were energy and - EigK spirits arid camaraderie. In "ijearlts of Oak," "Life on the" Ocean Wave," ''Tlie British Grenadiers," .there was nationalism in perhaps its happiest and most characteristic old-wbrld form. The selections sung by the great choir were: "Ifc comes from tW Misty . As;es." "Jerusalem," "Soul of the World." an'd "Land of Hfpe and Glory." . Shortly after eleven o'clcck the Prince of .Wales arrived in a motor-car clad in. Naval uniform. As president of the Exhibition he the host of the occasion, and. his dtity it wasjo wclcome'the Kingand 'Quec.ii; The Prince was quickly recognised ias he di-bve round the arena and tfte greetings of cheers was prompt and spontaneous. v ArriY&l of the. Kiny. Six trumpeters emerged from the archway and ii. . I'antafe' echoed rouiid tlie stadium. Instantly there was a hush, lor. it was the signal of the near approach of the Kihji and Queen. Plumed and shining, th 6 first of the mounted escort rode through the gato- ; way, and then, oho after another, oacli .newly cheered, ca'mq carriages, first of tho members of the . libyat suite, and finally containing tho; members of tho lldyal -House itself. Tho Duchess of ibfk, a charming figure beside Prince George, faced ,the Duchess of Devonshire and the Home ■Secretary (Mr Arthur Henderson). ■Who-will forget the .scene as the fourth; carriage, drawn by 1 its. eix . beautiful bays, heaivily caparisoned with raaiies. decorated with purple, and attended by its superb escort of. Horse Cuiirds,. was drawn into the arena r\ The I?ing, in his uniform as Admiral of the Elect, and tho Queen, With her silver cloak drawn over a dress of palest grey, bej came in an. instant visible to 80,000 of their subjects. The salute they received Was unanimous and affectipnT ateiy sustained as they oqrorneheed their tour of the arena. Opposite them in the cafriape sat the Duke of York in big Air Force blue, and Prince Henry, life hfe father and brothers, in the dark blue of thjfjj Navy. A Koyal The- Royal procession around three parts of the ( Stadium . made perhaps* the finest spectacle of tlie day. The arena, comparable' before;.'to' some giant cresset 'glowing ; with colour; burst.at last Into living flame. Even the sbmbre masses receding into th§ darkness of the towering stands became alight as tens of. thousands of people rose to cheer arid wave "thdir Majesties a fitting welcome.' Surely no sight cc-uld have been more impressive to watch, save {hat, perhaps, which wag particularly, vouchsafed, to . the Royal couple, themselves', the centre of.„so overwhelming an outi burst of affection. Their' Majesties . mounted the , dais and stood before the throne's, ihd the cavalcade of Horse Guards and the carriages disappeared 6ut of si_ght. "Royal Salute, present Armst" sounded across the grounds, and th.ero :waa the old familiar crash;6f the.hands OA the rifles. A moment of silence' and then the massed bands and the choir of a thousand voices led the public in the National Anthem. A Miracle of Sound.

It was just possible to see the Prince of Wales step forward .towards the King and Queen when the hyinh W-as'finished. Then from tjie trumpets, which were masked the golden crown above the\ pavilion, there issued forth ,a familiar voice, -but.multiplied a . hundred times ' »y\ ■ this wonderful modern invention, tho amplifier. Eighty- thousand people rahjjod in a circle half a mile in circumference heard. every word. But it was " the •thought that six million other people wefo listening to the self -same t words that staggered tho iniaginatloiiK The King's

The; King replied. A nisister of elocution whose every word is clearly enunciated and whose studied modulation and expression is an achievement.. His Mjljesty whh even moiu clearly hoard than, tho Prince. There was that feeling that lie was addressing personally -"ovary brio of -"'■' those thousands who JJstv'.ned to liia voice. s|'l'ash happy to welcome tile representatives, pfileial ;md . unofficial, of niy - Dominion's beyond the seas." Founded eo close sis ..o be.startling in its intimacy. ; Finally, the King declared the Exhibition ,opeh,.and prayed that by the blessing .(if God it might conduce to the unity and prosperity and to the peace and wellbeing of tl»e world. the Bishop of London >Acited a collect specially written for the oeensiqn: '' Almighty God,. our Heavenly Father, Thou great Buler of all the world, we praise and glorify Thy Holy ICiinie. Bless, we. beseech Thee, out Country and Enipiie that it; may be a blessing to all mankind, Grant that our ideals and aspirations niay bo in accordance with Thy,will, aiuV hSlp us to. see ourselves as others see us: As wc have' mastered Katurc tftat we might gain wealth, help us to. master the social relations of mankind that we may gain'.justice' and a., 6f brothers. Make us determined to live fty truth, and to found o'ur life on the eternal of righteousness and love. Grtot us grace to make the welfare of all the supreme law of our land-, that So our Conimoawealth may b« built soeufe and strong on the love of all its citizens; for tho sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amem." Then followed the Lord's Prayei in which the great multitude revereiitlj joined with impressive effect. The guns outside boomed -out ;in salute,- and. the circle, of Heme' and Dominion flags around the outer riV-i of the 'Stadium we're Unfurled. Thun the Exhibition was opened. "JVliile thd massed bands played stately "troops >> in slow and quick time on the green carpet in the middle, various incidental ceremonies were enacted about the Boyal enclosure. First. Mis? Thomas.'daughter of Mr J. H. Thomas', the Colonial Secretary, came forward escorted by a handsomely-plumed officer, and presented the Queen with a choice bouquet of pint blooins. A model globe in gold wag accepted by the King as a souvenir of the occasion, and then presentations were made of the staff who had done liiueh to make, the opening of the Exhibition possible. Bound the World in 80 Seconds^ Finally, there eanio' an uniehcawed incident which appealed 'greatly' to

the crowd. ,k telegraph messenger beyadvahceyli from the main gateway and, to the sui/prise of, the whole jassembly", made #is way to' the front of the Koya.l pavilion. Here ho paused, si-lutdd cei'emol iousljr, and advancing to the King, pie'sonted his Majesty with a huge elope which he hayj carried beneath s'is arm. The 1 King accepted jthe me"sa|re, and the boy retired "in go'qd qnder" the way he had come. It appeared that the message which the King hi d received had been despatched by hinaielf only lmin,2osec before. It Tead] '-'I have 1 this momont opened i*ie British Empire Exhibition;.— E.L," and it had passed completely around the world before its reception back at Wemblpy. It had be{ n sent out by the Imperial cable through the General Post Office, and had' passed through Penzance, Faval, Halifax, Montreal, Ycneouver, Bamfleld, Fanning," Suva,' Auckland, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Cioeos, Bddfiguez, Dur »an, Clape Town, St. Ilclcna, Ascension,- St. Tincent, Madetia, and b6 to lipndorf. From Sydney it had also leturned via Singapore, Bombay, Aden, Su'.z, Alexandria, Malta, and' Gibraltar, altogeSlJor a rcmr.ikablc display pf Impuml copporative cable work. The messenger boy, Henry Annals, who fieilrered the message to the King tVo'm the Wembley telegraph omcc, u,'io\ved all the phlegm of the postal sirviee in his trying task. His deportnient was perfect, and he specially desdrved th-3 cheer which greeted him on thd completion of his mission. i The massed bands piayod th.\ marcn "Imperial" and Sir Edward Elgar conducted the choir in his own inspiring "Land cf Hopo and Glory. Royal Salutes followed and tho, singing of "Kule Biitannia." The V-oyal ve-cntered thoir carriages and there followed rrcounteiparl of thl> remarkable Boyal triumph cf an lour before. TVithiu a quarter of an hour the multitude of people 1-ad ibsuod frt-m the Stadium and weie soon absorbed iu the innumerable 4 co-irts and rcstmranta of the Exhibition. ! HiglL Sir James Allen was greatly im- , pressed by the significance of the effect of the Stadium, and, being on the J Boyal dais, he would be at an cxcel--1 lent vantage to gauge the whole. It ' was borne in upon him what an cxI traordinary power it might be for the good of tiie world if the whole Em--1 pire could hang together. \Vbatevei | internal difficulty a country might have Ito contend against, this difficulty I mu»t be considered as a minor thing 1 in comDarison with tlio great opportunity the British people have if they would stand together, and the fine influence this unity would have on tho world. , Of course, there we're New 'Zealanders in every part of the' Stadium, and afterwards it was natural ' that they should make the New ' Zealaud Pavilion their Mecca. J&w Zealander^ wtto had the honour of being invited to the Boyal Paiifibn to .the wondrous s'eene' inducted:, -Sir James ami Lady Allen.and Mr .A, 'F. Boberts. I Invitations iad also been sent omciallv 'to Mr* A."l*. Egberts, i-Mrs "W;, E. CoJlips, Dr. and Mrs Dy Colquhora, the ,IJon. Jani«s .Craigie, Captain T. 11. Dofene, Sir Oeorgo and Lady Fehn|iek, Mr and Mis B. 'B. Fopjyth, Mr Jjatiee and Mrs Hosking, <tyi-sa"ri^d'Countess, ©f Liverpool, Sir Tfyontis and £ady Mackenzie, Sir Arthur ( a&d Lady Myers, Mr anc| ' Mre Edward* Newman, Mrs Medtor Lady Russell, Mr \ anil' Mrs! Bernard Tripp, Ladf and Miss V<Jgel, Mr and Mrs Hoa Winiamg, Mr F. 0. Salisbury, anTl Mr Ijinccnt'Esch. "A* ' Dating the afternoon one mm among others: Mr and Jlts'A.'traw y

Miss Sussell, Mr MiJMni, ». Ttunt-f bull, Mr and Mts H. Beyaolds, , Miss J Reynolds, Mrs Felton, Dr. - "W» A v rhapple, M.P./ Oapt. 3erk«ley, M.P., and Mips, Berkriey r Mr L. V. Sukuna, Mr and \Mrs J. H. Bolamore, the Misses'Allen, and Mrs A. V.> Macdonajd. , j At luncheon, Sir James- and Lady Allen were among the guests,'of Lord' Stevenson, at the Lucullus Sertaurant. wMoh'the official guide says the, gourmet s wlll .not take long to■ dis* cover. Sir -James, always taking a keen interest ftilha younger' feneration, was inspired to arrange a luncheon for the daughters of tßebther| High Commissioners. He \vavted to feel that while the parents were being to#ed after the.ii children should not feel neglected. Accordingly, a lnniiheon toolt place in the New 2ea}and restaurant when) the Misses Allett were hostesses. Thesr young guests, were Miss Larken (Canada) and MM Cook (Australia). Others in the part* were Lord and Lady Liverpool, Sir fchwnas I Mackenzie, Mrs A, V. Macdonald, MrsTV. E. Oolllns, Mrs H. LV B4llest6» , and her son, Mr and Mrs A. F.' Bob-' t-rts, Mr and M*s Hal Williams, M* and Mrs R. S. Forsyth, an<t 'Miss Wi Kufcsell. tfhe restaurant was so InflMStt' rushed by the throng thai it is dubioutt wh other they were in time for the p'lece de resistatice, New Zealand lamb, but they looked to jbe a very* happy party. \ *, ' , Exhibition Tf«ts und Figure* The dimensions of the undertaking may to some extent be gauged from a few figures. "Whereas the Great Dx« liibition of 1851 covered 2G, acres; and the Franco-Brltiß'i Exhibition of 1908 240, the present display and its roadways alone extend forever 15 miles. Already fil2,ooo,oQu has' Been, spent upon it, aud its exhibits *rtpr,esent in value another £l2,obo,(}Qo, -Th* cotton industry has spent £f00)000 A ori its pajticipation, and the coal' andj ihcmkal enterprises over £l<)O f flOo each. ' ,' \ r. Moie tliau a million electric? light* aie fitted. „ v ",t'.''jA^ The stadium has 40 and is held t6gether by^OOjOutTrivet?* 25,000 peoplo'can'be fcd v at «s&s* 54 restaurants. , "\ , -„.''** v-1»« % 30,000,000 visitors ar*'^xpe>igfi.^f The pleasure 1 park has W4 'a dancef haU twice'the At fcert Hall.' "-" * ,f ?iC'2 The largest closure of outside. ' ,;-: ? ' , *. ! ' v :f. *■,*■-- <■ -Fifty 'tiken thrrir reserved'peats'in {he gtadiuni two IoW before the"bpe f ieirettumy bo--4 s thd King entered the stadium he turned, looked down on the scene, and Bpoke ■ one'?' word to Prince George 1 " "Magnificent." v '" TJikre was. a-'£ig demand for Aus trali*n apples,''and the dozen natty girlj ,bej)indUthe counter in the hngf pavilion had scarcely time to People; generally were buying' -Wfm 'containing a dozen. \'s>->!?