EMPIRE THANKSGIVING.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18129, 19 July 1924, Page 17

EMPIRE THANKSGIVING.

OVER 100,000 PEOPLE IN SILENT PRAYER. AN OCCASION WITHOUT PARALLEL. (rsos: otu ows cosnzsposDßXT-) LONDOK, May 2ft Every inch of room at the Stadium was occupied on Sunday afternoon. Ihe occasion was tho Empire Thanksgiving Service, and as one looked round the vast enclosure there was nothing but a sea of heads, the only (variation being the curious effect produced by thousands of umbrellas whicU had to be put up by those outside tne enclosed portions of the edifice during a temporary shower. Tho congregation assemoled numbered 100,000. lb* music was confuted by massed bands representing every regiment m t*> .«nu- ana a massed cnoir or *W voioi representing sixty-seven LatJ ourais anu ctturcues ot Loudon.and its environs, under tno baton dt t>u VVai Jy ra levies, xne service was earned out with an impresavencss ot ordered cercuiomai, a musical splendour and a magniuceuco ot pageantry tor wnicn memory can record no paralled. in addition to the congregation at *e*°,ey, the service was audible to all ™ao nssiened-m. . . « Hair, an hour before the arrival ot the King and Queen the massed bands came in through tho tunnel m the ea« end of the Stadium, marching "* company by company, each company tailing into position till the whole made one gorgeous mass of scarlet across the eastern end of the green arena. By every entrance the public had been oouring in until, by the time the service began, the whole huge circuit seemed to be banked solidly, with no vacant seats save at the extreme west end, where, around the Conductors Dais, some blocks had been reserved for the requirements of the choir. It watt a quarter past three when the advance into the arena through the tunnel under the Royal box ot State trumpeters sounding a fanfare heralded the arrival of the King and Queen. The enormous assemoly rose and, led by" the massed bands, sang the National Anthem as one can scarcely hope ever to hear it sung again, so mighty was the volume of loyal enthusiasm. Their Majesties were accompanied in the Royal hox by the Prince of Wales, Prince Henry, the Duke of Connaught, Prmce and Princess Arthur of Connaught, Lady Patricia Ramsay, Princess Louise, Princess Beatrice, the High Commissioners for all the Dominions, the Agents-General for the Colonics, the Tyord Mayor of London and the Lady Mayoress, Lord and Lady Stevenson, Sir" Tra/vers tJlarke, and Sir Henry McMahon. The following Ministers attended, representing the Cabinet; Mr J. R. Clynes, Mr Arthur Henderson, Mr J. H. Thomas, Mr Noel Buxton, and Mr P. TV. Jowett. As soon as their Majesties had taken their seats the first of what was to Tie a series of wonderful spectacles, hewildering in their immensity, was unrolled—the marching' into the arena of the three bodies of massed bands.. There were altogether 1000 instrumentalists, including 100 pipers. First came the massed bands of the Foot Guardß, playing "El Abanico" : then entered the massed drums and fifes, rolling nut "For Flag and Empire"; and finally the blood of the Scots present was stirred by the skirling of "The Bar-; ren Rocks of Aden" from the massed pipes. Nothing throughout the whole of tlie afternoon's p'-ocefdings evked greater expressions of admiration than did the movements of these great bands. The First Procession.

Two processions into the Stadium were to come as parts of the prelude to the service. Both were escorted across the sward by the massed hands. The first, symbolical as it was of the past, present, and future builders of the Empire, was made up of twenty bodies, presenting striking comparisons. It was led by trumpeters of th© House-, hold Cavalry. Then came a Guardsman carrying the Union Jack that is symbolic of Empire, followed by stand-ard-bearers with the Dominion flags, and a bearded Sepoy carrying that of India. Major R. Miles, in khaki, carried the 'f«'w Zealand flag. Other of its picturesque elements included Yeomen Warder* of the Tower, and officers in the ilowing robes of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem; while a note of poignant pal hos was afforded in the small bands of blinded and disabled soldiers from St. Dunstan's. For these pathetic figures many sympathetic cheers were raised. There was also an imposing detachment of veterans from the Koyal Hospital, Chelsea, in their coats of brilliant 6cariet, and tricorne hats, which are worn only for Divine service; behind came the King's Scouts. There wero many nurses in uniform. The Ecclesiastical Procession.

As soon as all these bodies, repreventiith'o of so many institutions of Imperial significance, had taken their places in the Stadium, the massed choir sang Sir W. Davies's "God be in my head and in my understanding," the unaccompanied voices sounding strangely thrilling after the blare of the massed bands. The brief anthem died away. The trumpets rang out once more, the choir 'triumphantly burst out with that traditional invitation to worship, Sursum Corda, and the ecclesiastical procession in its turn emerged from the eastern tunnel. The choristers sang, without accompaniment, as they walked, the welUknown hymn, "Thou, Whose Almighty Word," to the eighteenth century setting of Giardini. their pure tone and lovely phrasing being in the finest manner of our great Anglican musical traditions. Behind the choirs came representatives of the Free Churches, many Bishops in their Convocation robes of scarlet, the Bishop of London preceded by his. pastoral staff, and the Archbishop of Canterbury with its archepiscopal cross closing the procession. Scarlet and gold, white, khaki, madonna blue, were the dominant notes of colour at tho western end of the Stadium, when all the people composing the great tableau were in their places. Presently, at the sounding of a note a standard-bearer ran to where a Union Jack was waving before the dais. The National Anthem crashed out from a thousand instruments, and 100.000 voices as the flag was dipped to the drums.

The Old Hundredth. A roll of drums beginning pianissimo and sounding like tne distant drone of the aeroplane that was circling overhead, then gradually growing to a tremendous fortissimo, heraided the "Old Hundredth," sung by the congregation and massed choir, whilst the procession moved., to its place on and behind the dais. As the great volume of voices rose to the words, '"Hie Lord, Ye Know, is God Indeed," vre experienced one of the most overwhelming moments of the afternoon. After the Lord's Prayer, a Collect, a prayer for the King; and a couple of Psalms, came the Lesson (I. Corinthians XIII., read by the Rev. T. Nightingale, of the Free Church Council), and the massed ohoirs sang Dr. Vaughan-'Williams s anthem, "Let Us Now Praise Famous

Men, > working up to a magnificent climax at the final sentence: "But their name liveth for evermore.'' Empire Prayer. An Empire Prayer and a two minutes' silence—very wonderful in effectpreceded Parry's setting, "Jerusalem,'-* the Bishop of London, cs diocesan, said the grace; another hymn, and then the Archbishop delivered his address lasting about twenty minutes. His voice, broadcasted by microphones, penetrated to the furthest end of tho Stadium. The Archbishop chose for the text of his address the line: "Thy KinKdom come," and the general atmosphere coald not ha.ve been better reflected than in his words: "Does every one who hears me realise the tremendous fact that we are at this moment taking part in the largest religious service which, as a deliberate act, the world has ever seen? In our prayer and praise and purpose millions, it may well be, are taking personal part." Tho address over, the massed choirs sane the "To Deum" to Stanford in B flat, the Archbishop, holding Lis archiepiEcopal cross in his hand, delirered the Blessing, the choir and congregation sang as the Recessional ."Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven," and the most memorable of services ended wiih the Doxology. This was sung as only such a host of choristers and such a gigantic congregation could smjr it, and it was a fitting finale to a religious manifestation which must leave an ineffaceable recollection to all who were privileged to take part in it. The offertory was on behalf of the British Empire Cancer Fund. At the conclusion of the service the massed bands played "In Memortam" (Sullivan), "Benedictus" (Mackenzie), "Petite Suite de Concert" (Coleridge Taylor).