ALEXANDRA THE LOVED.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18551, 28 November 1925, Page 17

ALEXANDRA THE LOVED.

The Abbey Service. •[crowds in snow-covered " STREETS. >..' Royalty and Humble Folk as Mourners. ~\ Undeterred by bleak, wintry weather, great crowds ~ limited in London streets yesterday to witness the passing i ;% the funeral cortege of Queen Alexandra. -\*M T *e scene was a memor abable one. In obedience to the ■ i tiling's wish, no great military display was made, but the egjlreinony within the historic walls of the Abbey was one of s|||lejnn dignity befitting the last rites connected with the pass«|l|lg; of one so wellrbeloved by the nation. T { y The removal of the body from Sandringham to St. Palace, was marked by a simplicity and sinwhich gave touching proof of the firm hold the Queen*T had on the affections of her people. The casket was /* s |borne. through snow-covered lanes in the presence of sorrow/fybg people of all ranks and classes, and was attended by a which included the rulers of nations and the simpler . SliWfc & tne dead Q ueen 's household. Memorial services were held throughout the Empire yes>4|||>sfday, the day of the funeral. la tf e *Z ealan( * the ordinary activities of the people , J|il|as*d at 11 a.m. for an hour as a mark of respect. In memorial services were held in many of the at which there were large attendances of mourners. reference to the life of the late Queen Alexandra tiiliPW in the schools, which were closed for two hours JHp** a half *

»* ASSOCIATION"—COPTRIGHT.) flaHpWl November 27th, 7.20 p.m.) fff|p\ LONDON,-November 26. of the late Queen borne this afternoon fIJMr^ 11 " snovr *° pfggjp^jfoation T whence the coffin |> by special train to in its simplicity was *k® tribute of many ° { wnom participate in the last be more poignant by Queen Alexand tenantry. Church ground, in a brougham. The the church aijd'knelt the coffin, f . being le4 hiipray-er.by'thb Bishop of / JNortfefc. r, -r^-.V t ' „. Afjer they left, when '• ibo coffin Was the church " "ty ;/ <i«fliadier Guardsmen, /^|^^p|^'On^gUn v carriage drawn by and by ArtilleryCommoners. pith heads bow* 0 Prince of Wales King Olaf on his >uke of York, and n members of the > wero three closed rst were Queen Mary Norway; in the secia Mario of Greece, ladies-in-waiting, rgy o'f the estate itate people,' mostly hie clothes, jtweeh pine woods, nto line as tho progradually grew till When it roached wore hundreds -of omen. Seldom has more moving ceresly passing of Alexfas lifted from the Aced in the funeral d train, the corauards formed the ad terlayed ~tbo "Dead >f Flowers. s were placed round xxrad carriage there trofusion of wreaths rought from the took their seats in d the train steamed >f Chopin's "Funeral in accordance with train bad departed, to a quick march •'Rule, Britannia!" ndon the body was 's Palace, where it few Zealaaders. issioners, on behalf its, are forwarding end the service inJames and Lady k Chapman, Lady 4. WiJford, M.P. MBLE EARLY. CABLE ASSOCIATES.) ■f 27th. 9.35 p.m.) N, November 27. 1 at Westminster £ last night, deterighout the night to *r for the services.

THE FUNERAL.

! MEMORABLE SCENES. CROWDS AT THE ABBEY. i [ FOUR KINGS WALK IN PROCESSION. (BT CAKLI—PXIBS ABSOCUTIOXt-COPTBIGHT.) (iiraTSAXJAjr xxa n.z. cabm association.) (Received November 28th, 12.55 a.m.) LONDON", November 27. The King was most anxious to save the nation unnecessary expense. Those responsible for the arrangements therefore were careful to avoid excessive pageantry. Moreover, ifc was realised that undue military display was unfitting, so the troops were confined to representatives of the regiments with which Alexandra, as Princess and Queen, had been officially connected. The keynote of"the procession was to afford Londoners an opportunity for showing their affection for the Queen Mother, as the Bervice. in the Abbey was intended to allow the Court and the official world j to pay a last tribute to their well-loved mistress. Throughout the night the coffin lay in the Chapel Royal at St. James's ! Palace, where it was received on Thursday evening by the Bishop of London.! Apart from the recital of the sentences i from the Burial Service there was no ! ceremonial. . Interior of Chapel Royal. The chapel had its lovely interior brilliantly liglhtod throughout tho night. Gold Communion plate was displayed on the altar beneath tall candles. The altar vases wero filled with white roses and wreaths in rich profusion wero placed on and about the coffin, which was watched by Gentlemen-at-Arms and Yeomen of the Guard in their familiar crimson aui gold uniforms. King George reached the Chapel Royal from Buckingham Palaco at 10.45 a.m., accompanied by the Kings of Denmark and Belgium. Here he was joined by tho King of Norway, who spent the night at Marlborough House. Troops and Massed Bands. Bearers carried the coffin v to the Colour Court, where the coffin was placed on a gun-carriage drawn by six horses, the bearer party marching alongside accompanied by Queen Alexandra's equerries. The procession then moved on, marching with arms reversed, headed by &00 men and officers, of the Air Force and two hundred of tho Brigade of Guards. Troops in single rank lined the whole route from Marlborough Gat© to the Mall. The massed .bands of the Brigade of Guards were playing continuously, and minute-guns were booming from the Field Battery in St. James's Park. ! ' Tho first gun was fired as the coffin was placed on a gun carriage, and the last as the coffin entered the Abbey. Following the detachments of Air Force and Guardsmen came 20 officers and men of the yacht Victoria and Albert, and immediately preceding the gun-carriage wero 250 bln/vackets and marines.

Royal Mourners. Behind tho gun-carriage King walked alone, followed by the Kings of Belgium, Denmark, and 'Norway walking abreast. The Crown Princes of Roumania and Sweden on either side of the Prince of Wales followed; then the Duke of York, the Crown Prince of Norway, and others, including Prince Henry, Prince Arthur of Conuaught, Lord Louis Mounibaiieiit Egpenaes of

th 9 King and of the Princes, with gold sticks and silver sticks and aides-de-camp. The procession was completed by detachments representing Queen Alexandra's .regiments, the Fifteenth and Nineteenth Hnssars, the Yorkshire Begiment, and Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Begiment, who represented the people of India at the ceremony. The Life Guards turned out as the coffin passed Horse Guards avenue and entered "Whitehall. Queen Mary and the Queens of Norway and Spain and the Eoyal •Princesses drove direct to the Deans Yard and reached the sacrarium by the cloister door. Solemn Music. . Meanwhile, the Abbey was crowded with notable personages. "While they were gathering, the Abbey organist played a selection of solemn music, in- | eluding Stanford's Funeral March from Becket-Parry's prelude to "Abide With Me," the choral preludes by Bach and Brahms, the solemn melody by Walford Davies, Greig's "Death of Ase," from "Peer Gynt," ending with Tschaikovsky's Funeral March. At the Altar. Arriving at the West Door of the Abbey, the troops fell out, and the procession, headed by the Choir and Chapter, passed up the nave, the coffin being borne by a bearer party from the King's Company of the Grenadier Guards, the choir meanwhile singing sentences to Dr. Croft's music. The bearers stopped under the lectern, and placed the coffin on the catafalque, the King and the mourners standing at the head of the coffin, and the Lord Chamberlain and Lord Steward at the foot. The altar was hung in funeral black.' Order of Service. The Arehbishop of Canterbury conducted the service, assisted by Canon Carnegie and the Precentor of the Abbey, all wearing purple capes. The service commenced with the Twenty-third Psalm. The Lesson was from the 15th Chapter, First Book of Corinthians, verses 51 to 58. Then the hymn, "Now the Labourer's Task Is O'er," the Lord's Prayer, and collects from the Burial Service, an anthem from the Eussian Liturgy, "Give, Best, 0 Christ," followed the service, concluding with the hymn, "On the Bcsurrection Morning." "When their Majesties and the Royal Family left by the West Door, the coffin, covered by Queen standard, remained under the lectern, watched by Gentlemen-at-Aras and I Yeomen of the Guard. Crowds File Past. The general public was admitted to the Abbey at one o'clock, and continued to enter until late in the even« ing, entering at Poets' Corner and leav« ing by the North Door.

OUTSIDE ABBEY. CROWD WAITS IN SNOWSTORM. (Received November 28th, 12.25 a.m.) LONDON, Novembor 27. To-day was drear and frosty in the morning, with a light fog and > bitter cold, turning to a snowstorm by 9 a.m., but it did not deter >*£> black-coated and befrocked crowd which early took uij vantage points between St. James's Palaco and the west door of the Abbey. Many obviously were East-enders, jvrovided with jugs of tea to keep out the cold. Vendors of black crepe flowers in a shape recalling Queen Alexandra's roses did a big trade. IN AUSTRALIA. SALUTES OF FORTY GUNS. (ATTSTRALLUf AKD X.Z. CASUS ASSOCIATION.) (Received November 27th, 9.35 pan.) SYDNEY, November 27, To-day was recognised as an official day of mourning for the death of Queen Alexandra. All State schools were closed at noon, after a morning devoted to lessons dealing with Queen Alebandra's life. Many public schools also held similar observances. 1 St. Andrew's Cathedral was attended by tho Governor and other prominent people from all walks of life. At sunset a salute of forty guns was fired by the Navy, followed by a similar salute by tho Army. (Received November 27th, 9.35 pan.) MELBOURNE, November 27. Services of mourning wero held throughout Victoria to-day. Salutes similar to those in Sydney were fired at sunset. ] MEMORIAL SERVICES IN SUVA. (BT CABIX—PBBSS ASSOCIATION—COPr&IOHT.) (ATTSTBALIAH AKB N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION.) (Received November 27th, 7.35 pan.) SUVA, November 27. Services were held in all churches today in connexion with Queen Alexandra's funeral. AT WELLINGTON. (rRKSS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, November 27. Synchronising as nearly as practicable with the solemn observance at Westminster, special memorial services wore held this morning in several of tho churches. A Royal_ salute of 40 minute guns was fired from Mount Cook Barracks, commencing at 11 o : clock. iSmilarly tho bell in the Post Office clock tower was tolled at intervals of one minute for 10 minutes after 11. The request for a cessation of traffio for a period of five minutes from the same hour was partially observed, all trams being stopped. The Mayor issued a request this morning for tho shops to close, but the advice came too late to be very widely circulated, and only a few retailers closed their premises. All the Government and municipal offices, however, and many places of business were closed from 10.30 until after lunch. Memorial services were held'at "U o'clock at St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral, where State, Governmental, and other officers attended, and .at St. Peter' St, Mary's. J

DAY OF SORROW.

AT ST. LUKE'S. An overflow service from the Cathedral was held at St. Luke's, Manches[ter street, commencing at 11.15 a.inThe same order of service as at the Cathedral was observed. Archdeacon Taylor, who conducted the service, read the lesson from the Gospel of St. Luke, xii., 15. Ho took as his text vL, 5, from the. Book of Wisdom. The speaker explained tnat the words of this ancient Book were read by the Church for study, and • what better food for study could they have than the words of his text: ! -'Strict is the scrutiny that cometh jupon the powerful." All leaders of | public thought, not only kings and tflueens, but members of Parliament, Icitv authorities, etc., were subjected to sharp and severe public criticism. They lived their lives in the public eye, and all their faults were thrown into sharp relief. Their critics, therefore, should be careful not to do them an injustice and must remember that, while it was easy to criticise public) leaders, the man who lived privately mieht have all 'their faults and more, and. have his mistakes, or shortcomings, pass unnoticed. But God Himself expected more of those who had great Dosibions. So it was that there was a, stern and strict scrutiny over the rulers of a nation's destiny. Great Britain had been particularly blessed an ats Royal Family, and especially so m the late Queen Mother. ~,,., „ Almost evervone who held high otneo •was the subject of defamation by seandalmonaers and "mud-slingers," but even the worst of these had very hne things to sav against the late Queen Alexandra. This Royal lady had come into English life at a time when it would have been easy to let things go on in the old way. Queen Victoria had been widowed for some years and thinap were gloomy. With the marriage of the Prince of Wales the tendency on the part of society was to throw off restraint. Gaiety ran wild and a good deal of wickedness was practised. It would have been easy for the Queen Mother to have moved with the stream, but from the first she kept her name and dignity and earned the respect and love of her people. They oould give thanks to. God foe her long

CHRISTCHURCH MOURNS, j MEMORIAL .SERVICES HELD. , In common with other cities throughout the Empire, Christchurch joined yesterday in the- general mourning for the lato" Queen Alexandra. Earlier in the week a request was issued by the Mayor, Mr J. K. Archer, to proprietors of business promises, factories, educational institutions, etc, to close for an hour yesterday morning between 11 and Wo clock to enable the general public to attend tho memorial services which were being held at tho Cathedral and St. Luke's Church, Manchester street. Almost without exception the request was complied with, and promptly at 11 a.m., the different establishments in the city closed. . . . The respect and affection in wnicn the Queen Mother was held were shown bv the largo attendance at the Cathedral memorial service, at which were present representatives of practically all public bodies in tho city, besides a large gathering of the general public. At both the Cathedral and St. Luke : s Church the services were simple and brief, but most impressive, as was also the largely attended special 9 a.m. Mass at St. Mary's, Manchester At 10.50 a.m. the Cathedral bells commenced tolling, and from then on until noon Christchurch paid tribute to the memory of the Queen Mother.

AT THE CATHEDRAL. Simple, but very beautiful, was the memorial service at the Cathedral. The church was entirely filled and au overflow service was held at St. Luke's Church. People of all denominations and representing all branches of activity were present. The Mayor and Mayoress, Mr and Mrs J. K. Archer, members of local bodies, and the officers of the permanent staff, Southern Command, under Colonel Young, were in the congregation. The service ,was conducted by Dean Camngton and the lesson was read by Canon J. de B. Galwey. The hymn, "Let Saints on lurth i» Concert Sing," opened the service, and was followed, after a prayer, by Psalm 90. The lesson was the 15th chapter of the first epistle to the Coriml'ians. The hymn, "Blessed Are tho Pure in Heart" was then sung, followed by prayers for the departed, and the anthem, "Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of Our Hearts." Dean's Address. "I know that to the majority of the young people here," said Dean Carrington in his address, "the name of the Queen Mother, Alexandra, is hardly more than a name. But there must be many here also whose lives stretch back to the time of Queen Victoria. Alexandra came from Denmark and brought with her something peculiar to herself—youth, beauty, a high spirit, and a strong power of attraction. The name, Princess of Wales, carried an attractive ring. Her picture appeared in all the illustrated papers. She possessed the gift of übiquity. For forty year 3 she reigned) over English society with a sway no one ever disputed. To most of the older people she is stall the Princess of Wales. Her goodness was unmeasured, and she used her great gifts wholly for good. There was not the least touch of sanctimoniousness about her, and it might be said that she made it fashionable to be good. She was not only a star of high influence j in high society. Her kindly influence J and gracious presence uplifted' everyone, whether in the high courts or vx j industrial life. No breath of scandal ever touched her, and she was always upright and pure, leading others in the highest paths of womanly perfection." Her influence, continued the Dean, was greatest at Sandringham, where she brought up her boys and girls on the model of the pure English home. Sound, healthy home life reigned supremo. Through forty years as Princess, and nine more years as Queen, her life was highly valuable, and that life, to the great sorrow of the nation, had now ceased. . It was not usual to have offerings at memorial services, continued the Dean, but the work of the nurses in the hospitals was a branch of activity in which the late Queen took a strong interest and made her special work. Therefore, thero could be no more suitable object for an offering than the building of a chapel for the nurses at the General Hospital, to be used hy all denominations. "May she rest in peace, and may light perpetual shine upon her," he concluded. The hymn, 'The King of Lore my Shepherd Is" was then sung and) a collection was taken up in aid of the building of a chapel at the Christchurch General HospitaL Before the Blessine, the Russian Contakion was sung~"Givo rest, 0 Christ, to Thy j servant, with Thy Saints, where sorrow and pain aro no more; neither 6ighing, but life everlasting." The service concluded with the playing of Chopin's "Funeral March," by Dr. J. C. Bradshaw. Holy Communion was celebrated at the Cathedral at 7.30 a.m. and 9.30 a.m.

ST. MICHAEL'S. A Requiem was sung yesterday mornins, at 7 o'clock, for the repose of the soul of Alexandra, the Queen Mother. The altar was denuded of its ornaments and the vestments were of a sombre colour. The musical setting of the service was by Martin Shaw, the modern composer, on ancient tones. The service of the llequiem waR that issued by the authority of the Woeesan durine the war. The ministers of the sanctuary approached the altar to the introit "Brief life is here our portion." The sequence was that beautiful exposition of the doctrine of the Communion of Saints: "They, whose course on earth is o'er." At the offertory the hymn "Peace, Perfect Peace," was sung, and, after the special prayer for the departed, the hymn, "On the Resurrection Morning," which concluded the service. In the evening Vespers of the Dead were said and the vicar gave a short* address. St. Michael's School held a special service in the morning, at which the ivicar spoke on "Alexandra, Queen, Wife, Mother." ST. MARY'S, MERIVALE. St. Mary's Church, Merivale, was filled yesterday morning by the scholars of three local schools. Archdeacon Haceitt conducted a short service, holding up as a pattern and an inspiration the life and character of the Queen Mother—her goodness, simplicity, kindly sympathy, naturalness, humour, and gentleness. LYTTELTON'S OBSERVANCE. At 11 o'clock yesterday morning all the sliips in port at Lyttelton sounded six bells, and all work on the vessels ceased for five minutes, as a mark of respect to the late Queen Alexandra. At the Lyttelton District High School the scholars were assembled in the playground, where the school flag was flying at half-mast. The headmaster, Mr J. W. A. Walker, addressed the children on the life of the departed Queen. At the West Lyttelton School the children paraded under the half-masted flag at 11 o'clock, and two minutes' silence was observed. AT KAIAPOI. During an interval of ten n»inutes, commencing at 11 a.m., a special service in memory of the late Queen Alexandra was held at the school sports at Kaiapoi yesterday. It was conducted by the Revs. J. T. Paddison (Anglican), G. K. Aitken (Presbyterian), W. G. Slade (Methodist), and W. H. A, Yickery (Baptist). AT NEW BRIGHTON. A service in memory of the late Queen A\exandra was held by the vicar. Rev. C. W. L Maclaverty in St. Faith's yesterday morning. In addition to others present somo 150 pupils of the upper standards from the Main School attended. • All business premises were closed from 11 a.m. till noon. Since the news of tbe death of the late Queen Mother was received flags on all public buildings, business premises, and at private residences throughout the borough were lowered to half-mast.

SCHOOLS CLOSE. At 11 a.m. yesterday both secondary and primary schools in Christchurch closed until 1.30 p.m. as a mark of respect to the late Quoen Mother. Throughout the day teachers in the various departments addressed the children on the life and work of Queen Alexandra and stressed the loss which •>*>; deatfc. haft *p fit* EgBBB*