HIS MAJESTY'S REPLY

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21470, 11 May 1935, Page 15

HIS MAJESTY'S REPLY

* Nations United by the Crown PAR HAM ENT AR Y S Y STEM PRAISED IVJtnCD PR.§'JB «S3OCIATHJN-—RT ICLHuTAiO VKLIOJUHM - •- O>'T 141GMT.) l (Received May 10, 5.5 p.m.) ; LONDON, May 9. | "I thank you from my heart for your loyal address, for your words of devotion and affection for myself, the Queen and our family," said the King, in replying to the loyal addresses from both Houses of Parliament at Westminster Hall. "Your presence, accompanied by the Dominion Prime Ministers, gives rise to many memories and thoughts. The Mother of Parliaments and her children have grown to full estate and stand now on equal terms in common allegiance to the Crown. The unity of the British Empire is no longer expressed by the supremacy of the time-honoured Parliament of Westminster. The Crown is tiie symbol which unites our great family of nations and rices scattered in every quarter of the earth. Never before in history have such wide varieties of speech and culture been brought into a commonwealth of peace, f especially welcome the representatives from my 'ndian Empire. "This, my Palace of Westminster, is the very cradle of oui envied parliamentary institutions. Here is tie anvil on which our Common Law was forged, to become the joint inheritance of the United States of America and our own community of peoples Harmony of System "Beneath these rafters of mediaeval oak, witnesses of historic tragedies and pageants, we celebrate at present under the spell of the past. It is to me a source of pride and thankfulness that the perfect harmony of our parliamentary system. with its constitutional monarchy. has survived the shocks that i , recent years have destroyed other empires and other liberties. Our ancient constitution is very adaptable to change and has, during my reign, faced and conquered perils of warfare never conceived in earlier days, and met and satisfied new democratic demands, both at home and overseas. "The system bequeathed to us by oui ancestors, again modified for the needs of the new age, has been found once more, as of old, the best way to secur. government by the people, freedom for the individual, the ordered strength of the State. 1 and the rule o law over governor: and governed alike. "In looking back over the 25 year« of my reign the thankfulness f feel to-da.v is chief!., for our escape from the danger, greater than ever before. which threatened our land. I can never forget how the peri) from without at once united ail | parties, classes, governments, and races in the Empire. "Let us not in this hour of thanksgiving fail to remember those who gave their lives, or are now maimed or blinded, that we might continue to enjoy the blessings of life. Stability and Prudence | "In the aftermath of the war, in a world exhausted by its ordeals and impoverished by its destruction, we set ourselves to resume our normal ways, to recreate the structure of our industry and commerce, ind tc respond to the urgent desire to improve conditions of life. We were treading unfamiliar and broken ground, for there had been farreaching changes, especially in economic conditions, everywhere. A feeiing of uncertainty and lack of confidence hung like a shadow over human endea.our, but we made headway by the earnest goodwill, prudence, and stability of ;iy people. "To-day our country has attained tc. a measure of industrial success which gives it confidence in the future. I am very conscious that these years have brought hardship and often disappointment, and I have been moved to profound admiration for the greatheartedness of my people, and the steadfast fortitude and unbending will to overcome it which they have ever shown in anxieties. "I sympathise deeply with those who have endured sadness and the burden of unemployment. It is a source of comfort to me to feel that from these time., of trial there has grown up throughout our community a stronger feeling of fellowship, one with another. "f give thanks to Almighty God, Who has so far sustained me and my people and pray that we may continue to pursue the cause of freedom and progress in a spirit of peace, tolerance, and understanding." Afterward their Majesties drove back to the palace through large crowds who cheered spiritedly. Hardly at any time, day or 'night, has Buckingha n Palace been without its crowd, and this afternoon, when the Queen drove out on a private shopping expedition, she received a remarkable ovation.