EMPIRE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 204, 22 May 1908, Page 7

EMPIRE DAY.

THE REPUSAL OF OFFICIAL RECOGNITION . MR. ASQUITH CRITICISED. A FLAG-FLYING BILL REFUSED" ; ' : ADMITTANCE. r 8V TELF.GIUrn—rREBS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT • (Red; .May 21/9.6 p.m.) ' ~ London, May 21; 1 In view of tho largely-increased colebraj tions that aro being arranged for Empire Day, tho Primo Minister (Mr. Asquit-h) is j Criticised in many quarters'for refusing to . authorise, its official -recognition.. In tho Houso. of Commons, Captain J, j Craig, Conservative member for East Down, t Ireland, proposed to introduce a Bill, provid--1 iiig for tho display of,the Union Jack on cer- ! tain;'occasions in the United Kingdom, moro r particularly Empiro Day, and for the'-hoist-, i ing of tho Union Jack on national schools in j Ireland, whorb, ho. stated, a majority of tho r' parents of the children, and of the school ■ managers, acquiesced in tho proposal. , Tho Nationalists/forced a division, and ) leavo to introduce the Bill was refused by i .156 votes to 83. i PROGRESS OF THE MOVEMENT. Although Mr. Asquith has refused to 'author- ; ise the flying ,of the Union Jack on Empire •- Day,; the Canadian Govornmoiit lately made an intimation to tho effect that tho j>ractice i throughout tho Dominion would be onconraged., i Canada has .been a leader ,in tho movement. Although "-'Empire Day" was for Somo'years , previously observed in parts of Canada,, it was not till 1904 that May 21, tho anniversary of | .tllo birthday of tho lato Queen Victoria, was 1 specially celebrated in the United Kingdom as ' Empire Day. In 1902 and 1903 the Earl of ' Meath inaugurated, a movement for the annual celebration: of the day throughout the British Empire, with, a view to tho. introduction into all schools of a moral form of training which should have for its aim tho inculcation of the virtues which conduce-to tho creation of good citizens. The movement has spread with rapidity.. It lias.received the official sanction of all the self-governing colonies and of twentyseven- Crown colonies and dependencies; and on May 2t, ISO 7, Empire Day was observed in 43,000 schools throughout the Empire, and by some 10,000,000 of. the subjects of King Edward VII. In: the United Kingdom the movement has been officially adopted by 145 education committees, including that of London, -12 training Schools, 208 secondary .schools, and over 670 elemeutary. schools, and institutions jmcon- ' nected with \ the , above—in all, about 13,000 schools, exclusive of those in the colonies.