CHILDREN OF THE DOMINION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 313, 28 September 1908, Page 3

CHILDREN OF THE DOMINION.

Thousands of children turned out..to the Basin. Reserve on Saturday morning to show their joy that New Zealand had . ceased to be a colony, children of all sizes from the baby in arms to tho' rather tired-looking elder children. The children-flag, of course, was the centre of interost, and the factors in this, at least the little red stars, began to assemble as early as a quarter to ten to take their places. ,As;.a .flag, perhaps, it was not very fhitclr to'boast of ';; to make, such- a'' thing eifectivo the children should have been dressed ill" blue/- 'but-- ;is' air exhibition of a'' collection r 'of T soffy-roolirng r ' children 'tva'virig 1 little flags'with enthusiasm, it was a pretty, sight. ■■ After the ceremony it dissolved andspread, 'and presently tho whole of tho flat was so covered'- with bijghtly?frocked.. chil T , dren that it looked like a cake covered with; little hur.*lreds-and-thousands. and one, would have -thought it impossible that the various, schools- could be sorted out. But somehow or other very gradually this was done, and while the boy soldiers marched past through the gate and. up the slope, the frocks and hats collcctcd themselves. too, and came marching out in less regular formation, ' The 1 Mount Cook girls maxched to their school, where they took their places in the various classrooms, and there without ceremony of any kind the medals weregiven out. From room to room the headmistress went with her precious ,little bags' and the children looked on in bright-eyed interest as she talked to. each several teacher. They were all very lively and talkative, and'if the day were going to. bring them any fatigueit certainly had not done so yet. In one patriotically-inclined class where they wore lilliing in the interval by singing, the strains of "Rule Britannia" rose nigh and clear, to bo checked quickly when the' medals for Britannia's -infants came in view. It was vory. interesting to walk round the different classrooms and look at those dozens and dozens of bright pretty little fapes,' and curious to realise that not one ; *t>f those children perhaps had any idea of her own great personal value to the Dominion, whose second christening they were celebrating.