THE EXHIBITION

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 183, 30 April 1940, Page 9

THE EXHIBITION

Sunday Schools’ Day Yesterday SOUTHLAND INVASION Large Farmers’ Party Coming Tomorrow Yesterday was . Sunday schools’ day at the Exhibition, and the assembly hall was crowded at night with a great gathering of teachers and scholars from the Sunday schools of the Wellington district. Led by the Salvation Army Boys' Band, 500 children and~ teachers marched through the Exhibition grounds to the assembly hall, where a programme was provided by the scholars. The Wellington Sunday School Union has been in existence for more than 50 years and has 94 schools with 12,000 scholars and 1010 teachers. Last night's programme was the Sunday schools’ contribution to the celebration of centennial year.

Addressing the gathering in the assembly ball. Mr. H. E. Brooker, chairman. of the Sunday School Union, said that the Sunday school movement was 160 rears old, having been instituted bv Robert Balkes in 1780. The latest world figures available were those for 1936, when there were 34,000,000 scholars and 3,250,000 teachers. It was principally an English-speaking union, because five-sixths of its members were of British-speaking races. Mr. Brooker referred to the work of the Sunday schools in. Wellington and said that'they were giving religious instruction which would prove of benefit, to the children in after life. He urged parents to take an interest in their children’s work and to encourage their regular attendance at Sunday school. Parents, he said, owed it to their children to give them a knowledge of the Scriptures. The programme opened with a hymn, after which some 20 members of the Brooklyn Baptist junior choir under the conductor-ship of Mr. C. J. Enright sang “Beautiful Isle of Somewhere and “Silent Night.” Items were given bv the Salvation Army Boys’ Band ana the Ngaio Methodist Sunday School. Phvllis Williams, of the Lower Hutt Baptist Sunday School, sang and there was a model demonstration, “Building the Church,” arranged by Mr. W. F.' Stock. The children taking part were from the Hataitai Methodist and Roseneath Presbyterian Sunday Schools. Another Southland Invasion. The largest farmers’ party ever to travel from Southland will arrive at Wellington tomorrow morning to visit the Exhibition. There will be 303 farmers and their wives ip the party who will spend six days in Wellington, leaving on their return to Invercargill next Monday night. This will be the second Southland invasion of the Exhibition, a party of 170 having visited Wellington last month. The president of the Southland provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union, Mr. E. A. Cameron, will be the leader, and Mr. H. Robertson will be secretary. Mr. R. Watkins, business agent for the Railways Department in Invercargill, has been responsible for the organization of the trip. At 5.30 p.m. on Thursday, a dinner will bo held in the Exhibition restaurant, at which the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, will be the guest of honour. The Southland silver beech furniture in the Southland reception-room, which has been greatly admired by visitors to the Exhibition, will be packed up and sent to Invercargill in time to be displayed at the Southland AVinter Show, which will open on May 9. The display of Southland trophies—the Ranfurly Shield, Bledisloe Cup for cheese, and the Meat Board’s South Island Challenge Shield for fat lambs —will accompany the furniture. The Southland Boys’ High School Fugle, trumpet and drum band, conducted by Lieutenant L. Napier, which had an enthusiastic reception at the

Exhibition on Saturday, will give a final performance tonight at 8 o’clock. The band is remaining in Wellington till tomorrow night.

Ou Saturday, closing day at the Exhibition, the deputy-chairman of directors, Mr. Charles Todd, who is chairnum of the Dominion Court, will entertain the managers and staffs of the provincial reception-rooms and others at a luncheon in the Exhibition Cabaret.

Yesterday afternoon in the Canterbury reception-room in the Dominion Court, the manager, Mr. C. 11. Clibborn, entertained 32 boys and 31 girls from the Geraldine District High School. The party was in the charge of Mr. A. K. Easterbrook and Miss I. Allan and three members of the school committee, .Mrs. Burmeister, .Mrs. Armstrong and Mr. .1. Watson, accompanied the children. Mr. S. Mitchell, ir member of the Ashburton Borough Council, who is official host in the receptionroom, assisted Mr. Clibborn in welcoming the party. This afternoon at 3 o’clock 24 girls from the Wainiatc District High School and two mistresses will be similarly entertained. The Crown Jewels.

One of the most fascinating shows in I’layland is the Crown Jewels, ir visit to which is an educational experience. Not only are there numerous historic and valuable articles in gold and silver on display as well as replicas of the Crown Jewels and regalia of Great Britain from the days of Allred the Great, but the manager, Mr. Max Berman, lias a fund of informalion about the unique collection it has taken him 42 years to amass.

Included in the collection are uniforms of royal families: Haile Selassie's coronation robe, elaborately worked in gold thread weighing several pounds: some famous Russian glass almost 750 years old : a unique collection of Napoleonic figures which has taken 22 years to gather: miniatures of nil the sovereigns of Great Britain from William the Conqueror down to the present King and Queen: and several showcases of richly chased articles in gold and silver. Centennial Roll. The unique opportunity of signing the National Centennial Roll of Commemoration nt the Exhibition will be available to,visitors for only live more days. On Saturday the roll will be closed and those who Ijave signed ■ already there are more'than 50.000 of them—will have their names recorded for all time in a book that, is acknowledged to be a national document, the only one of its kind in the world. By signing the roll visitors record their names and the fact of their participation in.the centennial. In future this book will be looked on as the centennial document, for it contains the signatures of the people of New Zealand, the people for whom the centennial celebrations are being held. The certificates issued to all persons signing are in themselves valuable personal souvenirs and in thousands of homes in the Dominion they will be of lasting interest in the years to come. The Exhibition authorities are anxious that the Centennial Roll should be as representative of the people of New Zealand as possible for the roll provides the only record of the part that, the public are taking in the Exhibition and the celebrations marking 100 years of growth and development of the country. Historical Pageant. Tonight at 8 o'clock members of the Y.W.C.A. will present in the assembly hall “Under Four Queens,” a pageant of women’s progress during the lasi 100 years. The programme will be opened with the symbolic dance, “Awakening,” by pupils of Madam Taglicht. The first act will contain four episodes—there will be tableaux portraying the accession of Queen Victoria and the work of Florence Nightingale, and this will be fololwed by a procession of girls and women of Queen Victoria’s reign. The second act will show Queen Victoria surrounded by her loyal subjects at the time of her jubilee. This will be followed by a Victorian drill class and a swimming group of the same era. Life from 1900 to .1912, in Queen Alexandra’s reign, will be depicted in the third act. There will be a Chinese lantern march, songs of Europe, and folk dances of many countries. The fourth act will show the changes that ocurred when Queen Mary was on the Throne, particularly during the last war, when women and girls were employed in many new fields. There will be a marching display by teams from eight business houses.

The final act will deal with the Y.W.C.A. activities of today, under the headings of health, knowledge, friend ship and inspiration, and the finale, “Lo, Here is Fellowship.” The second programme of New Zealand Youth on Parade will be given in the assembly hall tomorrow night. As with, the first programme, the whole entertainment is being provided by young men and women who have organized their own show. The opening numbers will show youth springing into action and growing up. There will be a demonstration by the Wellington Swords Club, gymnastics, singing, impersonations and a one-act play staged by the New Zealand Youth Movement, “Letter from the Front.” Items will be given by Roy Baker’s pianoaccordion band, and a eommfmity singsong will be led by the Lads of the Village.