THE KING'S WISH.

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 141, 18 June 1927, Page 17

THE KING'S WISH.

It was by the .King's wish that "Abide With 1 Me "was sung by the crowd. He had heard that, as the community singing movement origin-

ated by the "Daily Express" progressed, two football crowds had chanted the hymn. It was a favourite of his own. The King asked, therefore, that "Abide With Me" should be selected from the song-sheet, and also "Land of My Fathers," this as a compliment to the AVales which he had just visited. The Welsh had beautiful voices. He wanted to hear.

The community singing had continued for an hour when the King arrive! Led by Mr. Kateliff, the crowd and packed up. their troubles in their old kit bags, been a long-way to Tipperary, and kenned John Peel and his coat so gay. They had been with their true loves on the bpnnie banks of Loch Lomond. Then John Brown's body had lain amould'riug in -the grave. "The crowd was slower to start than usual," said Mr. Kadcliff. "The space was too vast, I suppose. When they got going, though ... I "nave never heard such singing! I was very nervous, before it began. I had to stand up'all alone on. a high platform and face nearly 100,000 people. For all I knew they would resent my interference and chant, 'Sit down, sit down.' I soon got over that. They cheered! Community singing, it was «oon obvious, had swept country." For a few minutes the singing stopped until the King took his place.-Then even the National Anthem was sung with greater fervour than usual. The ■singing had loosened the throats, got the keys right, stopped all the bashfulness. . When "God Save the King" had been broadcast from 100,000 throats Mr. Eateliff returned' to his stand.

Then, in the presence of their King, the crowd sang "Pack Up Your Troubles" again, and repeated "Tipperary." The King looked' on, wonderingly. Great spectacles are common in his life. Cheers and multitudes follow him everywhere. Vast orchestras have played at his bidding; noble organs have thundered out their harmonics at tli; moving ceremonies, of which he has been th'o centre. This was a new ex-perience—chorus-singing 'for which there had been no rehearsal, which sprang naturally from a nation's lovo of song. Then- came an experience that, as the.King said afterwards, will linger :for long in his memory—a hymn at a football match. The.crowd stood

up and with'bare heads sang "Abide With Me." ... ; "

"I confess," says, one well-known writer, "that the majestic, reverence and sincere solemnity of the hymn unmanned me. The soul of the people revealed- itself spontaneously in wayes of glorious harmony. . ; "The open vowels, and the slow rhythm released the music in the multitude, and the sound of its mighty voice soared into sublimity.. It brought tears to many eyes and softened many'hearts. We sang the first verse twice, and the second^ verse, and then the last verse with gathering passion, until the manscape awed itself. For a flash as the last note faded away thero was a silence of deep feeling. "It moved me to feel the religious emotion of a football crowd overcoming its secular excitement and its tension of sporting rivalry. "Abide with Me" made that heterogeneous multitude one in a common utterance of their inner being. Shaken as,l was by this wonderful, revelation' of the people's hidden soul, I was not prepared for the amazing sweetness of the Welsh voices as thoy sang 'Land of My Fathers.' What a choir!