NAMING THE BABY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 24 November 1925, Page 7

NAMING THE BABY.

w PRINCE OF WALES’ TASKS. KISSING BRIDE AT WEDDING. Minor trials have been experienced in plenty by the Prince of Wales during his recent prolonged tour, but they have never in any way depressed his good spirits. indeed, some ol , these little trials have afforded him a good deal ot irtmuseniUnt. . For example, at a village on the veldt in South Africa, a nativ.e woman showed tthe Prince with some pride her children, six boys and one Da by girl. The interpreter informed tlie Prince [of their names. When fie came to the baby girl he told, the Prince that the child was yet unnamed and that the mother would feel deeply honoured if the Prince would name her. The request took the Prince completely aback. He was for a moment quite unprepared with a suitable suggestion. But lie was only nonplussed ■for the briefest space. He suggested the name Dawn; it was received with delight by the mother and the baby Ivas so named on the spot. On another occasion during a journey across South Africa an aged'native Wias presented jto the Prince, who, through the medium of the interpreter, asked the native if there was any kind of gift he would like. The reply was a request for the Prince’s pipe, (the -distinguished visitor at once complied, but it meant that he was unable to enjoy a pipe for six hours, until the place where his personal luggage had been sent on to was reached. It was a fairly frequent trial of the Prince during this tour that the days set apart to give him a rest from the keeping of public engagements,had to be sacrificed in order that he (might attend some entertainment got flip unexpectedly. One of these little '(entertainments was a native wedding. The ceremony had been hastly arranged to take place so ns to coincide '•y'with the Prince’s arrival at the (village. The Prince anticipated being able- to take a day off and enjoy some ‘hours of really needed rest when he (reached the village. But on his arrival he was presented with the in'vitation to the wedding; he at once 'agreed to accept and duly liestowed a. ’ kiss —another unexpected duty —on the bride. At one little town the Prince had agreed to play a round of golf with a ’local champion. On his arrival at the finks the Prince found that ' an enormous crowd of all sorts and con- ; ditions of persons had assembled on ’ the course to witness the .match. Ibis was somewhat disconcerting for the Prince, who never plays up to his best form before a big gallery. But there was another circumstance still more ’disconcerting—his Royal Highness 'found that he was expected to rilny not with his own clubs, but with a weird collection of “irons” not more and aouu t [ oqx 'ifaSnoT W I 0 0! ” ,U!I P up with a had defeat with the best of grace. gratefully accepting the strange clubs that were presented to him after the match. Hie worst trial that betel the Prince was the long delay in Chile, necessitated by the unexpected heavi snowfall in the Andes. That delay meant the total upset of the Prince’s programme in Argentina, which had to be arranged bv cable. This was a necessarily difficult task and kept the Prince's secretarial staff at work day and night. The Prince himself remained up one entire night settling the details with his staff. A great trial to the Prince in connection with all his tours has been the long train journeys. His restlessness of disposition makes him. detest sitting still for hours in a train. He •won’t nlav cards and does not like reading*. ‘When it is practicable the Prince alights from the Royal special •jj and takes anything from a 15 to 30'mile walk while the special is sent ahead. During his tour the Prince in this way walked several hundreds of miles.