PUBLIC CAPTIVATED.
CHARM OF THE QUEEN HISTORIC SPEECHES.
WASHINGTON, June 0
The high spot of the day yesterday was the procession marking Their .Majesties’ arrival. If they had any doubt about wlmt the American reception was likelv to lie it was settled quickly, tor a crowd estimated at 500.000 lined the capital’s streets and filled the roofs and windows of buildings along the route, even clinging to statues. They cheered enthusiastically, waved flags, and in general demonstrated how the Royal coupic have won American hearts. Tho Queen ill particular captivated everybody. To-night Washington is humming with comments on her
charm, graeiousucss and beauty, tin most common remark being, “Her pictures certainly do not do her justice.”
Alter meeting the diplomats at White House and lunching with President and Airs Roosevelt and their family. Their Al.ajesties, escorted by the Roosevelts, took a 31-mile sightseeing tour of the capital and the surrounding countryside, affording an opportunity to thousands of additional Washington citizens to see and cheer them.
Their Majesties then returned to White House, changed attire, and started for the British Embassy garden party. They paused in the White House grounds to receive gifts from 8000 cheering Scouts, 3000 of whom were girls. CLOTHES WILTED. The Queen wore a white tucked knit gown with lace insets, a large white picture hat with a small knot of flowers and white lace, and a ruffled parasol, a diamond bracelet, pearl earrings, and a pearl necklace. Their Majesties, beplumod diplomats, and LIOO favoured Americans gathered in the British Embassy’s four-acre garden and talked about the weather. It was a topic they could not avoid because the temperature was 91 dog. The sun beat down unmercifully, wilting and ruining specially-made drosses, starched wing collars, carefully-pressed trousers, and picture hats.
To Lady Lindsay’s relief I lie rain which had been forecast failed to materialise. The British Ambassador (Sir Ronald Lindsay) escorted the King through the packed garden. Mis .Majesty spoke longest to Admiral Byrd, and' also chatted with the new Soviet Ambassador (M. Constantine Ouiiiansk.y). Later the King had tea with the financier, Mr J. P. Morgan, ihe Queen sat with .Mrs Leahy (wife ot Admiral Leahy), Mrs Garner (the Vice-President’s wile). Airs Bingham (widow of the former Ambassador to England), and Mrs Alalin Craig (wife of the Army Chief of Stall). The male guests had been told they j might wear linens if they preferred, Imt most of them donned morning; clothes. Per weeks the ladies had been j debating whether to curtsey to the. Queen. The upshot was that about half did so, and the remainder, follow- . ing the load of Airs Roosevelt, meiolv shook hands. The Queen chatted for five minutes 1 with Airs Cornelius Vanderbilt, who waved a gold fan throughout. The: Queen’s dress evoked murmurs ol admiration. Actually she appeared the coolest person present. PAINTING KPIDE-M IC.
The heat was so intense and the crowd so dense during the procession that ambulance attendants, Red Cross doctors and nurses treated nearly 500 for heat prostration, while one death is reported—that of an unidentified hawker of boxes for people to stand on. In the down-town sector, whore the crowds were closest packed, there was an epidemic of fainiings, somebody falling over every few minutes. Many of the spectators had been waiting since early morning in order to Ik* sure of vantage points. The intervening hours before file parade took their toil in sapped vitality from the heat and lack of food and drink. The curiosity and interest in Royalty has been far greater than expected, indicating that New York crowds when Their Majesties arrive there on Saturday are likely to break all records and tax the resources of the police and other agencies. The mostconservative estimates places the number of people who will see Their Majesties in New York at 2 000 000. Since it required 8000 soldiers, sailors. and marines and 1500 policemen and firemen to patrol the procession route and. restrain the crowd in 'Washington. it is evident that New York is facing a problem. It- is planned to have 200 000 American war veterans in uniform lining the New York parade route. SLEPT IN WHITE HOUSE. The King and Queen slept to-night in White House, which is painted white to hide the scars remaining when it | was rebuilt after the British troops burned the capital in the war of I SI 2, their presence there symbolising more strongly the burying of the past rancour than all the pomp and ceremony of their fatiguing day. Earlier in the evening President j Roosevelt and the King toasted each ; other at a State dinner in While | House, stressing the friendship between the two nations and expressing confidence that their friendship would i always endure. i 'l’ho text of President- Roosevelt's! toast to the King and Queen at the! State dinner in White House was as follows: __ “Ln the HTo of a nation as in imli 1 divduals, there are occasions that stand out- in high relief, such a.s tlm j present one. when the entire United j States is welcoming on its soil the! King and Queen of Britain, our neigh-! houring Canada and all the far-flung British Commonwealth of Nations. “ft is an occasion for festivities, bull it also is fitting that wo give thanks for the bonds of friendship linking our two peoples. ! am persuaded that the greatest single contribution our two countries have been enabled to make to civilisation and the welfare of the peoples throughout the world is the example we h-vc jointly set by our manner of conducting our relations. | ‘■.lt is because each nation is lack-
ing in fear of the other that we have unfortified borders between us. Jt is because neither [ears aggression on the part of the other that wo have entered no race ol armaments one against the other. “The King and I are aware of the recent episode when two small uninhabited islands in the centre of the Pacific became of sudden interest to England and America as stepping stones lor commercial airlines between America and Australia. Both nation* claimed sovereignty; both had good cases. To have entered into a long drawn argument could have meant ill will between us and delay in the use uf the islands by either. LESSON TO ALL. “It was suggested that the problem lie solved by the joint use of both islands and a gentleman s agreement to defer the question of the ultimate sovereignty to the year 11)89. Ihe passage of 50 years will solve many problems. •’ll ibis illustration of the use o! methods of peace divorced Iroin aggression could only he universally followed the relations between all countries would rest upon sure foundations, and men and women everywhere could once more look upon a happv. prosperous, peaceful world. Alav this kind oi understanding between our countries grow very closer. .May our Irieudsliip prosper. “Ladies and gentlemen, we drink to Ihe health ol His Majesty King George VI.” THE KING REPLIES.
His Majesty s response to Air Roosevelt s toast was as loliows: "'tile visit which tlie Queen and 1 are p.iy.ng you 10-tlav is sumetliing widen nas been in our minds lor maiu weeks, and il we had our moments o. anxi-ty they have served to make u> realise how intensely we have been looking forward to the present occa sion. I wish, therefore, in the first place, to thank you lor your kind in citation a.nd your still kinder welcome. We have been deeply touched by the ilia liner in which Washington already inis received us, and we ex pect to enjoy every minute ot our remaining time in the United States "Emin Canada, which we have just left and whither we will soon return. 1 bring to you to-day warm greetings ol your neighbour and trusted iriciul Prom my other Dominions, Iroin the P ted Kingdom, from all my Em pi re 1 carry to you expressions of the utmost cordiality and goodwill. “As I drink a toast to you. Air Pro shield, I wish you every possible health and happiness. I trust and believe that in th(> wars to come the history of the United Slates will continue to be marked by that ordered progress and prosperity which lia-s been theirs in the past. ' I pray that our great nations 'may ever in the future walk together along the natli ol friendship in a world of peace.” . During the evening I heir Alajesties were the guests of honour at a AVhite House musienle which presented a broad composite picture of the music tbo Americans love, including negio spirituals, cowboy ballads a.nd nvoin-t-iin lun°s. The artists included Kate Smith Marian Anderson and Lawrence Tibbett.
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Bibliographic details
Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 162, 10 June 1939, Page 9
Word Count
1,452PUBLIC CAPTIVATED. Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 162, 10 June 1939, Page 9
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