THE CORONATION

Northern Advocate, 10 May 1937, Page 4

THE CORONATION

Cold aiid phlegmatic must he be who does not experience a thrill of emotion as he reads the cabled news of the preparations made for the Coronation of King George VI. on Wednesday of this week. London, the centre of the greatest empire the world i'has seen, has been transformed into fairyland along the route of the royal procession. The venerable Abbey at Westminster, where the history of Britain has been written in indelible letters, and where kings have been crowned during the past thousand years, has assumed an importance such as no other Coronation has created. This is due to the fact that, for the first time in history, the solemn ceremony is not to be restricted to the ears of the privileged . few gathered within the Abbey. The modern marvel represented by radio is to bring the Coronation ritual to the ears of the people of the whole world. For that reason, the Abbey will indeed be the heart of the British Empire on Wednesday. We are told today of the tremendous crowds of visitors who have already reached London. The week-end was marked by remarkable scenes, which left no doubt as to the enthusiastic loyalty of the people ( of Britain. It is tragic, in view of this, that there should hang over the Coronation proceedings the shadow of a great, transport upheaval. The busmen’s strike, which is a most regrettable development at such a time, remains unsettled, and there are threats of still greater dislocation of transport if demands of the strikers are not met. It is sincerely to be hoped, for the sake of everybody, that this threat will not be put into operation. Whatever may be the merits of the ease, the parties thereto will do" a dastardly thing if they allow the Coronation ceremony to be interfered with. We are sure this will be .the feeling of the British people as a whole, and that any concession in the interests of the common weal made by either party will be to the benefit | of the mover, 1