PATER’S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2996, 16 August 1911, Page 77

PATER’S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

A CORONATION NOTE OR TWO. The Home illustrated weeklies illustrating. the approach of the Coronation have come to hand, and this week will see the arrival of some of the papers containing illustrations of the ceremony itself; and. as many will not see these numbers, I am going to give some of the outstanding features of them, instead of the Chat I promised. Tire Witness last week gave some illustrations of the great event, so keep the issues. If you can, odd to the Witness numbers one or two of the Home papers, for naturally, given up to illustrations, they will have fuller pictorial detail. Then, too, they have artists sketching events where photography is out of the, question. One of the outstanding pictures of the pre-Coronation number of the Illustrated London _ News is a sketch depicting the Coronation naval review. Here we see represented 240 ships—a few. foreign, however —in nine linesy making six sea miles of a navy. Here are pre-Dreadnoughts, Dreadnougbfis, and super’-Dtreadnoughts, all ready to hurtle tons of destruction through the air every minute. And the •thought struck me; If the Germans controlled that navy just now,, what would he the result? Like a young giant who has found out' his strength, Germany is as anxious to carry 'her way by using force instead of moral suasion; and one cannot help contrasting Germany’s mailedfist style with the quiet and inoffensive manner Great Britain uses her sea-power. But I must not run off on naval matters just now. In the same paper we have an unconventional picture of Field-marshal Viscount Kitchener, who carried the Second Sword of State at the Coronation ; and one of Field-marshal Earl Roberts, who carried the Third Sword of State, One good page represents the Standard Bearers for the 400,000,000 of the Brtid&h

Empire. “At the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, only four Standards were borne —those of England, Ireland, Scotland, and the Union. To these King George has added sevenths Royal Standard, and the Standards of Wales, India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand [What is ware? What we are familiar with?], and South Africa.” In the two Coronations we see clearly the advance in the consolidation of the Empire. Two pages representing the official representatives from most of the civilised Governments of the world—soldiers, sailors, statesmen, and Royalties ; and a double-paged illustration shows us the types, of men guarding the Home and Overseas possessions. lam sorry, however, that Australia and New Zealand were not more fittingly represented by troops. The picture of St. Edward’s Chapel is a fine one, and the pictures of warships show dn detail what immense power is in the fleet shown on the review chart. Many more pictures are worth referring to, but I must pass on. The Sphere, June 24, has some fine illustrations of Empire troops, and of the Coronation Regalia, and some good bird’seye views of London showing the Coronation procession route, and also come good ones of the Abbey; but the most original one is a two-paged illustration in bold colouring, called ‘ ‘ All Hail! This Royal Throne of Kings, this Sceptred Isle — England’s Momairchs of the Past Greet Our Monarch of To-day.” Here we have .massed on one side the Icings of the past and on the other the queens, all saluting the newly-crowned pair. Another page gives us the titles down the centuries, and these are worth reproducing. “King of England”, urns used by Egbert, 828 ; but the title “King of the English Nation” existed during the Heptarchy. The plural phraseology, “We,” “Us,” “Our,” wias first adopted among the English, by John, 1199. Henry YIII changed “Lord” of Ireland into “King,” in 1542; but before this his title of “Defender of the Faith” had been added by Pope Leo X. The style “Great Britain” was adopted at the Union of England and Scotland in the sixth year of Anne’s reign, 1707. In 1801, “France” was omitted from among the sovereign's titles, and “Hanover” when Queen Victoria ascended, June 21, 1837. On November 1, 1868, “Queen Victoria was proclaimed in all the important places in India as Victoria, by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Colonies and Dependencies thereof in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Australia, Queen,”, etc. Then, when Edward VII was proclaimed, November 4, 1901, it was as “By the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions Beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India ” In this catalogue of changes, it is not stated when “Franca” was added, nor does it chronicle the proclamation of Queen, Victoria as Empress of India, the word “Empress” carrying more weight and dignity in India than “Queen” ; still, even with these and other omissions, the changes show the growth which the British nation has undergone.

One page of the Sphere is devoted to a Coronation Poem by Lauchlan Maclean Watt; and a very comprehensive and spirited one it is. Egypt, Greece, Rome, Spain, and Britannia proclaim their history. The poem is too long to give, but here are some lines from each. Egypt says:—■

I am the wonder that ruled the Nile, When I frowned hopes withered, and! at my ©mile Men gathered the gold of the harvest in.

GritEECE J Art grow- at my finger’s touch; music up-

eprang, Through my fields wandered laurel-crowned ucetg and sang; And the sea-sweep of Homer rang over the

tide. And the heroes of Troy fought and fell by my side. Persia against me her millions sent sweeping. Surging in armies -and sailing in ships;

And down in the waters whore ilia (.Peen deeps are sleeping I sent them, blind-reeling, away to ■eclipse. Rome : Mine were the Caesars. Their eagles unfurled Carried my marching around the world, Gaul in her valour wias nothing before me; Everywhere Victory’s wings fluttered o’er me. Lust rotted my heart; Pride took from mo my part ’Mong the nations of old; yet they still speak my name. I am dead; but the world shall remember my name. Spain:! I am the glory which, was Spain. • t « . • I * My fleets went fluttering far and wide, Ranging the ocean blue. I • • * • * Mine was the earth and the glory of it. • And I trampled men’s hearts in my proudest days Under my iron heel. Where, O where is my glory now And the pride of the world that once crowned my brow? Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Spain, all commence by proclaiming what their glories were when they were in the zenith of their power, and end writh acknowledging their present impotence. “O’er me the long night deeper falls,” or “I dm gone,” or “I am dead,” or “Where, Oh where is my glory now?” But Britannia? She .commences well, and ends well:—They think that my throne is old, That the blood of my heart is cold, For I’ve sat out here o’er the Waters lone On my craggy throne. My day While the North Star gleams in the far-off ■sky, Cannot pass away Till my children die. If I only raise my bugle and blow, From the lands of the sun and the deserts of snow. With a laugh on her lips. Borne on their ships, They will come, my children over the sea. To the mother they love, to die for me. ■Sons of my breeding, while we stand together, Brave and true, I and you, What care we for weather? Naught can break us, Naught can shake us; War against us hurled Cannot blind us, ■ Can but bind us All hands round the world. In the Graphic of June 24 there is a large number of reproductions of pictures of the past and a great deal of information; one page, giving the “Origin and Evolution of is of more than average interest. Still, if you have the Sphere and the Illustrated London News you will not want the third, though I have it. But, on the whole, the finest pre-Cbro-nation number is that of the Ladies’ Field, June 10, and especially so from a lady's point of view, because it contains so much more of interest to women than to men. The cover is extremely chaste, being in embossed gold design and lettering on imitation white linen. There is a well-illus-t-ated article on crowns, and a profusely illustrated 10-paged article on St. George; and this is followed by a 12-paged article equally well illustrated, “The Rise of the World’s Greatest Sea Power, and an Account of Some Royal Ships.” This is succeeded by 12 pages of photographs of Viceroys, Governors, etc., of the British possessions, and, where the men are benedicts, photos of their wives. Eight pages tell us about “Social Life in Georgian Times,” and this article is illustrated by •some quaint coloured drawings. , Ten pages are devoted to Queen Mary and her train and canopy hearers, etc., and to the Queen,, Maries of English history. After, much more connected with sovereignty and the Coronation, embassies, etc., there follows the music of 20 national anthems. This is a splendidly-designed number, and with this I’ll stop to-day.