"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2997, 23 August 1911, Page 75

"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

July 7. Brilliant events are still the order of the day—and night. The thanksgiving service at 'St. Paul's was one of the most impressive ceremonials of the Coronation festivities, and on the occasion of this third state progress the main artery of London from east to west was packed with sightseers. From Buckingham Palace to St. Paul's their Majesties, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Princess Mary, were greeted with cheers. By the King's command the stands on the west side of Constitution Hill were given up to children, who in thousands waved and shouted their joy, and the polios put children in the front row of sightseers all along the route. Already King George V has been designated "The Children's King," for it is true that children have participated in the rejoicings of this Coronation as they never did before in a great public festival. The two hours' wait in the Cathedral by the representative assembly was beguiled by music, of English masters, conducted by those masters themselves —Elgar, Walford Davies, Bridge, Stanford, Mackenzie, and Parry. The procession proceeded along the adsl© of the Cathedral to the exultant strains of Sir Edgar Elgar's "Coronation March," the vast congregation standing. The King, Queen Mary, and their children went to their seats on the dais and knelt in silent devotion, and the heart of the nation was with them in that thanksgiving. When they rose the Te Deum was sung by the choir to a special setting of Sir George Martin.. The musical portion of the service was wonderful. The King and Queen appeared deeply moved by the service, and while the prayers within the Abbey were earnestly beseeching guidance for the King and his Empire, bursts of cheering could be heard from without. anthem "Zadoc the Priest" uplifted every heart with the exultant cries—" And all tlie people rejoiced and said, 'God save the King. May the King live for ever. Hallelujah!' " The Bishop of London solemnly pronounced the benediction, and the choir sang the recessional hymn, "Now thank we all our God," the vast congregation joining in. Then another roll of drums, and "God save our King" buret from a thousand voices, as, preceded by the Lord Mayor bearing the sword of his office, their Majesties-moved down the aisle to the door -of the Cathedral, Then their Majesties, between cheering crowds, went on to the Guildhall as the guests of the Lord Mayor and the city, to lunch at that historic structure, the scene of so many royal functions; North London had its day, for never since Tudor times has an English King driven in state through its streets. Again, as in South London, on the occasion of the Royal progress, a holiday face was worn by houses as well as by people. There werenot so many men in the crowds as during the earlier Coronation processions, for the holiday was over; but wherever the eye. turned along the troop-lined streets there were children to the front; children who, in the natural sequence of events, will be the future loyal subjects of the boy Prance of Wales, who looked from right to left with quick, noting eyes, but with few smile.s, as though already the shadow of a King's burden had fallen upon him. With halts on the way, to receive and answer addresses, their Majesties came at length to Guildhall, which had surpassed itself in decorations. (The New Ztaland arch held an honourable position in all this colour -scheme.) Their Majesties were received .with old-time pomp • and ceremony. Princes and Princesses, the • overseas Ministers, and English Cabinet Ministers were there to welcome them. Madam Clara Butt sang the National Anthem, the whole assembly joining in the third versfe, and rarely within that great hall, Avhich has witnessed so many civic functions, has there been a more enthusiastic moment than when the Lord Mayor called for three cheers for the King. A hundred thousand children! The numbers alone conjure up a vast army. But when considered as a party the undertaking is tremendous. Yet this huge party, given by the King at the Crystal Palace to 100,000 of London's school children, was not only a great success, but a great feat of organisation. 'From east, west, north, and south the child-guests of the King were conveyed from their homes, entertained for the day, and conducted back without a solitary accident. Nowhere else in the world could this undertaking be surpassed, and nowhere save in London could it be taken so absolutely for granted that the children could leave- their homes in the morning, travel long distances, spend the day in an unknown region, and be returned to the minute, safe and sound, at their many various destinations. Yet this great undertaking was carried out not only without o. hitch in the arrangements, but without an accident. The 100,000 children who set off in the morning, keen with anticipation of the joy of beinc; the King's guests, returned in the evening to their homes, tired and happy and sound of limb. . - The catering at the Crystal Palace was, of course, a tremendous task, but there was no fuss or worry. One hundred and sixty vans had brought the refreshments the night before—buns, scones, cake, chocolate, lemonade, etc., and the arrangements were so perfect that each trainload of children received a bag of food and a bottle of lemonade with a papier-mache cup, which not only served for the drinking of the lemonade, but for 4he drinking fountains during the day.

(Specially Written for the Witness Ladies' Page.)

SUNSHINE AND FESTIVAL,

The various-hued corpe not only divided the children into different sections, but provided a splendid colour-scheme. Each section wearing a different-coloured badge or cap made the task of mustering easier. When the first trains unloaded streaks of red, green, and blue began to appear in the vast grounds of the. palace, which, as the houre passed, grew denser, until the whole 100,000 children were massed together, and then the sight was amazing. The great garden party was a triumph of organisation. No "child was over- ! looked; all were fed and taken care of ! and amused. There were officials to seek for the strayed, and nurses and a hospital for any cases of accident or illness, but not one caae of accilient occurred, either I on the 92 special trains or at the Crystal i Palace itself, and only very few cases of ; sickness, and these were through excitej mient or faintness caused by the flyingI boats or joywbeels, which were the ! centres of shrieking delight all day. No ' child under 12 was among those who drew lots, and their amusements were arranged j according to their age and capacity of ! appreciation. Sixty thousand saw the ' pageant. The All-red Route was filled . from morning till 8 o'clock in the evenj ing. Others saw the Wild Australia ! show, and were thrilled with wonder to see the beautiful lady wind serpents round her neck and I play with alligators, and quite j convinced that this was the common ! amusement of Australian ladies. The boys pined for the stock-riding and mule buck-jumping life of the wilds, and for this one day the romance of the open threw its spell on many a town waif who never before had realised that there .was a world outside their narrow court or grey street. What King George did for London's poor children that day should be counted to him for righteousness—- " For as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these. . . ." ! The crowning moment of the children's ! joy Was when the children's King stood among them. The arrival of their Majesties with three of their own children—the Prince of Wales, Princess Mary, and Prince George—was the occasion of : tumultuous cheers. The progress of the ; King and Queen through the grounds of the Crystal Palace, between ranks of children who shouted, and waved their joy and gratitude, was the most affecting progress of the Coronation. i The faces of their Majesties weer as 1 radiant as those of. the children. Perhaps some had expected the King and Queen to wear their crowns, but, if so, ! no disappointment was expressed in the ! welcome of the kind-faced gentleman in ! frock coat and silk hat, and,the smiling ' lady in a lovely blue dress, with white | hat and feathers. The Prince of Wales wore his midshipman's uniform. Prince George wore a sailor suit and a cap with "H.M.S. Indomitable" on the band. Princess Mary satisfied all girlish ideas of a girl Princess in a pink frock, and hat trimmed with rambler roses. j Preceded, by Mr Ernest* Hussy, honorary secretary, on horseback, to lead the tortuous way, and by Sir William Carington on foot, their Majesties drove thorough the North Tower Gardens, past the Tudor Village, and along the Lower Terrace, stopping at the Empire Avenue Steps for their first brief walk right amongst the children.. ! Looking down upon the 'scene as they i passed along the Lower Terrace from the 1 northward, the spectacle was simply incomparable in its beauty, variety, and movement. - - I To the right wore curving lines and avenues of children of the white division, the girls' straw hats having all white streamers and the boys all wearing white : caps. To the left the scene was' repeated, but pink was the predominant colour. Right away beyond, among the white and I gilded domes and darker towers in the j middle distance, could be seen the bandI stand and the wide circular space around it, crammed with a tremulous multitude of children, green baps and streamers prej dominating. And the volume of cheers, the shrill, ' emotional outpouring of the gratitude that filled every child's heart,, beggars all description. Their Majesties walked from the Lower Terrace to the bandstand and back, and it was just 3.38 when the Royal party reentered the carriage. They drove right round the fountains below the Upper Terrace, back through the , Tudor Village, and down the Rockhills lane, ! past the Maze and the flying ground to the | sports ground. j Here they paused one minute .while tbou- ' sands of " red " children cheered them frantically, and then they pressed on to the j Empire Avenue, where they mounted a ! platform to view the thousands assembled • in the lower part of the Empire Avenue. After that they drove to the football | ground, and from a special platform before the pavilion they viewed nearly 24,000 mora children—violet, brown, and light blue. i Then the Royal carriage was driven baok ; past the sports ground to the east gate j of the pageant ground, in which a stay of cue minute was made, the dark blue division I cheering their Majesties from the stand, ! and the yellow lining the road. The guard . of honour was composed of Canadian and Australian cadets. At the bandstand some 20,000 children, wearing blue and green, shouted ; their greeting and here a pretty little | ceremony took place: one girl aged 12 i presented the Queen wjth a bunch of her favourite piriks, and another girl of the same age presented Princess Mary with a lovely bouquet of white sweet peas. His Majesty satisfied himself as to the quality of the food provided for his giueets, and examined the contents of one of the bags, himself opening a bottle of lemonade and expressing himself pleased with the quality of the cake and scones, etc. The crowning act of their Majesties' kindness was to visit the hospital tent, where the "sick"

children were in distress that they should miss the. sight of the King and Queen. This, however, was not permitted, and their Majesties made the kindest inquiries concerning them. At night .a telegram was sent to the King assuring him of the safety of the whole huge party. Your Majesty will be pleased to learn that all the children have left the Palace without accident or rain. Fifteen lost children have been accompanied to their homes. On the King and Queen's return to. ■Windsor for the week-end after the _ Coronation fortnight, which must, with its incessant pageantry and emotional demand, have taxed their endurance greatly, there was a Coronation progress all over again. From Slough Station, where their Majesties alighted from the train and drove in semi-state to Windsor, it was a triumphal procession through beautifully-decorated streets. The whole three-miles route from Slough to the gates of Windsor Castle was a fairyland of flowers and flags. Between Slough and Windsor all the p-ride and joy which the inhabitants could express in the King's first homegoing after the Coro'nation was expressed. It was a lovely sunny day, and the Royal party drove in open carriages. The first halt was at Eton College, which was beautifully decorated in blue of two shades. The entire school were drawn up in the yard, with ~the provost, fellows, and head master. The King made a charming reply to the address. All along the way right to the gates of Windsov Park were addresses and presentations of flowers and every token of loyal and affectionate "welcome home." In High street and Park street the decorations made a charming vista, which ended in the trees of the Long walk. The most interesting incident of the Windsor progress was when alighting at Queen Victoria's statue, where the Windsor Corporation were waiting with their welcome. The - King borrowed an equerry's sword, and, beckoning the Mayor to approach and kneel, his Majesty conferred the honour of knighthood upon him there in the street. The Mayor is very popular in Windsor, and this recognition of the King's brought forth a frantic outburst of cheering, which folowed their Majesties to the Park gates. As the Royal carriages turned in the great gates with the escort of Royal Bucks Hussars, 60CO of Windsor's children, under the grey old walls that have sheltered England's Kings for generations, burst forth in childish voices to welcome King George V—" God save our gracious King." The King seemed much moved, and it is said that there were tears in Queen Mary's eyes as they very slowly drove through the child ranks till the castle was reached. At night Windsor was brilliantly illuminated, and a torchlight procession, which included the Fire Brigades of all the neighbourhoods—some hundreds—was admirably carried out. The procession marched up to the Castle before patrolling the town, and their Majesties and children watched the display from the windows, also the rockets and bombs that were let off. This week sees the end of England's Coronation festivities.. Next is the Royal visits to Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. While the King ' was at Windsor he reviewed 40,000 Boy Scouts in Windsor Great Park and 20,000 members of the Officers' Training Corps. In town the social week has been packed with engagements, balls, garden parties, dinners, polo matches at Hurlingaasta with fireworks at night, flower shows, cricket at Lord's, and the Henley regatta. With the thermometer 77deg to 78deg in the shade Henley has been a superb resort. It is two years since the weather was so hot, and more than two years since Henley was such a eight with houseboats and craft ablaze with colour. The river-women have worn the lighest of river dress. Numerous functions are crowded out of notice. Of interest to New Zealanders was the launching of the New Zealand, christened by Lady Ward, and the review of the colonial troops by the Prince of Wales, when the delighted men, in response to the remark of the- young Prince that he had no souvenir of the occasion, tore off buttons and badges for his acceptance. The hospitality extended to the overseas representatives at the Coronation has been most marked. With their return home will go the remembrance of many brilliant scenes, landmarks upon history. Some confusion was caused in the minds of the readers of a society journal several weeks ago by the statement that the Prince of Wales entered his majority with his birthday just passed. Modern Society says : The King has resolved to depart from the precedent set by Queen Victoria in 1858 by deferring until next summer, when the Prince of Wales will complete his eighteenth year, tbo Prince's formal entry into London Society, instead of arranging it now. For the next 12 months he is to pursue his military studies, and is not to be permitted to accept general invitations. After the investiture art Carnarvon His Royal Highness will, in a sense, retire for the time being into private life. Queen Mary is in thorough accord with this policy, as she dreads very greatly the premature introduction of her children to the artificial life of the Court. The younger sons of their Majesties bare already resumed their ordinary life, either at school or at home, and they will spend the holiday period, before the departure cf the Royal party for India, with their usual quietness.