AN EPOCH-MAKING TRIP

Otago Witness, Issue 3443, 9 March 1920, Page 42

AN EPOCH-MAKING TRIP

THE PRINCE OF WALES ON TOUR. WHERE KING EDWARD SCORED. SOME STORIES AND IMPRESSIONS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 27. From every point of view the visit of the Prince of Wales to the United States has Been a huge success, and it augurs well for his talked-of trip to New Zealand. Mr Chauncey M. Depew closed an eloquent speech at the Pilgrims' Society by stating in epitome what every clean-think-ing American' is saying His remarks summarise the feeling of affection which the Prince lias Avon for himself and Great Britain. He said:

" His has been an epoch-making trip. He has added new links, human links to the ties which unite Canada to the British Empire. Alany more missions have come to us during the war than ever before. They have consisted of famous generals, great statesmen, powerful financiers, but none of them has appealed to us like the Prince. To quote a homely New England saying, he seems to be just among his own folks. He has grasped and tactfully interpreted our American ways and habits of looking at things, he speaks the American language, he has won our hearts, he carries home our appreciation, our affection, and lasting memory." The thousand odd Pilgrims and their friends loudly applauded these sentiments, but gave the Prince an ovation of twice the intensity that wag. ever accored to any distinguished guest of a sooiety which has done infinite good in promoting friendship between the Anglo-Saxon peoples. "REMOVE THE CUP." - There was one little incident, showing that here, where most of the diners had already seen H.R.H. several times, there was the same desire which all other New Yorkers show to see as much of the Prince ais possible. In accordance with the society's custom, a large loving cup was placed before the new member. In the cup was a large bouquet of roses, behind which the Prince could not be seen. There were loud cries of " Remove the cup 1" and calls in unison, "We want to see the Prince!" who, when the cup was taken away said lie liked flowers very much, and was'glad to bo able to hide behind them. Mr Chauncey Depew told a story of when King Edward, as Prince of Wales, came to America, a high official rushed forward, grasped the Prince by the hand, and said: "Most welcome, Prince, we are all mighty glad to see you. How's your mother?" There was a delightful tradition that when King Edward 'was at West Point, some 60 years ago, some choice spirits among the cadets suggested that the Prince should have one night off. Prince' Edward, on hearing this, told the company that "my grandfather did better than I've done. I have not had a night off at West Point or anywhere else." "THE LITTLE PRINCE." A Winnipeg correspondent, writing to a friend lin London, says:—"The little Prince is. winning everybody's heart in Canada. He is 'our little Prince' to everyone. No one can resist his youth and happy ways. At the investiture at Winnipeg one woman who received her son's medal broke down, and the dear lad just put his arm round her, comforted her, and took her back to her seat. He is a good sport, too, which lias captured the men. His departure from Winnipeg would probably have astonishd his Royal mother had she seen him sitting on the hood of the car, waving his cap and gloves to the crowds on his way to the station." NOT A SINGLE MISTAKE. The leading journals emphasise the good fortune of Great Britain in possessing a Prince who can stay abroad so long and "not make a single mistake." "Such precision and correctness of deportment," says the New York Times, "not merely in his personal relations, but as the representative among us of a great and rival Empire, could only have been the result of lifelong discipline. From the cradle he has been a Prince. We have seen enough of him to know that the future relations between the two great kindred nations will not be needlessly jeopardised. His sojourn here has been a notable service in promoting the future good relations of Great Britain and America." "FEELING LIKE A BRIDE." One day, in New York, the Prince had a remarkable reception from a number of women. When he appeared dressed in the uniform of a British officer, and carrying a malacca cane, they pelted him with biossome. The Prince was somewhat embarrassed, but he managed to keep a friendly smile. "I never knew what it was to feel like a bride before," he remarked, with a clvuckle, to Viscount Grey. PRINCE CHARMING AIR. In H.M.S. Renown the Prince held a reception of a- thousand New York children. Of this a correspondent wrote:—"The great and unique battleship never has, and perhaps never will witness such another, party as this, with the grim steel decks trod-* den by the feet of laughing fairies, and the grim grey casemates the background of slim, nimble bodies vivid in silken colours. The beautiful chambers of the Prince's suite, and the wide, wonderfully-draped after-deck under its awning was alive with their movement ,and ringing with the laughter of these fairies with up-to-date airs. American children are the idols of America, and the rulers of America's house. They have a lively beauty all their own, and their aplomb fills the mere European with awe. But you can imagine how they played and enjoyed a ball party on a great rare ship like the Renown, and the Prince, -with his Prince Charming air, was the fittest host for them-. The Renown was like a picture from a- tale in a fairy book, with its laughter, its movement, its colours, its kiddies." It is the opinion of the New York Globe that the Prince's visit has done more to make friendly the relations between America and the English nations than 20 or 30 Senators can soon undo. "AS SOON AS I CAN." The Prince's farewell message was very friendly and naturally boyish:—"l refuse to say good-bye. Whether you like it or not, I am going to pay the United States another visit as sooif as I can, because I like it so much, because I wish to see much more of the country and its people, including the great West. There is only ono

thing I should like you to say for me in the press. I have had hundreds of charming letters since I came to the United States, not a single disagreeable one. I wish all these letters could have been answered There have been too many to make that possible, but I hope that their writers will let me thank them in this way very much for the nice things which they said. New York haa been so kind < to me that I can never forget my first visit. I am proud to be a New Yorker in my own right, and am determined to see more of the great city as soon as I can. One can never have enough of such hospitality as yours. I hope all the people of the city will realise how grateful and appreciative I am." A " TEMPORARY " FAREWELL. Regretting his farewell —temporary—to Canada, the Prince said his visit there would influence the whole of his life. "Canada has, in fact, so thoroughly spoiled mo that I have been feeling more and more at home all the time. The result is that I am not only intensely Canadian now, but I shall feel Canadian all the rest of my life, and shall never be happy if too many months elapse without a visit to my home on this side of the Atlantic. This visit has taught me a thorough understanding of all Canada stands for on the North American continent. You are guardians of British institutions on this continent, and your development as a nation with increasing power and influence will be one of the most important factors in determining the relations between the British and the United States. Nothing can go wrong with the British Empire if all nations maintain this intercourse and understand each other's standpoint."