PATER’S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3808, 8 March 1927, Page 10

PATER’S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

THE ROYAL VISIT AND OUR LOYALTY. On the IGth of this month the Duke and Duchess of York will arrive in Otago, and as loyal subjects of king and country, the people of this province of the Dominion will give the son of our Kin" and his charming wife a heartfelt and royal welcome. They have come a long way from all their familiar and happy surroundings to see us and to be seen by us. The visit of the royal pair-is not an idle journey undertaken for their own personal pleasure, but for the pleasure of doing the duty demanded of them by their high and noble position as princely heads of the splendid and just system of government which rules Britain and guards the Empire. Owing to the greatness of Empire and the vast spaces that separate its parts such visits can be made only once in the lifetime of such important personages. On that account the visit will •be a red-letter day in the hearts of all loyalists in the Dominion. The people of New Zealand have always been noteity for

their intense and generous loyalty to the throne. To the young people who will have the good fortune to see the Duke and Duchess, the day will be a day to be remembered all their lives, and among all that make up the population of the country and its dependencies outside these shores will be none who will show their loyalty' so freshly, charmingly, frankly and spontaneously as will the children of the Dominion, especially those of the loyal province of Otago. Since New Zealand became a selfgoverning colony there have been several visits made by members of the British Royal family.' The first to pay a visit to Australia and New Zealand was the Duke of Edinburgh, who came here at. the end of the sixties last century. After a long interval there came the present King and Queen. At that time King Edward reigned, and our King' was then the Duke of Cornwall and York. After that and only a short generation ago

came the present popular Prince of Wales, whose example in visiting the far-flung outposts of the Empire is now being followed by his royal brother, accompanied by his» charming and gracious consort, who has already greatly endeared herself to all who have seen and met her in the North Island. These visits are not only visits of courtesy and graciousness, but also visits intended to be useful to us and of practical benefit to the Empire as a whole. All the world is looking on and ing the adventure i of these royal ambassadors or messengers of the family ■bf his Majesty the King and his Government, and where they are at the moment, how they are received, and what they are doing is cabled every day all over the world, and especially throughout all parts of the Empire. At home in England, Scotland, and Ireland the progress made by the royal couple is closelys followed, and the knowledge of and the interest in these growing young nation* of the southern hemisphere is greatly increased. That interest and knowledge are spread to Europe, Canada, and the United. States, and so the peoples in

those places want to know more about us. They want to know all about our country here, its people, its population, its climate, its natural resources, the industries and life or conditions of its people, and their national wealth, commerce, and industries. . Looking at the visit from the point of view of material benefits, it is one of the greatest and most useful advertisements that can lie given our Dominion. That, however, is not all, and not the greatest- blessing the visit confers upon us. The greatest good created by such visits is the sentiment or feeling they create and fester in the hearts of the people, and, as has been wisely and fittingly said, “It is sentiment that rules the world.” It is sentiment that binds with affectionate ties our family and home life, and ’ reaches right up from the humblest hearts and homes through ail grades of society in a nation to the fountain heads of law, order, and justice, as represented by the Parliament of Great Britain. That sentiment or feeling of loyalty is, ds it were, a golden thread that binds the Empire with the temper and strength equal to that of bands of steel. While that spirit endures, the Empire will never fall to pieces or be broken in its power by the envious and jealous enemies who I to-day both openly and secretly are trying |to tear its bonds asunder. It is to the I interest, welfare, and happiness of all

within the Empire that that spirit or loyalty and co-operation should be upheld and wisely cherished. These visits of of the Royal Family are intended to cement and strengthen the t ties of our race and our relationship to each other, both as national units within the Empire and as individuals belonging to the greatest mother of nations the world has known—Great Britain. Thinking seriously of all these things or ideas, we find it our duty both for the sake of our own welfare and that of our magnificent empire to beware of these enemies both within and without our gates—those rabid, extreme Socialists and Communists, and secretly working foreign enemies who would destroy us and the power and the greatness of a country which has done more for the world and liberty than has the power of Niny other nation or empire known to history.

The man who will not be loyal and ready to fight to maintain .an empire and power which confers such benefits of law, order, security, and justice, as does the might of Britain with its daughter nations, is not fit to live within the bounds of the Empire and partake of its benefits. We have these political and international enemies amongst ' us, we know. They would break down our social and political system without having any proper or beneficial system with which to replace it. They would plunge us into disorders, tyranny, and misery for a hundred or more years while they tried to evolve out of chaos or ruin some new order, or till some new order evolved itself. In the meanwhile, to put the whole matter in metaphorical language, they would bo digging for water while most of us would die or be dying-of thirst. Let us conclude by saying we ought to feel very grateful to the King for sparing his children and sending them so far from his side, and also to the Parliament of Great Britain for bearing the expense and gXJ’ing us an opportunity, which to many of -us would otherwise never come, of see-ing--th 6 sons and daughters of our rulers, the living and gracious representatives of the might and majesty of the constitutional government of Grest Britain, than which in the world there is nothing greater or, finer. ' >- Loyalty is- a great thing. The spirit which makes us loyal to our King and country is born of affine* human, and

manly characteristic, which should exist in all our hearts through all our lives. That is the spirit which makes us loyal to our fathers and mothers, our teachers, our friends, our sporting teams, our finer senses of truth and honour, and our word and promiseLet it be remembered, also, that amongst all the peoples or races of the world there is no nation or race whose word or promise is so much relied upon as that of an Englishman, and by that is meant a member of the British race. Long live the King! Long last the Empire! And as long as it lasts may the Royal Family hold its place of honour as the head of our Constitution . TH.! PRINCE OF WALES: AN EPISODE IN HIS LIFE. The other day a journalist was going to the Midlands, in England. He was engaged on an important piece of work for a great newspaper, and he bore a well-known name, so he was travelling •in a Pullman.

At one station two young men got in. One said 'to the other, “Is this all right ? ” as though he had expected to find an empty’ reserved carriage. The other replied, “ Y'es, quite all right.” Then the journalist saw that he was travelling with the Prince of Wales and an equerry. In any other country the heir to the throne would travel in a special train, or at least surrounded by a host of servants and detectives. But our Royal Family of England have nothing to fear from our people. The equerry opened a book and read all the way. As for the Prince, he looked out of the window. He was ill and weary looking, but he seemed to find comfort in the green fields of England, hills an'd woods and rivers, clustering villages, fine white roads, and every Vow and then a stately house standing in park land —these things passed under the Prince’s eyes. Was he wishing lie had been born' a country gentleman, to spend his days quietly on a few acres, with horses, and gardens, and one or two farms to fill his time? The Prince was looking on the countryside. Was he wishing he had lived in' one of those cottages, with only an eight-hour day’s work to do, and after that freedom to walk on the hills, or to fish, or to play football, or to sit with other men saying what he liked to say, instead of having to say what was diplomatic? Did he think it would be good to marry whom he chose, and have a home so private and humble that no interviewer or politician ever invaded it? Did'he envy the men he saw working in the fields', who were free to come and go as they chose? The Prince is English, and Englishmen love liberty; he must envy’ his subjects, for in these days kings are the only people who are not free.

But as the autumn countryside looked very beautiful perhaps the Prince was not bitter at heart. For the whole of his life he must perform wearisome, monotonous duties, endlessly doing . his bit for and charity by travelling, bowing, smiling, talking to strangers, enduring speeches, and living for ever in a glare of merciless limelight; but it is all for England, beautiful in spite of all the jerry-builders have done, for this England that men will lay down their lives for.