ROYAL CEREMONIAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16423, 6 May 1924, Page 2

ROYAL CEREMONIAL.

t " EMPIRE EXHIBITION. ■ . ■ ; v ■- Vf '• X DETAILS OF THE OPENING. LONDON, April 23. The great Irek to the Empire Exhibition began at day- £ break, amt every seat of the vast staff* ilium was quickly tilled as soon as the *; gatys were opened at 9 a.m. The ,<*> weather, unfortunately, was dull and X overcast. , ■ ™ ig.T'he* opening ceremony will live in the memory of thousands of overseas visitor;! to Wembley. It. was the most T impressive, brilliant, and beautiful X spectacle, ever witnessed. The cold, * misty-grey sky, completely hiding the * sjii, , did nothing to lessen the enthusiasm, though it enabled the gorgeously, uniformed males to outshine their wives, »- who were forced to conceal beautiful .i, dresses under cloaks and* furs. - A hundred thousand people rapidly 17 filled the stadium, where the most, v ;pfcmineirt feature was, the ; Boval dais, an elaborate, artistic structure with ,13 "' scarlet pillars draped in. purple and gold supporting the Tour, which was canopied with pimple and gold, with a gold crown in, pile centre. Beneath the canopy were' the gold and purple thrones of the King and Queen, and on either side of the dais were IECO chairs accommodating official visitors. n ' . • Cheers roiled' a crops the stadium when the Prince of Wales’ limousine entered the cinder track through a tunnel underneath the grandstand, and drove slowly round to the dais. Here the Prince alighted, and was welcomed by. Sir James Stevenson and other, officials. Then appeared from the tunnel seven trumpeters in golden uniforms and mounted on white horses. A blast front- their trumpets heralded the approach 'of the Royal procession in fou" open carriages, each with four horses, ■two postillions, and two footmen —with the exception of the Royal carriage, * which was drawn by six horses, with " ! three postillions, all wearing white breeches, red jackets heavily b-aided in gold, powdered wigs and black caps. Distant roars of cheering heralded the •amval-of the King and Queen, the Duk e of York, and Prince Henry and Prince ..George, driving in four Royal carriages. ■ "A fitvl escort of Horse Uuards, in brilliant uniforms with flashing breastplates, met’ the Royal party on the road from • Windsor. There were indescribable scenes of enthusiasm when the gates leading into the stadium were, flung open and the prancing hoi'Ses of the escort entered'. The spectators stood up, and a terrific crash pf cheering merged into the singing of “'Hod Save the King,” drowning the massed bands’ accompaniment. The King and Queen w,erc intensely moved. They bowed continuously as they drove at' leisurely pace around the ‘arena. As they stepped out of their carriage before the dais cheering broke out again. The King proceeded to inspect, the guards of honor furnished by the army, navy, and air force. The Royal trumpeters blew a fanfare as the King and ___ Queen mounted the dais, where the - - Prince of Wales and the president of > , the exhibition council were waiting to greet them. When they were seated' the Prince read an address of welcome. Then came a dramatic moment when the King rose to deliver his speech, for which countless thousands of his subjects. throughout the Empire were waiting breathlessly. There was a great hush as the King—unlike any other kin,, in history—began bis speech to bis vast audience, present and absent. PAGEANT ‘‘A MASTER PIECE.” .Prominent Australians expressed themselves as follows: Sir Hugh Denison saidl that lie con sulerocl Australia’s pavilion higlilv creditable, and that many notable people with whom he had spoken expressed delight, surprise, and admiration at the unique manner in which the organisers conveyed an idea of the conditions of life and the variety of. resources and manufactures ‘‘down under.’ Hie beauty and, dignity of the stadium pageantry made a fitting opening to what ...was! certain to be one of the greatest events in the Empire’s history. Lady Denison : The opening was a masterpiece. The picturesque cereT monial wtp, magnificently impressive, ■ and easily the finest spectacular ceremony I have seen. If the exhibition --is only as great a success as the open“*in'r ceremony, the Empire will have no •reason to regret it. The Australian .--pavilion is a- perfect miniature of the - : Sir Alexander McCormick : The exhibition will be an influence for lasting t>ood on the whole Empire. the 'Australian pavilion does full justice to "T, our life and industry. * >v Mf. Spencer Brim ton : 1 h<ivc seen many ceremonies, including the Kings 1 coronation and the inauguration of the 'T Commonwealth, but I have not seen carried, out with such splendor, ’ point), dignity, and magnificence. Viscount Novar: It was the most «moving spectacle I have ever seen T, Sir Joseph Cook : It was a wonderful ♦"show, wonderfully well done. *" Lady Adrian Knox: The ceremony X was absolutely wonderful, exceeding «anything that could lie imagined. ~ <Sir Benjamin Fuller: The stage manrtagement of the opening pageant was > S unerb It was a wonderful Epnpire X setting that will live in memory tranTscending anything that could be staged . in a theatre. ~ , mi . .. ~ Sir Timothy Coghlnn: The stadium "'scene was an'outstanding event in Em- • - pive pageantry, and it will become historic that this generation was privileged to witness such a ceremony.