THE CORONATION CEREMONY

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 13729, 18 March 1915, Page 6

THE CORONATION CEREMONY

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KNIGHTING OF CITIZENS

The Queen of iho Can:ir.:! (Miss Gladys Baxter) war. v,owned -...ahdue pomp and ceremony sn "Tii; iii3;j,.-: =• Park, yesterday afternoon in the, presence of a larg© assemblage or peophl. J.t was appropriate that the HiberniV.u Society's candidate t'.jr.'.iid 1m iiio central figure in a,Pui;c!ioii whi-li Look pincc on St. Patrick's Day. Before the cereir.ot v a iiiKoheon took place at the Ck>>n ■••>niia! Hotel, at which were present the Queen-elect, the Maids of Ho.^n- (Mis-;:» Dorrie Bland and Gladys :::;a'K..). -ho Herald (Miss Dulcie Ham;! on), Jr. T. A. H. Field, M.P., Mr. C Leapt:r (secretary of the Carnival Committee), Mr. W. Lints (the organiser), and Mr. V. Crequer. After lunch, headed by the Band of the 12th Regiment and escorted by a guard of honour drawn from the Territorials, the royal party proceeded to near the stand in Trafalgar Park, in carriages drawn by white horses, followed by a large crowd. On arrival, the Queen-elect and the Maids of Honour were accommodated with seats on a specially constructed dais, and the ceremony proceeded. Mr Field, before crowning the Queenelect, delivered the following speech : "Citizens of Nelson, hear me! O ye people of the City oi' Kelson, and of the surrounding coimtrv in tho district of Nelson, know ye nil that by I<he vote of the people; taken on the I nth day of March instant, Miss Gladys Baxter was elected Queen of Nelson accordingly. and I call upon all ye now present, and all dwellers m the city and country, to respect and pay due homage to your, Queen. Hail, 0 Queen, we come before thee; we bow the knee unto thee. Inasmuch as.it has been decreed by thej people thou art the one who shall rqjgn over them, .so it is my lot as one of your majesty's most humble servitors, to make obeisance. Also, 0 Queen, have the people decreed that I, most] humble servant, must' place on thy head this crown as a token that thou art really and in very truth their Queen, and by the same decree do I pass into thy keeping; the gold sceptre as a token thai, thou shalt rule. Pardon my shortcomings, 0 Queen, for this day I am flustered and overcome by the weightiness of my responsibility, and if I fail or falter in the proper fulfilment of my important duties, I prithee, stay the hand of thy great servant, the j Lord High Executioner. Fain would I not be killed. May thy reign be great and just. May the hairs of thy head retain their glossy hue. May thy loyal subjects ever proclaim thee as the great Queen. May they ever repeat, thou art the one, thou are the one, yea 0 Queen, tliou art the one! So long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so long as the rain descends from the heavens and kisses the flowers on the earth, so long as all that, and so much ! longer, may we hail thee. Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen 1" After the crown had been placed on the Queen's head, she received the homage of those near her, the Maids of Honour making their obeisance in a graceful manner. -The Lord High Chancellor (Mr. A. Gould) delivered himself as follows: — "Silence in the Park! Listen, hear, and hearken! "It hath pleased her most gracious majesty the Queen of Nelson, Maitai, and dependencies, to appoint me, one of the humblest and truest of her assorted subjects, to the mighty and exalted position of Lord High Chamberlain. "It has also pleased and delighted her seraphic majesty to command me, as Lord High Chamberlain aforesaid, to deliver, declare, and pronounce to her dutiful and loyal subjects such words of greeting as the in her wisdom has considered appropriate to the present extremely auspicious occasion. "Wherefore and therefore, 0 you human atoms who dwell in this felicitous corner of her majesty's realm, be guided by what you shall now hear-'----and remember, so that, it may be well with you and yours, and your sisters and your cousins, and your aunts, the have-beens, and the might-have-beens, the Colonials, the English, the Irish, the Scotch, and the French beens. "Take heed, therefore, and hearken: •To all faithful .subjects and objects who dwell within the City of Nelson and surrounding districts, townships, and communities, greetings, loud, long, and lively. As ye have thought it well, wise, i and prudent to elect me to be your i Queen, and by that most valiant knight i Sir Thomas Field, M.P. (until beaten by a better man), to place this golden crown upon my head, and to place this sceptre mmy right hand. So also doth it please me to be here to-day to acIcept these honours, and to perform such 'duties as are connected with my high and responsible office. . " 'Now it is my command that tnis, my royal'greeting, shall go forth over land and water, and even to the remotest corners of all territories which acknowkdge my sovereignty and submit to my rule. . , " 'To the labourers m the hophelds; ithe toilers m^the apple orchards; the owners of dairies who receive the cream of the joke; the farmers who dwell in the hush of the bush, and who are satisfied recipients of County Council favours, such, as gravelled roads, two-teet-deep ruts, and asphalted pavements; to my lucky subjects in the prosperous and electric-lighted communities of Richmond and Brightwater (and I am [reminded that Nelson is 'gas-tly in comparison); to the progressives of the City of Stoke, who won't be happy till they get it; to the seasides at lahunanui, who narrowly escaped a !railway station in their midst; to the thriving people of Wakapuaka, who always rally in strong force to every 'concert held in their locality ; to the gay and gallant sportsmen of the uplands, who aim at wild pigs and hit wild pigeons; to the manufacturers, buyers, and all importers of cement, so freely used in the erection of those noble edifices which grace the historic cities of Wai-iti, Belgrove, Appleby, and Kohatu: to all motor-car drivers whose speed never exceeds 25 miles an hour round dangerous curves; and to all who unite in encouraging, supporting, and maintaining those industries which are conducive to our peace, prosperity, and progress. To each and all this is my command, laid and enjoined upon you; that you ever strive to allow your mutual friendships to develop into bonds of love and affection; but see to it that you love the right person or persons, honour every appeal made to you. by the 12th Regiment Band, avoid giving a threepenny-bit to their call when 2s 6d will do as well; let wives without hesitation show all their drapers' and milliners' bills to their husbands with-

out apology or excuse; let she or hers with flowing hair tied with ribbons be, under the paternal or maternal roof before 13 o'clock g.m. Let all tavernkeepers give honest measure and sell honest, pure liquor, avoiding froth onthe one hand and short measure on the other. " 'In pursuance of the power and privilege vested in me, I am now pleased to confer the honour of knighthood upon our loyal and dutiful subjects.' " The speech from the throne being ended, silence was called by a bugle blast, and the Herald proclaimed:— "Long Live the First Queen of Nelson!

"Inasmuch as our Queen is a just and honourable Queen, and would honour certain of her subjects in a fitting manner, for certain services rendered in her behalf, now I am commanded to call on the following good men and true so that they may receive such recognition as the Queen may think fit. "Long Live the Queen!" The conferring of tho knighthoods caused much amusement.

John Moriarty was the first person called, and the Lord High Chamberlain, on behalf of the Queon, said:—"lt hath come under .my notice that you are a well-known West Coast 'Irish reciter, and your win against all-comers in that ever-memorable contest on the Coast in 1905 was well deserved. As proprietor of the Provincial Hotel you have gained groat honours at the 'bar.' I therefore now dub thee K.C.1.R." (Knight Commander of the Irish Reciters.) William Joseph Doyle was then called, and was received with, warm applause. The Lord High Chamberlain said:—'"lt hath come under my notice that thou art the well-known Bill of bulldog tenacity, leader of the boys who gained the celebrated victory for the Hibernians, valiant in foray and skirmish, never returning home without much booty whereby my cause has been much advanced.. I now therefore bid you kneel and receive the title of K.C.H.T." (Knight Commander of the Hibernian Thunderbolts.) Vincent Crequer was next called, and was addressed thus :—"lt hath come to| my ears that thou hast, been most_ loyal to my cause and steadfast in my interests ;" and it pleases me to do honour to < such a valiant supporter. It hath beenj reported to me that once thy hand was set to the plough thou never looked behind thee until the golden grain was gathered in. In recognition of thy great services I now dub thee Sir Vincent Crequer, K.C.M.H." (Knight Commander of the Motor Hogs.) The fourth knighthood was conferred on Mark Levy, who was thus addressed : "You are honoured in consideration of your lengthy services as a postal; official, your prowess on the bowling green and in the dancing room, and for your ardent efforts in the Hibernian! cause. You are therefore commanded to kneel and receive the title of Sir: Mark Levy, X.C.0.p." /Knight Commander of the Worthy Order of Bowlers.) The knighting having been concluded the Lord High Chamberlain continued: "Let me now express my pleasure at being deemed worthy of such high and exclusive honours as have been bestowed upon me this day, and it affords me unbounded delight to view such an aggregation of youth, beauty, courage, and intellect as is around, behind, and J>efore me. In the season of our festivities let us remember our loyal sons who have so readily and nobly responded to the Empire's call, and over whom waves our glorious Union Jack. I desire that all hearts shall unite in one fervent wish, that victory may crown their efforts, and that the invisible Power Who guides, directs and. controls, will permit them all to return, laden^with honours, and covered with glory." This concluded the ceremony, and a squad of one hundred children, who had been trained by Mr Lints, executed a floral march, to music supplied by the Rind. The evolutions were earned out with marked precision and earned the hearty plaudits of the crowd. The speeches delivered by Messrs. Field and Gould and the Herald were composed by Mr. E. Dimant. The principal incidents of the coronation, and the floral march by the'boys and girls, were photographed with a cinema camera by Mr. A. Hurst for the Permanent Pictures.