Empire Day.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13337, 13 July 1907, Page 3 (Supplement)

Empire Day.

':■ 30,000 SCHOOLS REJOICING. . NOVEL INCIDENTS. London "Daily Chronicle"'' Empire Day was widely celebrated throughout the British Isles and the Colonics. Kipling's song was the keynote of 'the school children's observance, and it. was largely a children's day. Lord Meath, who fathers the movement for a- school children's recognition of Empire Day. calculated that 38,000 schools in the Empire* ;cok part in tlie ceremonies, as compared with 29,000 last year. ■ Easily foremost of the schoolc ehbrations in England was'that at Walpole Park, Ealing, in which over 4000 school chilren of the borough participated, and over twice that number of adults looked on. Lord Meath addressed the children, and prominent colonials. Mr Bent, Prime: , Minister of Victoria, and Mr James Hughes Director of Education of Ontario, also made speeches'. ill- Bent, in his address to the children,, j-a'id that, thousands of boys and girls in Australia were crying, ''Three' Cheers for Good Old England" that day. Mr Hughes, speaking for Ontario and Canada, paid that thirteen yeais ago ho had to tell some of their great men that there were more flags in the public schools o f Toronto than in all the Board schools of England. ' Rousing patriotic songs were sung lustily by the 4000 children of their favourites appeared to be that adapted from the New Zealand cadets' marching song, the rendering of which won special praise frrom Lord Meath.-. Another picturesque celebration'was that organised by the Victorian League for the benefit of the elementary schools- of Chelsea. From 12 rchools upwards of 2COO boys and srirls were arsembled in the grounds of the Royal Hospital. Chehen. Standing close-, in serried rank*, with th-ir bright young faces, the children offered a striking contrast, to the groups of pen sioners, whose worn faces and medal-adorned coats •testified that, in their day and generation they had served th-3 Empire well. Lord and Lady Methuen, Sir Frederick and Lady Lugard. Lady Jersey. Major Ricardo, Sir Ronald Lane. Sir Frederick Hillyard, Colon?! Murray, the Rev. R. Moselev, and many others were present. .Lord Methuen. in a brief i-pe-ech. told the. bovs and girl.- Ire would not speak to them of' patriotism but rather of their after life. He told them to study thrift._ for thrift, led to temperance, not only in drinking, but in everything, and helped them not only to guard their own money, but to keep that self-respect which would prevent Ihem ever taking a penny of the ratepayers' money s-o long as God gave- thme strength to work for themselves. Stock Exchange depression was temporarily forgotten, when numbers assembled in thtir thousand* in'the Hous-e at the opening hour to sing the National Anthem. It i-i no scratch performance when the Stock Exchange elects to >ing. Leaflets of the words of the anthem were distributed early, but many preferred to trust :':o memory. Tlsp full-lKarted rendering which was given by the London financiers rannot be cxc:.?ded in fervency, intensity, and f.vling in any part of the King's dominiori~. Ttj was sometime before the Hous' retted down to its normal husir.e. 1 :-. ' In Canada, th l day \vj» everywhere observed as a holiday, and in several cities tli'iv were military parades. Empire Day has become Gibraltar's most, prominent fete, and is m- a. holiday. The ships in the harbour wer* dres-.s-cd with bunting, and the public buildings were gaily decorated. In tli--' afternoon there was a festival at which o\—r a thou; and scholars were present. Large

heartily joining in the celebration of the day. ' A thousand children of Walworth were driven around London in thirty brakes \i> *. -.- ill- hi:-unit: bui!dji:g.-- and monuments. At the Gloucester Road L.C.C. -School, i'eckham,each room of the boys' school was decoratt d and .. iiib.ilMiei! k:j as to i v -j.v of 'tin-- < hie! i-oiiii- ::•!■. oil ■,ii-: Einoir--, G: >il . Britain and irjand, Canada, A ii.-i;,. :\\n. W- <, tvt'u ■., < : c. In the giil.v' .»■< i !'-i h-- < <\u<U .•:!.'-.>■■■ r- "! ill- couii'.; ;V.- i.-;' !;:•■ ! 'l;jii;l:--. and c iii. - ! tableaux. Empire Day was. celebrated in Vienna by a reception given at the British Emt.vthr £riti>Sh're-idincs in the cky. The guests numbered abotU ICO. In Richmond each .school was cuppli.-.d with a Union Jack and other smaller ilag-s fur use in the procession-to the Town Hall Gardens, where about 3CUO childien were addressed by the Mayor. Councillor Sand-over.'ex-Mayor, and-the first- Australian to be e!octeiL-u mayor of an English borough, presented each elementary school with a large coloured map of th* Empire. The boys, of the Roan School, Greenwich, had effected an exchange of flags with Uw boys of Greenwich, New South VVales. Tha trophy was unfurled by the Mayor of Greenwich. At Mr Spurgeon's Orphanage there was a formal function. Pastor Thomas ' Spurgeon.took the chief part in it, unfurling tha flag and calling for cheers. . At the Conference- of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows at Polkestoha the Grand Master said: '1 don't want'to do anything of a political character, but today is Empire Day, and I have been asked if I will allow ithrea cheers to go across to our brethren. Do you object to it" (Loud cries oL"No.") The Grand Master: Then get on with it. The delegates rose -and gave three lusty cheers. .- .