EMPIRE DAY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13603, 25 May 1908, Page 5

EMPIRE DAY.

CELEBRATIONS'IN BRITAIN.

SI'E ECHES AT -THE * SCHOOLS.

FLAGS FROM-NBW .SOUTH WALES.

Press Association-By Telegraph-Copyright ■ , . LONDON, May 23. " The -Empire Day iele'btabbiis ; in- Britain have 'been spread ~ over three days.

A million children attending the schools in London saluted the flag yesterday. Lectures and exercises relating to the movement weie given'in 1000 schools. ; ■ ■ Th e municipal councils of Battersea.and Poplar refused to yfl the Hag. The display of bunting in the West End of London was greater than was ever known before. In the East End hundreds of i the. jpoorest children - purchased small flags. The boys of Eton College, presented Union' Jacks to the elementary iu Eton. .

At St. Mayor's school at Woolwich, the Mayor unfurled a .flag which had.; been sent from the. Woolwich. school. in New South Wales. The'-:staff., was. made from the timbers, of .the .; battleship .Trafalgar launched, at., Woolwich -in ;1844-. , .- sclKfol', a.'flag from ; the Greenwich school in South :Wales was unfurled. .._ •:,.' -- .••.■•. ... • •■•-' ; The.Earl of Meath through Mr Carruthr lately Premier of -New; South ; Walesi sent -a message-of, sincere (thanks to it-be Australians- for ; their.;enthusiastio support of the Empire movement dn;com»any-with ten; millioßt other-loyalisubjeets; vHe urged them not to forget the-'-spirits of the.movement which;; was expressed in its watchwords —"responsibility, duty, sympathy, self-sacrifice." -If these ideals, were impressed in; the home and at school- ,upon the rising generation, they would become worthy citizens of the mighiiest empire, in the world. ' Atnthe London, County Council's instance, a patriotic programme of lessons on • oitizenship was conducted in nearly every t school and . the ; flag was ; saluted. London's lead was generally : 'followed in the - provinces. .'..''

' The King thaned the ,London scholars fo" a message of loyalty. Th<. .Duchess of Albany distributed prize-' given'by Lord Esher to the national schools where the Earl of :Meathj addressed the children, oh how. best to i help tne Empire, and Senator Dobson-of Australia- reconunended luniversal training ,n drill ..H»d shc'oting so .as to enable them to defend the' Empire. ;.. i . Lord.|Tennyson, the. Earl of Meath,.-Mr ; Ru'dyard Kipling, Senator- .Dobson and Councillor iWeedon (LOrd-jMayor of Melbourne) spoke -at a similar u demonstration of the Boys Brigade bands at Shepherd's Bush. "

A large school at.Peckham; has .been •tern-,, porarilyv. transformed. - into '-.. a - museum for the display of the .products-of<th e Motherland and.the colonies 'lent by-Mr-Taver-ner. . (Agent-General for ' Victoria) 'an* others. The scholars wer e much interested in the display. . Mr Henniker Heaton presented- , flags from the Canterbury • and Paramatta schools. ■ ■■'_'' Mr Carruthers, addi-essing a thousand' scholars at Canterbury, emphasised " the loyalty of Australians; to the flag .-because it -was. the emblem of liberty, natianaf security and of th e Empire. He stated that 2500 schools in New .South Wales •would celebrate Empire Day. ....■> The' Mayor. of Canterbury returned thanks for the flag.. The headmaster of King's school (Canterbury) and the Dean of Canterbury eulogised Bishop Broughton's foresight in permanently establishing at the heart of Australia a school embodying the noblest ideals of English life. _ ..., ' Mr Heaton stated that King's school (Canterbury) and. King's school (Paramataj were modelled on the same lines, only the Australian scholars wore : a volunteer uniform. > . Tli e .Dean hoped soon every boy in England would enjoy military discipline. CELEBRATIONS IN SYDNEY. SYDNEY-, May 24. Empire Day was celebrated by a large church parade of the troops. The Gover-nor-General ■ and Sir Harry Rawson were present. ■ ■