The Timaru Herald MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1908. DOMINION DAY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13711, 28 September 1908, Page 4

The Timaru Herald MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1908. DOMINION DAY.

At- every social gathering of «ny-.-conw quence, held by imdj <tt "vvliicli tihtfe .is a toast list- to he gone through, tho first toast is always ' The King,. gentlemen, „ the King!" This ia as it should be, in a section* of the Empire* * which .rightly ■ claims to be ;«,h patriotically' devoted -to' the throne as does New Zealand. To ~ be sure, tlxts-toast is accepted on each occasion by many .who join ia singing "God Save the King" as a mere matter of form; the Ring te so vogue on entity to most people. '"lt would nob be amiss if this, th« Imperial toast, were 'followed! on similar occasions by another,,. "Tbo Laud we live in, 1 ' or «>me equivalent therefot, which, althoughit became. *•.. matter of course, would not be at Jill likely to become a matter of foruu Nev Zealandeife are proud of belonging to tbd British Empire; they do not feel' ' or sufficient pride in belonging t'o , Zetland. Perhaps this _is aiofc to bfl wondered At. The independent province*, "that were established about independent » colonies lmve been abolished, but the old provincial feeliug of sfepnrateness has not yet bet-n got rid of, . Anythiiig that temfa to weaken that. feeling must- bo accounted a good tiling, so far at all events a« that tendency goes, and one thing poise a* • sing that tendency was the adoption of a new official title for the country—the • "Dominion." One of iue speakers at ; .... the- town whoo}« oju -Jb'riday • pointed, oufe,„, , J that the w<)rk of the pioneer colonkta should not be forgotten. That ia tainly u-vu-, but New Xealanders of to* ; day ought to look rather to tho' future than to tlit* Those pioneer colo« ntetw—of numerous rwd colonies within the . oflicittl single . colony be it rememberedwhether they knew it or not, were laying th« Foundations of a nation, into which tho afiwmhlagt* of colonics they founded must some day l>e welded. This .end i* still to be achieved, and the process of its achievement may be slovf,. nnltasi, some great trial bring* the people *uddtirilv into oueiiftNK. failing such a trial-"* which Heaven forfcml! —lesser influences calculated to work in the dtsdttd direction mu«t be -h&Hily .weteoafcd* and #ugg<*ted above. ; the adoption of a new official title urny be thus regarded. The idea has been muoh derided, and JoolufA ; at simply *w ■ a change of title there *** not much to commend it. For one thing, it 'fob 1 provided «&' liwkw&rd pu*xte in the de*ignation of "the inhabitant* of the | Dominion, for colloquial jw&.' On the i other hand the new title doe# undoubtedly suggest a. step upwards an the scale of political communities, though, m Mr Wood j .pointed out to tins children of Waiumtaitai i school, this may be of more value elße% whew, than in New Zealand iteelT fk3» t \ i)«t«t\vr, is a small matter. What h* ; i A -«(ted. in the cultivation of a sentiment nf solidarity among the people of New > Zealand: aiul the official line of the new title alone will hitve.no effect. The ob>crv:ni(Mi of ft iintiuii.il holiday, if tlii' can be secured. n»y ha vJtpected to Have a considerable etfeet. lliowft who c*xi recall tlu« tiitl provincial Aunivenaty Days will bo ivady to iulntit thits. Tliey were holidays tins pirrjWKo of which W*a aofc entirely ignoml in th« festivities and ,-unwikiiieuts in wliich eacJi Annivernary Day w;wi jijwni in th« wveral province*; and if ii «ii«ilni- feeling for " Dominion Day" can b>- arouswl thtottghout N<w, Zealand, tlw* much'lo btitk-jiired tteone i,f unity should grow up until it atteined the strength which it in tho aliulislk-d provjuce*. Our K-lcgmn* kljuw that a good exaujj)l«j \ta« rn?i at Wellingti»u, wheru l)giniiuun Day waa «*iithu*Utsticaily Stub «ib*erta»o»» will have no chants of tiwiiiiing ffnirrut unle«», as Kir .f<wph Ward hinted that it wuuhi lj.«, th« day i«s made a Matutory holiday. And th-cii huHto purposeful tnuxt be ndciptyd to the |K*ople l-lw# iiit|«'rUiii'X» of ul*«crvu)«: it loyally a* » vAcritiw to tlwi s»|iirit «( patrioti»at. It Wißi at pity though. ihat the wjwdkMii a! W« j llinfft«*n <i«<-U. mi tntuli tijxnt tim warlike »i«le of national lifr. Such talk js if not for a jwiNew will not be built Up through *h« voluss!f>».-r »r wontnbttU<iim 'ft the Hriu4( Navy. Thew* thingn w»!l fititn a general «.f pj»lrw»tafftviing iho, n-tuuiii.tn o< all i"x«