"SOUL OF NATIONAL LIFE ”

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20105, 11 May 1935, Page 17

"SOUL OF NATIONAL LIFE ”

ELOQUENT TRIBUTES TO KING WONDERFUL SCENE AT WESTMINSTER United Press Association—By naectrlo Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, May 9. The scene in the great Westminster Hall was unequalled in history, 464 Peers and 455 Members of the House of Commons assembled to hear the addresses of the Houses of Parliament to the King, read by Lord Sankey, Lord Chancellor, on behalf of the House of Lords, and the Speaker, on behalf of the House of Commons, in the presence of representatives of the Dominions, former Cabinet Ministers and Judges. Dignified Pageantry. Their Majesties entered by St. Stephen’s porch beneath a scarlet and gold canopy, headed by the Sergeant-at-Arms and the Speaker, in full uniform. Members of the House of Commons were formed in fours, the first of them being the Prime Minister, Mr Macdonald, Mr G. Lansbury, Leader of the Opposition, Sir Herbert Samuel, Liberal Party Leader, and Sir Dennis Herbert. Then came Mr Stanley Baldwin, Mr C. R. Attlee,, Mr David Lloyd George, as Father of the House, and Sir Austen Chamberlain. Their Majesties were seated on a rose and gold coloured throne, flanked by their four sons, fronting the Parliamentarians’ War Memorial. The King’s sons sat on the traditional red leather benches. The Voice of the Peers. The Lord Chancellor, in offering heartfelt congratulations, said that into 25 years had been crowded the fierce ordeal of the most desolating war in history, the toil of rebuilding of which had shaken the structure of our common life, and the clow and arduous endeavour to regain prosperity and to establish peace. Elsewhere thrones and constitutions had failed to last out the strain, yet in this realm the development of public rights and liberties had not been arrested, but had been made wider and surer. “Your Majesty rules over a nation of free citizens," said Lord Sankey. “The Throne stands more firmly than ever before as the centre of national life. Your Majesty’s own personality has made the throne not merely a symbol but a loved and living reality, and has given a new meaning to the name of King. Her Majesty's unfailing interest hr the lives and the homes of the people has won for her a place of her own in then- affection. In your sons, who are always active in every part of world in public service, we have sure confidence that vwhen this generation has passed and this week’s bright pageantry becomes a distant memory, the House of Windsor will still reign over a loyal and united people. From the depths of our hearts, we pray that God will bless your Majesty.” “Head of the Family." The Speaker followed in similar strain, and concluded with the following sentence: “By the gracious aid of the Queen you have won by sympathy and kindliness something warmer than allegiance, more profound than loyalty. To-day, you are more than a sovereign; you are the head of the family. We offer with deep respect and affection, the homage of a free parliament, and pray that by the blessing of Almighty God you may long continue as the sovereign of a proud and devoted people.” The King's Thanks. The King, in replying to the speeches, said: “I thank you from my heart for the loyal addresses, and for the words of devotion and affection for myself, the Queen and family. Your presence, accompanied by the Dominion Prime Ministers, gives rise to many memories and thoughts. The mother of parliaments and her children have grown to full estate, and stand now on equal terms in common allegiance to the Crown. The unity of the British Empire is no longer expressed by the supremacy of the timehonoured Parliament of Westminster. The Crown is the historic symbol that unites the great family of nations and races scattered in every quarter of the earth. Never before in history have such wide varieties of speech and culture been brought into the commonwealth of peace. I especially welcome the representatives from my Indian Empire. “This, my palace of Westminster, is the very cradle of our envied parliamentary institutions. Here is the anvil on which our common law was forged to become the joint Inheritance of the United States of America and of our own community of peoples,” continued his Majesty. "Beneath these rafters of mediaeval oak, witnesses of historic tragedies and pageants, we celebrate the present under the spell of the past. It is to me a source of pride and thankfulness that the perfect harmony of our parliamentary system with the constitutional monarchy, has survived the shocks that in recent years have destroyed other empires and other liberties. Our ancient constitution is very adaptable to change, and has during my reign faced and conquered the perils of warfare 'hat were never conceived in earlier days, and met and satisfied the new democratic demands both at home and overseas.” Cherished Inheritance. The King continued: “The system bequeathed us by our ancestors, again modified for the needs of the new age, has been found once more, as of old, to be the best way to secure government by the people, freedom for the Individual, ordered strength of the

State and the rule of law over governors and governments alike. On looking back over the 25 years of my reign, the thankfulness that I feel to-day is chiefly for the escape from a danger, greater than ever before, which threatened our land. I can never forget how the danger from without at once united all parties, classes, governments and races in the Empire. Let us not in this hour of thanksgiving fail to remember those who gave their lives, or who are now maimed or blinded, that we might continue to enjoy the blessings of life. In the aftermath of the war in a world exhausted by its ordeals, and impoverished by its destruction, we set ourselves to resume normal ways, to recreate the structure of our industry and commerce, and to respond to the urgent desire to improve conditions of life. We were treading on unfamiliar and broken ground, for there had been far-reaching changes, especially in economic conditions. Everywhere a feeling of lack of confidence hung like a shadow over human endeavour, but we made headway by the earnest goodwill, prudence and stability of my people. To-day the country can attribute to this a measure of its industrial success which gives it confidence for the future. I am very conscious that these years have brought hardship and often disappointment, and I have been moved to profound admiration for the great-heartedness of my people and their steadfast fortitude and unbending will to overcome it, which they have ever shown in anxiety. I sympathise deeply with those who have endured sadness and the burden of unemployment. It is a source of comfort to me to feel that from these times of trial there has grown up throughout our community a stronger feeling of fellowship for one another. I give thanks to Almighty God, who has so far sustained me and my people, and pray that we may continue to pursue the cause of freedom and progress in the spirit of peace, tolerance and thankfulness.”

VISITORS ENTERTAINED KING AND DOMINION MINISTERS UDlted Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, May 9. The New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr G. W. Forbes, and other Dominion Ministers and their wives, attended the State dinner at Buckingham Palace to-night. The function, which was a brilliant spectacle, was held in the State dining room on the first floor. The guests were seated at a great horseshbe table, their Majesties being at the top, with other members of the Royal Family nearby. After the dinner theif Majesties mingled with the guests. Mr Lloyd George and Mr Winston Churchill were included among the guests.