PRIMROSE DAY.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VI, Issue 27, 5 July 1890, Page 3

PRIMROSE DAY.

T. HOUGH only dating from a few years l*ack, the celebration of Primrose Day has already come to be regarded in England a< in some degree a sort of ’’oiqj national occurrence, and to raak among dF w the notable events of the year. Poss. j sibly the decay of old May Day, and * _ '/ the absence of any corresponding fes_MuH \ tival to note the departure of the dull ,--x weather and the opening up of the ’ brighter season, has cause*! many who A- 1 i have no Conservative leanings to welcome the return of the anniversary of Lord Beaconsfield's death. Though it is now but nine years since Benjamin Disraeli breathed his last at Curzon— treet. Mayfair April 19th, 1881 1, the worship of his memory as symbolise*! in his favourite flower—the primrose—has already taken a most remarkable development. It is little more than five or six years since Sir Drummond Wolff, Lon! Randolph Churchill, and a few other choice spirits representing the sentimental and chivalrous aspect of English Conservatism, aided by some enthusiastic ladies of the aristocracy, started the primrose cult. At first it moved slowly, and was, of course, the subject of much ridicule thrown at it by the extreme organs of the Liberal and Radical press, who inveigled against it in the mock heroic vein. There was something, however, so

grateful to the minds of the brick-battened Londoners in the decoration of the public places with the prettiest of early spring flowers at the time when the winter fogs were rolling off and the sunshine [>eeping into their grimy city, that the ceremony caught the public taste. The ;esthetic sympathies of the manv. to whom politics are a mere name, were touched, ami the recurrence of the primrose decorations on every 19th of April begins now to be looked forward to with pleasure. On the morning of that day numl>ers of jiersons, gentle and simple, in their carriages or afoot, may l>e seen wending their way in the direction of the Houses of Parliament near Westminster Bridge, where in front stand arranged round a square of trim, well-planted lawn the statues of England's recent premiers. Among them is one of the late Earl of Beaconsfield, ami there at its base the admirers of the deceased statesman reverentially deposit their paleyellow wreaths and bunches of primroses in testimonv of their admiration of his labours ami ability. Button hole bouquets of the same flower are the order of the day, and may Ire seen blushing everywhere upon the coats 'of the jennesse doree as they take their afternoon constitutional along the fashionable neighbourhood of Bond street and Piccadilly. At early morning large quantities of primroses may be seen proceeding to Covent Garden Market, whence they are distributed among the florists and flower-girls to be utilised for the purposes we have described aliove, and thus a new form of employment is develojied, which serves to give bread to a class of jiersons who find the necessities of the Modem Babylon very difficult to cope with. In addition to this public worship of the niemorv of Ixrrd Beaconsfield there is the Primrose League. This has its

56,000 knights, its 44.000 Dame*, ami its Associates, amounting in all to 750,000 jersons, who meet at Habitations scattered throughout the United Kingdom. India, ami the Crown colonie*. The society is bound together by a solemn affirmation or vow of alleigance to the Queen and Constitution, and in the event of social disturbance may serve as a useful rallying point for the Conservative elements of the nation. <»n our front page appear* an illustration of an early primrose gathering in the English country. There beneath the denuded branches of the still leafiest trees, and probably fanned by a vernal breeze not unlike the keener winds of a New Zealand winter, are two children collecting dowers for the London market. The extension of this industry has become so great as to aseriousdiminution of the primrose* root. In our other illustration is represented the various phases of the primrose anniversary in London. Accounts coming from England tell us that the celebration of Lord Beaconsfield's memory was held this year on a scale of greater j»opularity than ever, his statue being smothered with primroses by persons, some of whom were there lefore daybreak ; while at Hughenden, in Buckinghamshire, his tomb was covered with wreathsand immortelles sent by the Queen and other devout admirers.