The Royal Silver Wedding,

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16259, 9 July 1918, Page 6

The Royal Silver Wedding,

Tho sonoral rcjoiciug and enthusiasm with which tho silver wedding of our Kin;* and Queen has been celebrated in Great Britain is a measure of the loyal affection and devotion with which thetr Majesties are regarded throughout the whole Empire. Never before, with the possiblo exception of the time of the French Revolution, has the monarchical institution been subjected to so severe a strain as in this great war, and never before in British history have the ruling Sovereign and his Consort been so firmly enthroned in the hearts of their subjects as are their Majesties the King and Queen of England at this moment. There is no posing, no theatrical alfectation, no make-believe, in anything that they do. "An honest, " God-fearing couple," they were once described to the present writer by one who had every opportunity of knowing them well, and so they are. We do not find the King usurping the functions of military commanders at tho front, and endeavouring to secure for himself or for his Heir-apparent the credit of any success that may be securcd. King George, however, loses no opportunity of showing his keen sympathv with the men in tho firing line, and his son is sharing their dangers and working up his way in his profession as a soldier like any other officer. Both the King and his gracious partner are above all things human, sympathetic, and kind, and they lose no opportunity of heartening! up their subjects in the great .fight they are waging, whether in the trenches or in the workshops. Personal influence and examrJe in high places are of very great value in a conflict in which the "moral" of a nation counts for so much, and the King and Queen have been a great national asset in this war. The people of New Zealand entertain grateful recollections of their Majesties' visit to the Dominion, and will join heart and soul In the congratulations which are being offered to them on this interesting occasion.