MAGNIFICENT STATE CEREMONY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 784, 6 April 1910, Page 8

MAGNIFICENT STATE CEREMONY.

His Majesty's Entrance,

THE NEW BRITISH PARLIAMENT-

OPENED BY THE KINC

GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE SCENE. . London, February 22. On Monday, February 21, the King opened the third Parliament of his roign with tho customary brilliant ceremonial. In the Speech from tho Throne, which was listened to with rapt, attention by the crowded assembly in the House of Lords, his Majesty made it clear that the first business of tho new Parliament would he to put the finances of the country on a firm basis, after which he dealt with the question of the veto of the House of Lords in the following terms: —

Proposals will be laid before you, with all convenient speed, to define the relations between tho Houses, of Parliament, so as to secure tho undivided authority of tho House • of Commons over Finance, and its predominance in Legislation. These Measures, in the opinion-, of My advisers, should provide that this House should be so constituted and empowered as to exercise impartially, iu regard to proposed legis- - lation,. tho functions of initiation, revision, and, subject to proper safeguards, of delay. After the usual formal proceedings in the House of Commons, which led to no unexpected incident, and, contrary to reports which were circulated, caused no "important division," tho debate on the Address began. Mr.'• Asquith, in his eagerly awaited speech, declared that the Budget' would be taken before the Veto; that ho had neither received nor asked for royal guarantees regarding the House of Lords; that a Veto resolution would first be introduced, and, after the Budget had been dealt with, a House bf Lords Bill would be put forward. ,

Mr. Redmond, on behalf of the Irish Nationalists, denounced this plan of campaign, and the Labour party re-, framed from making any pronouncement until they had discussed the situation. Mr. Balfour delivered-a stinging attack on the policy of the Government in his most ' trenchant style, and in the House of Lords important . speeches were . delivered by Lords Lansdowne, Crewe, and' Rosebery. INTHE HOUSE OF LORDS. A FEAST OP COLOUR, ' , ' Amid the thunder of artillery and the i jm*tf tll £. P^P 16 ' fc^' B the "Standard ). the King came to Westminster to open Parliament. The great gilded coach, with its glittering escort of steel-clad soldiers and stalwart veteran Yeomen of the Guard passed down the long avenue of tho Mall, a shimmering snako. of: colour against the grey wintry landscape. It was swallowed up for a moment under the ancient, tun-nel-like archway of tho Horse Guards, and then emerged in all its splendour into broad Whitehall, where the welcoming people stood close-packed behind the hedges of bear skins formed by the. Guards. The sun shone,'but the wjnd was blusterous and cold, and the soldiers, were on great coats—a ' fact that robbed tho spectacle of some of its brightness. • -

.The edges of the waiting crowds were flecked with white foam as'the women waved their greeting to the Queen; the sound of cheering broke' in long rolls like waves upon a shingly beach;' St. Margarets tower, shook with the pealing of ..its bells; the boys of Westminster School shrilled a welcome; and evor. and again, over all, came the crashing thunder of the guns. In the beautiful Gothic hall which is devoted to the 'deliberations of the House of Lords a brilliant company had been assembling for an hour or more before tho time fixed for the.arrival of the King. The process was accomplished with all the dignity that marked the actual ceremony of the'day. Peers' and Peeresses, Ambassadors and Ministers, Bishops and Judges of the High Court, all had their appointed places, and found them without' confusion or crowding. There are five rows of benches of each side'of the House, and the three middle ones were reserved for Peeresses. The front and back benches were allotted to Peers, who, in their scarlet robes, looked like''ranks of soldiers set guard tho fair occupants of the middle space. An enclosure to the right of the' Throne, with seats arranged in tiers, held the Ambassadors and Ministers of foreign Powers at the Court of St. James—a brilliant, many-hued group, flashing with gold and jewelled orders, in which the Turkish Ambassador and' the Chinese Minister were conspicuous for the reason that they only sat with oovered' heads.

Close to the diplomatic bos were the' Bishops, distinguished by white ermino capes over red robes. The Lords Justices, in very handsome black an&gold, sat in a row facing and immediately in front of the Throne. Behind them were the Judges of the High Court, who, with ordinary Peers, filled every inch of space on the Woolsacks. In the centre or the floor the table, with its threo black-gowned clerks, stood out like a dark island in a shimmering sea of colour. Between the table and the Bar was 'a solid mass of red robes. The brown oak panelling that encases ; the side walls of the Chamber, right up to the high-placed stained-glass windows, is broken by a narrow gallery of beau-tifully-fretted woodwork; at one end, over the. Throne, is another gallery, both reserved for Peeresses of the realm. Only one man sat there, the Lord Mayor of London, in his robes of State.

. A-Scene of Beauty. The eye could not weary of the beauty of the scene; the perfectly-proportioned Chamber, the feast of colour. Above the daylight came in softly through stained glass; below, under the electric globes, diamonds broke into myriads of points of sudden flame, and rich silks and satins glowed in all the most' exquisite tints that have ever been worked into a master painter's (Smvas. Tho Duko of Norfolk, tho premier duke, ■ who later on'figured conspicuously as Earl Marshal in the opening ceremony, was one of the first to arrive, escorting the duchess to her seat next to the wife of tho Japanoso Ambassador and eloso to tho Throne. The Duke of Argyll wandered in and out. The Bishop of London, a late arrival, was overwhelmed with greetings. Lord Lonsdale made a rare appearance. Viscount Peelj a venerable figure, walking, with tho aid of a stick, was ono of tho' last to enter tho Chamber. At two o'clock all wero seated, and ; through the open doors on each side of the Throne one could see the resplendent ranks of the Gentlemen-at-Anns drawn up, with halbards at attention, ready for the arrival of the royal procession. At eight minutes past the hour tho hiim of conversation ceased abruptly, and the Prince and Princess of Wales entered from tbo left of the Throne. Tho assembly rose, tho Prince bowed, the Princess swept two 'stately curtsies before they took the chairs placed for them, one on each sido of the Throne. Then came Princo and Princess Henry of Prussia, the Princo a striking figure in admiral's uniform, reminding ono' strongly of tho. JSaisor, in .spito of-his' heard. '

.jilt was nearly a quarter of ail,hour after the appointed* time when the head of the Royal procession appeared in the doorway to the right of thel Throne. •Heralds and Pursuivants, in gorgeous liveries, .Officers of the. Household,, tho Great Officers of State—finally, their Majesties tho King and Queen. Very gallantly and very gracefully, the King assisted his Consort to ascend the steps of the Throne. There was an instant's pause as the Royal pair glanced over the brilliant assembly, which stood respectfully in their places. Then came the gracious invitation—which was a command —"Pray be seated" —the only words, except the Speech from the Throne, thai are spoken in all this coremony of the opening of Parliament —the most elaborate and magnificent that we. arc privileged to witness. Tho King was in Field-Marshal's uniform; the Queen,was in black, relieved by the blue ribbon of an Ordor and tbo wonderful Cullman diamond. , The Lord Chancellor stood behind the Prince of Wales's chair; Lord Crewe, bearing the Crown on a- velvet cushion,' and the Earl Marshal were at the King's right hand. To tho left of the Queen were Earl Oarrington, holding aloft the Sword of State;- the Lord Great Chamberlain, with his :long, slender wand of office; and the Marquess of Winchester, the bearer of the Cap. of Maintenance. .There was-a silent interval whilst Black Rod went upon his errand to summon the "faithful Commons" to the Royal .presence.! Presently the Speaker appeared at the Bar, attended by the Prime Minister, Mr. Walter t Birrell > Mr. -Wyndham, Mr. John Burns, and other leading members [from the Government and Opposition ranks. All tho space.allotted to the Commons; was instantly taken up. There were many new faces, but amongst the old Parliamentary- hands one noticed Sir J. H. Yoxall—sitting next to Sir R. Hcrmdn-Hodge— Mr. Rufus Isaacs, Mr. Bowerman, Mr. Masterman, Captain Craig, Mr. Fell, and Mr. Jowett. . ,

Elocution of Kings. The-Speaker, baring made his reverence, the Lord Chancellor left his place Md_ landed, to the King the manuscript ot tie Speech with a low bow. The Kong put on his cocked hat, and, sitting, immediately proceeded to perform Ills task. The Sovereigns of the House of Hanover .have Dearly all shown, remarkable powers of elocution in. the delivery, of the Speech from the Throne. Ge^ r S 0 lIL i "Did I read. that, ni „ "Js-Majesty once asked Lord chancellor Eldon. "Very well indeed, Slr - , "Ah!" Temarked the King, "I am;glad of.that, for there was nothing in it. • The old House of Lords was a dark and gloomy place • compared with, the brilliantly lighted and beautiful Chamber- that was the scene of tie present ceremony, and' it sometimes happened that the reading of the Speech was a matter of difficulty. William IV, in , opening the Parliament of 1836, could not for the life of him distinguish the words on the paper, though-he held it close, to his.nose. He persevered, however, and stumbled along, Lord Melbourne prompting, until somebody brought in two wax tapers; then the King stopped and said that he would begin againaat the beginning, and read the Speech in a manner becoming its importance: A year later a young girl stood in tie place of the . old sailor Kjng, and the-Speech from the Throne was tho sweetest voice tlat lias ever been.heard inthe Palace of Parliament. Of that memorable occasion it has been written: "The Queen's voice was exquisite; nor have I ever heard any spoken words more musical in 1 their gentle distinctness than.tie''My Lords and Gentlemen,' which ;' broke the breathless silence of the illustrious assembly,, whose gaze was riveted upon that fair flower of royalty. > (The-.en-unciation was'as perfect as the intona-? tion was melodious; and I think it is impossible to have a more excellent utterance, than'that of the Queen's English by the English. Queen." " King Edward has "inherited the gift of lis royal mqther; every syllable of the Speech' was.heard distinctly in every part of the Chamber; every word received its proper emphasis; and the intonations and the management of the voice'was perfect. Whether there was 'anything in the Speech" is a matter for politicians to discuss. The reading done, the King rose, and the whole company with him'. The procession was re-formed; one by one the royal personages bowed, curtsied, and, departed';' the ceremony ,'that. : had lasted just eleven minutes, was over. .