WELCOMING HIS EXCELLENCY

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 850, 23 June 1910, Page 3

WELCOMING HIS EXCELLENCY

A WOMAN'S'.VIEW..'' It- was a fine pageant that. developed itself'yesterday before the eyes of those, fortunate folk who had seats, on. the dais at the Parliamentary' Buildings, whence they had an excellent view of all that went . on'. They missed' the sight of the .'procession as it passed through the streets,'. but watched it come into the grounds, and.curl itself."upon the green oval between, the thin red line immediately in front of the steps, and the line of dark blue men at the back, set out like f enc-. ing, posts; with plenty of-room, in between them for ladies and little boys to stand and complete the fence behind which the unorganised spectators stood. For-a'long time tho ' green stood, empty, except for the volunteers, and the early spectators employed, them-, solves watching individual arrivals, who came in carriages or motor-cars. It was a splendid, real Wellington day, cool and still and' bright, and it is to be hoped bis Excellency will usually experience such weather. . Tho front of the building was packed with people, overhead a. long line of flags waved brilliantly against the'bjne ,sky, Rooking', like flags of. another race'"'than those, which had floated dolorously from tho same building a month before. ■ A re-, minder of that day was, in 'the. black bands on' thd''amis..of the officers, and the mourning worn by many of- the ladies present. Lady Ward came in Mack, with black. plumed, .hat and, black fur coat; Hiss Eileen Ward was. in grey, with black and white hat;-. Lady Beatrice Kerr-Clark' who accompanied Lady 'Ward; wore a black seal coat over her black dress, and a wide fiat hat, massed with black, .plumes; Mrs. Wallis, grey frock, ■ with-' black, hat; Mrs.. Fitchett, violet costume.and. violet hat, with sable, cape. Others present were Mrs. R. M'Kenzie, Mrs; Seddon, Mrs. J. P. Luke, Mrs. F. ! M. B. Fjshcr, Miss Eraser, . and- Mrs. Hwang. .'.'■• - The- volunteers and .officers .were not the only men in uniform,., if, one can apply such a term to" the robes of the. Chief Justice, and Mr. Arthur Cooper, the professors of the 'University, and the Mayor,' who,-in kis'robes of officb, makes" a figure both imposing and decorative. The first part or the procession was tli'i)'smallest;'the- thin red line on the green eyes-fronted, and looked very martial .as these newcomers marched in behind' them, a troop of little girls and boys . bearing banners with most tremendously Imperial sentiment's blazoii3d upon them —the children of the Navy League; or such portion of them as were not merged in tho Boy Scouts, who followed close behind and stood in' close formation, tho tops of their khaki '-hats' almost lost to sight behind the scarlet volunteer wall. And • behind them again, curling across tho grass, came row after row of the various societies, all. decked out with the bright regalia of their orders. 'A little company, but one attracted much''attention, was tho Ancient Order, of Druids, Father Christmasy figures, who marched with firm-step, secure in the disguise of the costume of the Order and their venerable..beards._ They were far behind the children, which was just as well, for had the little..ones seel; them they would surely have expected presents from tho genial saints. Everything .was done in the most orderly fashion, everything passed off without a hitch, and the spectators looked on as silently as if they were in .church ; only one cry broke the. still-, ness—the. enthusiastic welcome, shouted .by a Maori woman, as the Governor passed the corner, and. there was again a shout when Sir Joseph Ward reached the bottom of.-the .stops, n huge shout —the Maori cry of welcome chanted in unison by a band of Maoris stationed j'.;st by the steps leading oii to the dais. ' They were dressed in European costume, but several had adorned tneinsplvc!| with Maori,, mats, and several grasped Maori weapons in their hands, as they swayed, and their eyes gleamed and.rolled. A .second, and still louder welcome was in store for his Excellency as bis carriage drew up,'hut its effectiveness was marred by the fact that at the same moment the band struck up the National Anthem, and.tho two greetings would not blend. The actual ceremony of swearing-in occupied a very few minutes, awl, when it was over his Excellency stepped down to meet some of the officers, and to inspect the little band of veterans; fore returning to the. dais, where ho talked to liady Ward, Miss Ward, the Bishop and Sirs. Wallis, and several 'others, and everyone else gazed at his -.Majesty's representative, and thought him a truly vice-regal figure—tail, and fine, and wearing bis resplendent uniform with a gallant air. They also remembered that to him had been accorded the privilege of an interview with King Edward VII on that last sad dav when the Knler of those overseas Dominions had firmly refused to take the rest that would have ' prevented his talking with . our new Governor, and Queensland's representative, and they felt that they, too, wished to honour the man whom King • Edward ' bad honoured. Once nioro the. band played "God Save tho King," and tho ceremony was over.-