NELSON DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 23, 22 October 1919, Page 8

NELSON DAY

"WATCH THE GOVERNMENT"

GATHERING AT THE WELLINGTON COLLEGE Nelson Day was marked by an interesting ceremony which took placo quietly oh the Wellington College grounds at noon, yesterday. This consisted of tho presentation by Colonel G. F) C: Campbell, on behalf of tho Wellington branch of tho Navy League, of a New Zealand Ensign.to the school in honour of tho manner in which the Navy League had flourished within its walls. Tho college has no fewer than 390 members of tho junior branch, so that there can bo 110 doubt that' this institution is likely to breed a strong navy party. Among those present were: Colonel Sleeman (inspecting officer), Colonel A. F. Roberts, Colonel G-. F. C. Campbell, Colonol Standish, Commander Williams, R.N. (Government Naval Adviser). Mr. J. P. Firth, master of the college. Captain W. M. Bell (Area Officer), Mr. B. Koesing (chairman of tlio ■Navy League Branch Committee), Mr. R. Darroch (secretary), Mr. and Mrs. Darling, and Mr. S. Underwood. Tho .Collego Senior Cadets turned out in good styCe, under Major O. W. Williams, M.C., and their appea,ranco and bearing ciwited a good deal of favourable comment among the spectators.

After the cadets had formed up in holilow square on the .sheltered side of tho cricket Colonel Campbell, on behalf of the .league, said th.fit tho day was the anniversary of Trafalgar Day, a battle which was fought 114 years ago, and which was probably the most memorableone in history, for it established tho supremacy of the British Navy and destroyed foi' evor tho ambition of Napoleon, who, like Kaiser Wilhelm of today, anticipated the establishment of a worldwide dominion. The British Navy had shown its supremacy in 1805, and in 1914 the. British Navy had . stood in. the way of Kaiser Wrlhcf m of Germany. He did not wish to teach the boys history, for they probably'knew as much, if not more, than he did about it. Ho' wns there to present the school, on behalf of the Navy League, with a New Zealand Ensign, iln speaking of tho leagne, he stated that history told tliem that in times pf peace Governments wero only too prone to neglect tho interests of the Navy. Tl)e quiet of a long j*riod of peace had the effect of lulling them into a state, of fa'se security, which took the . fyrm of neglecting the Navy,, whioh, in turn,- meant placing the truest interest's of the nation in jeopardy. Fortunately there had been a few people on the alert, and these people had formed tho Navy League. Their duty was to watch the Government—to see that whichever Govsniment was in power kept a strong and efficient Navy. Never had . tho need for a strong and efficient Navy been so evident as in the war just over. Had it not been for the Navy the Allies would have lost the war, and they would have been crushed beneath the iron heel of a despotism the most barbarous over known in the history of tho world. That wan one reason why tho Navy Leagutf.existed, and it was a reason for the interest in the schooCs, as they must have those who would watch tho Government. He congratulated the college on having such a loTge branch. They looked to the boys of to-day, who were the men of to-mor-row, to develop a decided opinion on the matter of a strpng and efficient Navy, and it would "bo their duty to see that such would always bg..- Two-thirds of the produce needed ibyHhe Old Country had to be conveyed from outside, and how could they hopo to do it-without the help of a fery strong Navy? In conclusion, Colonel Campbell asked tliem to reverence the flag, remembering that it stood for nil that was good and true in our civilisa. tionj it was tho emblem of freedom and justice, for be they rich or or black or white, they could roly on justice under the flag of England. . Mr. J. P. Firth thanked Colonel! Camp, bell, as representing the league, for tho gift of the flag, which was the Bymbnl of the might, the unity, and .'the loyalty of the Empire, and, not only that,' but their personal loyalty. T'k> Bchool was Intensely proud of the pari it had played in the war through its old bovs, and should tho call come again, which Gorl forbid, he knew they yvouk) respond as readily and eagerly as before. On the call of Colonel Campbell three cheers were given by the boys for tho flag, the college band played the National Anthem,-after which tho parade .was.dismissed. • - ' AT TllflOffN HALL A GOOD NOTE STRUCK. In honour of tho anniversary, the Wellington branch of tho Navy League held a gathering at the Town Hall last evening, and it attracted a large audience. .Among thoso present were tho GbvernorGerieral and' tho Countess of Liverpool, the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) and Lady- Stout, Mj\ Justice Hosking, Com-, m'ander Williams (Naval' Adviser), Col. G. F. C. Canlpbell, and several members of the City Council. The hall was prettily decorated. His Excellency was accorded a guard of honour consisting of a .detachment of boys from the Government . training ship Amokura, and the Sea_ Scouts (under Captain Chudley, E.N.R.). Mr, Bernard Page presided at the organ; ' \

In opening the proceedings, the Mayor (Mr. J. , P. Luke) said that they were there to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle.of Trafalgar.and the deeds performed by Lord Nelson. He referred to the work of tho Navy, and in so doing spoke of the I'an-Germanic League, which had now-become extinct, and tliey could exult, not in any petty spirit, iii the; glorious results which'had been achieved. Ho congratulated the leaguo on the progress which had been made, and paid a tribute to Mr. Cecil Palmer, who had for years worked day in and out fqj - the league. He also thanked alj the ladies, and gentlemen who had assisted bo readily and enthusiastically in making the recent visit of Admiral Jellicod and the officers and men of the New Zealand so pleasant. (Applause.) In speaking on "Tho Royal.Navy and Mercantile Marine," Mr. J. P. Firth commenced his remarks by-reciting most impressively Thomas Campbell's poem, "Yp of England." There were some subjects to which it was impossible to do justice in words. Fo/ instance, when tho health of His Majesty was proposed nothing more was said. To mako a speech would be impertinence. H'o took it for granted that, the same could he said for tho Royal Navy. Should they'speak of the bravery of the sailors; should tlioy praise its officers} 1 Wihy paint tho lily? Should they tell of its admirals? They would leave it to Newbolt. And hero the speaker stirringly recited the poem. "Admirals All." Whilst they could not do justice to the Royal Navy in any eulogy, they could perhaps cxpre.-s their admiration and great love for it. It was the Navy which had _ guarded their homes— itywas the British Navy which had saved tho civilisation of tlio world from (he Him. (Applause.) And what did thov mean bv the British Navy? Did they the Navj as an engine of war, with its Dreadnoughts. cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and sea-planes? They meant much more than that. They meant the mercantilo marine. (Applause.) Without the mercantilo marine tho Grand Fleet would have been paralysed. It was the cantile marine which had fed the heart of tho Empire. It was responsibio for the glorious fact that Tigiit through the war no British ship had ever lacked a crew. (Applause.) And tho British. Navy meant even more than that. Could they ever forget the work of the trawlers and the fishing boats, immortalised by Kipling when, he wrote:— "I've got a job of work to do for England, And I won't bo back .in Grimsby till it's ® ' done"? ' ' , And when they had considored t|ie auxiliary forces of tho fleet they were merely thinking of the body, but there - was some spirit,which gave that body, a soul. The Navy was the nation, and if the nation failed the Navy, the Navy must inevitably fail the nation. And what was that spirit, that essence?— loyaltv, courage, devotion, and a genius for the sea. And what was the explanation of that genius for tho sea, the culminating example which thej found in tho man whom they were specially honouring that day? Suffice it tna„ it was that spirit which gave _ to one "iho strength of ten because hu heart

was pure." And so it was with tno nation—it was the sum total of thoso atoms of spirit which mado the desired result. It was the work of the Navy League to get everyone to do their utmost for the Empire, and it was doing it well. ;

Mr.-Firth concluded his remarks by quoting Newbolt's lines, written for a Trafalgar memorial, which ho rccited with tho deepest reverence, and impressment. Mr. Justice Hosking, in speaking of the British Navyipaid a high tributo to Lord Nelson, and recnlled that the news of his death was regarded in England as something more than a national calamity. Ho referred to the work of the Navy League, whioh, encouraged l\v propaganda—books, pamphlets, and literature generally—the maintenance of a strong Navy, During the war the league largely increased tho volume of its work. Amongst other work, it originated .the idea of the ton-for-tj>n compensation for shipping destroyed by tho enemy during tho war. It took an active part in New Zealand in raising funds for the Navy and mercantile marine, for which a sum of ,£IOO,OOO was raised, and was still being administered by committees. Though peace had come no halt could be called in the work of the league. They must not bo lulled into any false security, their trade still 'needed protection. A programme of musical items was submitted during the evening. Mr. Bernard Page played an organ' solo, "Silas,", whioh finely displayed the resources of- the instrument and the performer. Mr. W, Goudie sang "Rule Britannia" (with organ accompaniment), the refrain of which was sung enthusiastically by the audience. The Scottish Society's pipers gave a skirl on the bagpipes, and bright ballads were sung by Miss Hazel Fuller and Miss Chatwin and Mr. H. Pliipps. Mr. It. Maokiy played a Chopin "Polonaise in A Flat" delightfully, and was encored. Miss Chatwin and Mr. Goudio sail" tho Shakespearean duet "In the Springtime ' very sweetly, and the Unique Quartet sang three numbers before the audience was satisfied. The accompaniments were played by Miss Dorothy Talbot. In honour of Nelson Day the vessels in port yesterday presented a wealth of fluttering bunting to the stiff, northwester blowing, giving an acceptable dash of colour to the harbour.foreshore.

During the afternoon some 45 members of the crew of tho Government training ship Amokura, headed by a couple of Highland pipers, and two laurel-wreathed llags, and accompanied by, the Wellington College Cadets' dram and fife band, paraded the streets of the city. The Amokura boys' wero in charge of Mr. Knox.

Beyond lessons bearing' on the significance of the Battle of Trafalgar and the groat work achieved by Lord Nelson for the British nation, there were no functions in the State schools of the city. PETONE CELEBRATIONS In order that the pupils of the Petone schools should more fully understand the meaning of Nelson Day they were dismissed from their classes before the ■usual hour yesterday afternoon and attended a matinee at tho Grand Theatre, where appropriate naval pictures were screened. During the proceedings addresses were given by the Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Bwan) and Mr. C. N. Haslain, and a letter from tho secretary -of the Wellington branch of the Navy League concerning the distribution of badges to school members of the league was read. Mr. M'Bwan also announced tho names of. tho succ'essful candidates in connection with trades alphabet writing competition, held recently, as follow:—Petone District High School: Standards V and Vl—Clarence Haddon, Mavis Kirk. Standards 111 and IV—Eunice Kenny, 1; Jack Arnold, highly commended. Standards I and ll—Eileen Watson, 1; A. Snence, 'I. Skinner, F. pashmore, F. M'lntosb, highly commended. Petono West: Standards V and Vl—Violet Unwin, Norman Ashman. Standards 111 and IV—Maurice Cook. 1; Gladys Daniel, Mildred Rising, highly commended.