The Dominion SATURDAY, MAY 22, 1920. THE ROYAL VISIT
At 1 daybreak this morning, as arrangements stand, the Prince . of Walks is to sail from Lyttclton en route for Australia. A period is thus set to events that will be unforgettable' in the history of the Dominion, and it may be hoped are not without" significance in the history of the Empire. No - one who witnessed it will ever forget the truly Royal welcome given to the Pkince ■ all over the Dominion by people of every age and -not least by the children, and by the war veterans to whom he is a comrade. As a spontaneous and whole-hearted expression of popular enthusiasm, the welcome could not well have been improved upon. All sections of\ the population were equally •stirred,-and the few Labour cxtrem-. ists who strove to introduce a note of discord could have chosen no 'better way of showing how completely they arc out of touch with public sentiment. Prince, Edward's personal popularity is deservedly high. Iho popular affection he so readily inspires is an appropriate tribute to .his sympathetic and responsive nature, and the earnest sincerity with which he is preparing himself for tho great part for which he. is destined in tho life of the .Empire. Much as it was quickened, and brightened by the esteem in which he is held, for his own sake, however, the splendid welcome given' to, the Pkince was in its most essential aspect an em- ' phatic declaration of loyalty to the Monarchy as an all-important factor in the British Constitution. In the address presented to the .Prince by tho Government he was informed that never before in the history of New' Zealand had there .been "a stronger sense of the value of the King to the Empire.'! The. simple truth of this statement was very conclusively demonstrated as the .Prince made his progress through' the Dominion. - '
It is particularly clear that in tho loyalty, to the Throne of/which they have given such unmistakable proofs the people of this Dominion, in common.with' those of other parts of the Empire, arc moved.and inspired by a sound appreciation of what is most essential to national unity, and on' that account_ above all is best worth cherishing in our national life. The. British Monarchy is more than a symbol of Imperial unity. Knowing nothing of creed or party, it appeals solely in every' part of the Empire to the Sentiment of kinship. In common loyalty to the Throne this sentiment finds undivided and unfettered expression such as it finds inno other way. As'an influence making for the national unity upon which the whole future and welfare of the British-.people- depends, • the ■ Monarchy J is of supreme value. and indispensable. Its value could not be better or more effectively. illustrated than-in contrasting the spontaneous homage paid to the- -Prince of -Wales hero and-in- other parts of the Empire .with the hesitating diffidence which often marks the treatment of inteivfmperial affairs, and the extreme, perhaps insuperable, difficulty of organising the Empire on a settled political basis. For the tirrii. afc least, the problem of reconciling the all but' independent status of the Dominions, with the conditions of an Empire federated in fch'e'fuli sense of the term seems to defy solution. Moreover, it must be recognised that this state of affairs makes in some-respects for divergence rather than for unity. But apprehensions which might thus bo awakened for the future integrity of tho Empire are stilled in light of the clear proof afforded that the British people in every land are imbued with a sentiment of kinship which is strengthened and not weakened by their wide distribution over the face, of the earth, and finds 'free and whole-hearted expression in common loyalty to the Monarchy and..the King Emperor. 'The worldwar demonstrated that tho British people are thus united in a degree that-could hardly be surpassed in the utmost perfection of close-knit political organisation. The Empire tour of the''Prince op Wales is "memorable above all in the", evidence it affords that the sentiment of kinship which is the deep and underlying guarantee of British unity is in -no way weakened by the ordeal of war and the new conditions war has brought upon the world. With such evidence in hand it is not difficult to believe that the. British Empire will endure in unimpaired integrity for untold centuries to come and proudly lead the world iii light and progress long after the detail controversies of the moment and the passions they momentarily awaken have died away arid been forgotten. It is the proud, distinction of tin Prince of Wales that as thp representative of the Monarchy and by his winning personal influence he has done not a little, in this Do-
'minion and in others, to intensify the popular appreciation of great realities in the life of the nation which bear with bright promise on its future. At the same time his travels through the Empire are of the utmost importance as a preparation for the duties he will one day be called upon to undertake. The advantages derived in both respects are so great and obvious as to justify the hope that the people of New Zealand will again at no distant date have the pleasure of paying homage to their future King.'
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 203, 22 May 1920, Page 6
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886The Dominion SATURDAY, MAY 22, 1920. THE ROYAL VISIT Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 203, 22 May 1920, Page 6
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