STADIUM PAGEANT.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 July 1924, Page 4

STADIUM PAGEANT.

’HIM CALL Of A WONDKIifUf

LONDON, .Ma.v '-'a. One hundred thousand people standing in silence throughout the eternity oi one minute at the Kmpire Thanksgiving Service in the Stadium at Wcnihlcy yesterday heard the call of a wonderful past. It was heard hy the Kino and t/ueeii and the I’rince of Males. who stood with howed heads with other member.' el the Koval family in the royal box. It was heard hy the military hand of 1.0(10 and the choir of :Lo!ld. massed together in a harmony of silence. Dim-eyed Chelsea pensioners heard it loader than ever before in their lives, fifteen hundred people, young and old. in forty types ol iiuilorin. were conscious of the call. I’eojde massed on three sides ol the Stadium, so thickly that the Stadium might have keen made of people on foundations ol people, with the concrete divisions mere stray rihlmiis laid on their heads, were as stirred hy it as it the Kinpire-l.tiilders of the past for whom this Silence of I hank'giving and Prayers was called—were paladin;;. spectral and shadowy. before 1 liem. vivid pi: Ti ffs. Nothin}' can over Idol out I l oin the nnsi umcrlain memory any one itf the piet tires. The nia-'Cs oi people on three sides of the ■'real oval of green lawn. At the other end the purple and crimson dais, gold topped, liel’.iml the dais were two oblongs id' white-snrpliced choristers wio’t smaller oblongs of Hoy Scout choristers let into them as the i'nioii Jack is let into tile While fusion.

hy a happy accident there were thin red lines of Chelsea pensioners where one would expect to find the llagstalfs. from a tunnel there came a stream of scarlet that settled as a huge square almost the width of the Stadium ami eue-lillli its IcUj'lli. It was the ma-s e-l baud. COLUMN Tlif.Ml’f.l fI!S. Then, into a scene of what seemed to he unsurpassable pageantry, there chuigcd eight .golden state trumpeters on prey piebald horses with a sweetly brazen inessape : ••The King ie lit re." There was the rustle of the vast patherinp ;u the one note of 1.()!)() instruments, and then "Cod Save the Kin*'" was played and simp in a volume that can never have been exceeded. One rolliiip cheer at the end was mounted tlie two distant, proudly erect iipuie.-t of the Kinp and (,'uecit. Then the hup,- hand moved forward A hip crimson square one-filth its size was niovinp over and blottiup out every inch of the pival lawn in (urn. A luiillllt of cheers told the hand that it had marched tlirotipli its own ranks wit limit a llaw, and then, with a brilliant wheeling movement, it hmuplii itself. still playing immediately

before, the royal box. Th.- Kinp and (,)iieen were looking down for the first time on the bandsmen of every liriiish repinieiif. flKI.I) Of ( IM.MSON. The last note died away, and then came the first note of a tlniin and life hand Ml!) stroiip, which played 11> its own splendid countor-manliing. and with another hrilliaut wheeling movenieut fated the royal box Irom the opposite tide of the Stadium. Tiien the mile of ihe bagpipes. One hundred slate-grey pipers hemmed with cr.iiiMin driiniiners marched to the ilias (otiiiler-niarehed. wheeled, and came to

attention just in frctit of the filer'. In front, of the Kinp there was now a .'did sqttar.- of brilliantly iiniforined troops broken hy one avenue. It was in line with a tunnel which led into this livid ol the cloth id crimson the most (i.dotirflll pnno"U)o v,• i winn- i. ed. It comprised every uiuiorm with which the liriiish public m jamilair. and many with which il is unfamiliar. It surprised even the Indians, Africans Unrinase. and others from lands of colour, w Iso were assembled in one pie-iuri-'qlle square near the royal box. SVAIKOI. Of f.MIM!!!•:. fr.'i'i tiii' niapie tunnel there came lir.st eipllt lilies of .Metropolitan .Mounted I’oliie, every horse in each line beiup a perfect match. Then the tivid splash of it deiachinciil ol Canadian .Mounted i’oli'e appeared, and then a larpe fiiion .lack. It was the symbol of fmpire, and was al the head of Dominion standards I erne hy troops in national uniform ami llznlmd hy a picturesque Indian standard-hearer.

I lii'ii jirf:l one lull ligiire in , followed by one liny Sim ill l. Ti '•Ms l lie Mul l c,l .Mcnlli, In whom I iu• festival ill Empire l)jty is 1 1in 1 , Every ini:i si i tin* i it ll i:i'l \vji > providing now te’nur surprises, now the hues of llio Yeomen Warders hi' the Tower, and I li.'ii li"' crimson of more ( heist a pen.

•'■ioiiors. smartly stepping. II; ■ i;c.\t cnliiiir inis lilnc. Il wns mi mi-toady s(|iinrc i lint inlicrcil mnl lircUi* id times, uml il movcil forward v< ry. very slowlv. Yet it ciinicd linin'

applause limn anything else in tliproii'ssii>n. 1 1 consisted ,ij' Imncd soldiers. .soinc pitilnIly crippli'd mnl wearing liospitnl lilnc. <>u cncli side of nil lid. colour wore the elision. of the Po-

A> tin. i rt'iiin ol colour moved onwnrd there clinic n drenching ruinstorm. Kyos turned to the royal box, sit"' that although the wind was lashing ilv.' rain into it. the Kino and tic Prince of Wales declined the oiler of umbrella-.

An aeroplane swept low. and the distant singing o| “Lilt l'p Your Hearts" was heard. Then a. the mighty choir struck up the hymn

“'riioii. Whose Almighiy Wont." another procession entered. I'ir.t there wn> the jiroces.ioniil cross: then the gold and purple of the f'lMp.l choir: then the white and crim."ll and black of otlief choirs, singing a. tliey walked. Free Church divines in 1 1link next bishops and clergy of the Church of Midland, and after the I’ishop ol l.ondon the Archbishop of Canterlntrv.

At tlie .mtndiiio ol a note a standard hearer ran to where the I'liiou •Inch was waving lielore the dins. The National Anthem crashed out from a thousand instruments and IOO.OtXI voices as the Hag was dipped to the drums.

Every head limved in the prayer for Empire, and there followed the Silence ol I hnnksgiving for the Past and Prayer lor the Mature. Alterwurds there was an address hy the Arehlii'lmp of Canierlmry. in which he pointed out that more would hear the service than those in the .Stadium. "Does everyone who hears me realise." ho asked, "the tremendous fact that we are taking part in the largest religious service which, as a deliberate act. the world liar ever seen.'" MANY PEOPLE MAI XT.

Purine the Archbishop's address a strong sun enmo out, which made a noticeable mist rise from the people as their clothes dried. There were several cases of fainting in the first half of the address, hut towards the do>e the ambulance whistle was continuallv calling for ambulance men.

There wore four eases of faintin'; in little more than a minute and workers were willed from all parts of the ground. Two girls were removed into the arena and one was taken away on a wheel-ambulance.