EMPIRE DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 100, 25 May 1909, Page 4

EMPIRE DAY.

"HANDS ACROSS THE SEA." SCHOOLS' INTERCHANGE OF flags. PLYJIOCTfI OLD AND NEW. fortunate indeed was the th°i« o' 'ttS bin Way of . our Soveru r >. lung Edwwd Ml, in, November■ 1,- - '"-j day u?vt> vwi.ch to unfurl . . glues oi We Southern Cross . jwhich waa to be prvseiue-l b, t.-. Central School, X«w i.. u.< '"I-. t0 l H Rurent Street School, 1 vh , Lit Ufid On thai occasion the lUj! was uuTufled and saluted with all due eei»m ony. and despatched to the other swe ot'tfeelobe. The arranging of the programme In Old Plymouth for the iormal reception of the gift, and for the ceremony preceding the despatch or another UnSn JKk is return occupied some tnn<L,and. .by the time that Plymouth's wablem 'of liberty had been received iotally it was sq close uponEnipireDay, the Hrth of onr late revered Queen Victoria. th»t Mr. Dempsey, the headmaster of the iCsotral, School, decided to incorporate its formal-reception ia the usual Empire Day celebrations in St. Michael's Square, by which high-sounding name the Central School playground is knowa in official records. Since the inauguration of Empire Day it has been custom- " ' ary tor this school to hold a function -t ■which patriotic Speeches are delivered and the flag saluted. This year the ceremony was conducted on the usuai lines, except that its far-raching significance -> was the more pronounced on account of the facts that the flag fluttering from the BOh'ool flagstaff was the gift of other Empire-builders in the Old Land; and that, in the foreground of the scene, were, grouped together, many of those (• early settlers who sailed from Plymouth over fifty years ago to people this part of,the_.colony, oi New Zealand, which was known as New Plymouth. Here was a distinct link with the strenuous past - oi this province. The weather was fine, but cloudy and threatening,, as has been usual 011 the 24th of May for several years past, but there was as yet no winter chill. Rather was the weather what might be expected in Plymouth now, with England's glorious spring just bursting forth, ': There was a large gathering of parents and children, and a capital muster oi the two companies of the school cadets, under Captain's Mellrov and Bocoek, The thoughtful director of ceremonies, Mr. Dempsey, had placed chairs for the j;' pioneer settlers immediately before the flagstaff, and the cadets were drawr ■j. up in line facing it. The Taranaki Gar. rison Band, under Conductor G. H. Satin- , dere, took part in the proceedings. Tlu speakers were the Mayor of New Plymouth (Mr. G. Tisch), the chairman oi the Taranaki Education Board (Mr Jta. Wade), the chairman of the Centri-i * School Committee (Mr. F. P. CorkiD , the headmaster of the School (Mr. Tl Dempsey), and bvo members of th( School Committee, (Rev. S. S. Osborne and Rev. E. G. Evans). The programnu had to be modified by the omission 0] the ceremony of formally' handing th< 5 Colon Jack to the headmaster of tin school before hoisting it to the peak owing to the jambing of the halliards and the hoisting took place ia the morn igg, the flag waving over the assemblaji during -the whole of the proceedings. Mr. F. K Corkill was the first speaker He referred to the fact that it had beci a custom at the Central School in lattei years to hold a celebration on Empiri -. Day, when they talked and were talke< tp about the greatness ot our Empiri and of the honor and privilege of form ing a portion of it. The teachers an< the committee had endeavored to incul cate among the boys and" girls a splri of .patriotism. It-had been their aiii -. that the children of this_school shouh lrt imbued; with that spirit of patriotisu which went towards making an unitei Empire. They had tried to impress 01 them that while they formed only t fraction of that great Empire each frac tion was responsible for the maintenanci of the, flag- oi the whole. To-day tliei were nret ,for a special purpose, no" . -only, to- do honor to Empire Day, bm to draw still closer the cords' wliicl bound us to the Motherland. Oa 9tl November last, the King's Birthday , thoy fed held a gathering here, lioistet and saluted a Union Jack which hai been deapatched to Plymouth as a gif 'mm the boys and girls of this schoo to. the boys.and girls of the principa public school in that city, the movemtn being the outcome of tlie "Union Jacl Association," whose object was to securi . ' the exchange'of flags- between towns an; ci'ies in the colonies and the towns n cities from which they had been colonia ed. New Plymouth's Hag had been *e cdived and presented at the Regen Street School in the presence of a largj - and enthusiastic gathering, and, wnil we inXew Plymouth could not eimilat them in the matter of numbers, he wa sure we could in enthusiasm.- In express ing his pleasure at seeing so many pion ,cer settlers present, Mr Corkill said tha <- New Plymouth, and New Zealand, owec a great deal to those people who ea,n j to this unknown country so many year: ago. , Few of the pioneers present, supposed, could remember much abo'i the actual landing, and those who couh - remember could have had no idea thci of the great development or the countn in tjie/ next fifty years of its' existence . or that they would take part in such 1 ceremony thht day.

His Worship the Mayor. .Mr. G. Tiseh, .warmly commended the holding of thesJ pnbljc demonstrations of lovalty and patriotism on Empire Day, which tend"d also to keep green in the miri3S of flic children the memory of "Queen Victoria the Good," during -whose rci<n New Zealand became part of the Empire, and under whose sovereignty the Empire made «uch marki'd .progress'. The Empire Day movement owed its origin to Lord Meath, its organiser, and as' a result of his work four hundred millions of people, including the children of 137,000 schools, weru that day honoring the Union Jack. Such functions sTiouid make an impression upon tli e minds o _the pupils, who woula one dav be rulers of the Empire, and ought to be a sign to our fneads and our enemies alike that we were a united people, bound .to the Jving and -tie Empire to which w e wcm to ielon g- JTe exhorted the cadets to honor the flag, which was with respect wherever unfurlcl. and to which other nations'bowed their heads. But it was not to the Annv and i«vy alone that credit must be 'given for the building of the Empire, hut to those brave men and women who had colonise* as they had done in Xc.v Zealand, and who were represented l, vet -• <}*?: fApplause). He felt like crvin« hats off to the pioiieers" when |,e 'met i i". . * 9tr< * ts ' (Applause). He concluded by remarking that Ii e had reC p e |'^lf»C i r V 'l' ltTon ,rflm tlle of Plymouth to be present at a great histh<rc ' in - wlich tlle Central nf««, i f Wa / 0 be piron * central pliW, but unfortunately ],j fi milTOral duties would prevent his attending. Mr. Jas. WatTe referred to what the Union Jack meant to people i„ the Old nfor Vi.a Wa , b a " whlcl ' h! "l floated over them and signified protection for a thousand years or more, though its design had undergone modification in that time Plymouth people had sent us one nL» C J IOB ' 8 "lings the nation I Poised and if they were here ther it ni th Zealanders to recognise it o ;r r i a ? reco f? msc< l it, to protect it as they had protected it, and to von . P, y«Mth had done more than that tor us', for it had sent us that brave, determined and hardy band of piraeers who had settled in this wild ° Ut ? f . wl, ' 9s e efforts had «rown this town of Xew Plymouth. \o

one- knew in the slightest degree tliiir troubles, or-what tliey must have felt when they saw from the ship which brought them a country without a street, road, or .path, Or place of European habitation. And uo one could realise their feelings when, not long afterwards, the barque which had brought theui sailed away with her ensign at the luizzengatr, signalling "We are going Homo to England." It was a different place to-day. From where he stood lie could see handsome Uwelliughouses nestling "in shrubberies, and with English flowurs blooming in the gardens although it was a midwinter day. Oil the one hand was the Central School, on the; other the Technical School, while lie in ; eluded in his view the tower of the New Plymouth High School, from which New Plymouth's sons had gone back to the fund of their parents and wre6tcd from their cousins there prizes of great value. All 01 this and more they possessed as the result of the work of those sturdy pioneers from Plymouth. On behalf of the Regent Street School, Plymouth, the chairman of the School Committee then asked Mr, Dempsey to accept the gift of the flag, and in accepting it for the Central School the headmaster oaid that it gave him great pleasure. He trusted that whenever that flag was unfurled it would make them think of the strong bonds which connected them with the Mother Country, and of the vas'tness ot tli e Empire upon which the sun never sets. He trusted that the exchange of flags would lead to the interchange of idess. It was most fitting that New Plymouth should be the first town in the Dominion to jgin hands across the seas with the city from which it got its name, for these pioneer settlers before them, in saying farewell to the Homeland, sailed from Plymouth docks, and saw Plymouth fading away in the distance. It was a great source of pleasure to him and his school to know that New Plymouth's flag had been received in Old Plymouth with so much honor and with such appreciation, and that the gift created sp much enthusiasm. Of one thing they might be sure, that people in Plymouth knew now 'that there was such a town ok Xcv,v plymouth, and ii anyone went Home he would feel that he was not a stranger. Most cordial letters liad been received by him from the Mayor of Plymouth, from those in educational circles the :c, and from the piwils of Repent Street School, who wished to corresporiii with pupils' of the Central. He would do all he conld to encourage such correspondence', believing that it would have the effect of enlarging and extending the ideas of the writers both here and at Home. In concluding, he wished to thank Captain Hood for his' promise of a complete set of halliards for the flagstaff, and to the Garrison Band who had voluntarily come forward to assist in the function The cadets, coming to the "Royal Salute," honored the flag, and the bug.er of No. 1 Company sounded t-lie call. Cheers were then given for the Union Jack, for the Regent Street School, and ; for the pioneers, after which tlie massed 1 children sang "The Red, White and 1 Blue."

The Rev. S. S. Osborne proposed, and Rev. F. G. Evans' seconded, in most appriatv terms, the thanks of the promoters to the Mayor and the pioneey settlers for taking part in I3ic proceedings. Mr. Tisch briefly, ac'knoiwledged the son ;i----ment, and Mr. Isaac Bayly replied on behalf ot the pioneers. The singing of the National Anthem concluded the ceremony. Several photographs of the assemblage were secured, and at the conclusion the group of early settlers was als'o photographed apd they were entertained at afternoon tea. They were as follows:

Ship, "William Bryan"—Mrs. Jfoorj, Messrs Henry Putt. Wm. Pearn, T. Inch. Ship, "Amelia Thompson"—Mesdaines Skinner. Douglas, Ford, McGahey, Golding, R. Hoskin. R. Jury, Miss Shaw, Messrs E. Bullot, Isaac Bayly, T. Allen, J. Grylls. Ship, "Essex"—.Messrs Knuckcy add J. Harvey. Ship, "Omental"—Mesdaines Mynott and Duncan, Messrs David Sole and Thog. Sole. 1 . Ship, "Blenheim"—Mesdaines T. Landman and E. Bullot, Mr. T. Langman. Ship, "Timandra"—Mrs. John Kelly and Mr. Henry Hooker.

Ship, "London"—Mrs. Henry Putt.