The Daily News. THURSDAY, MARCH 9. CEREMONY AND DEEDS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 257, 9 March 1911, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, MARCH 9. CEREMONY AND DEEDS.

The Premier and the Attorney - General are away to the Imperial Conference, and New Zealand lias sent them off tlie premises with congratulations ringing in their ears. I We have been assured,, and believe heartily, that our two representatives are not merely on an ornamental mission or even in search of further titular distinction, personal emolument or Imperial notoriety, We have seen that although Canada lias nothing to bring forward at the Imperial Conference, New Zealand will touch on topics of great Imperial moment, and we look forward with much greater joy to the reading of the chapter of deeds than the information that Dr. Findlay had a very good place in the aisle of the Abbey or that Sir Joseph was almost within touch of the Royal robe when the Coronation happened. Ceremony is useful in dignifying deeds, but it is the deeds that make empires, and not the ceremonies. There are those who appear to think otherwise. It is a very good thing to wave a flag *jand shout "Hooray!" but it is better to, do the things that made the occasion fot the flag-wagging and the shout. Sir William Hall-Jones is obviously bitten with the idea that the Empire is tethered together by little bits of flapdoodle manufactured to order o;i great occasions of state, and a report has reached New Zealand showing that our High Commissioner desires some oversea representative to "perform some office" at the Coronation. The King will be crowned anyhow, and it really does not great!}' matter .whether the Lord High Chamberlain carries the cushion and Book, whether Sir Joseph Ward steps forward with the crown, or whether trained "supers" are detailed for the performance of "some office." In fact, it might reasonably be held that in a question involving dignity and deportment the British Government would prefer competent actors drawn from Drury Lane or elsewhere instead of peers who might be nervous and spill the crowns, or oversea representatives liable to trip over their swords. But the amazing contention of Sir William—who used to be a particularly plain-spoken man and a notable possessor of sound common sense—is that the performance of some .menial Coronation function by a colonial would "forge yet another link in the chains- that- holds the Empire together." The man who relinquishes the: subject of frozen mutton, kauri gum and New Zealand butter in order to declare that advancing backwards, holding a mace, or falling prostrate in reverential ■awe is Empire building, has a quaint idea of the relative value of things. Adequate defence, frozen mutton, sturdy common-sense, brotherly love, oneness of sentiment in regard to business may easily make those dreadfully overworked "links" stronger, but if all the notable' colonials in all the King's dominions managed the whole Coronation "on their own," without the slightest outside assistance, those poor old 'links" wouldn't bear an ounce more strain. Sir William holds that should a mere colonial be permitted to carry any of the Coronation paraphernalia or to get a job doing something decorative during the ceremony, "it would fire the enthusiasm of every colonist in the Empire." The enthusiasm of the colonist is fired by things that matter. It inspires him a good deal more to hear that the wool clip brought a fine price in London than to hear that the Lord Chancellor (or whoever he is) took his seat on the woolsack. The idea of the average New Zealander getting "inspired" at the prospect of Sir William assisting the Archbishop of Canterbury down the steps of the altar, or Dr. Findlay beinjr requisitioned as a page, should form the basis for a stirring new comedy opera. Sir William says that under the circumstances—that is, under the circumstances of a colonial statesman becoming a temporary rouseabout for an hour or two—"unbounded joy would prevail throughout the overseas dominions." We have been thinking that if Sir William's advice is taken there will 'be sad heartburnings among the colonial representatives, for the colonial who is selected to carry the Royal snuff box or open the door of the State coach will be the envy of his fellow-statesmen throughout the King's domains. And the eight New Zealand Parliamentarians who did not go will be sorry that they euchred their chance to be useful to the King. Although the people of New Zealand are sincerely loyal to the idea of Empire and its head, there would be more "unbounded joy" in Taranaki over a big milk cheque than over a bit of distant ceremonial flapdoodle. Granting that gorgeous ceremonial is necessary and that one million pounds is a fair thing for a Coronation Durbar in an Indian city and that the British Parliament can afford a million or so to get King George well and decently crowned, what earthly joy or benefit will the overseas dominions get by sharing with a colonial representative the honor of "performing some office"? Even if Sir Wil liam is allowed to witness the Royal signature it won't assuage the plague in India. Even if Sir George Reid handl Queen Mary the pen, Northern Australia will still be open to the alien. Even if a statesman from Canada gives a Royal lady his arm down the aisle of the Abbey there will still be trade trouble between the United States and the Big Dominion. On the other hand, the performance of some small office in regard to the Coronation ceremonial misrhf. give the performer a noble chance for titular preference. A knighthood, or even a baronetcy, would be easily earned by watching the Crown jewels for ten minutes, and one hopes that a baronetcy would "forse yet another link," etc. We pity King George, and believe that lie would much rather lie crowned by post than dragged all over London to make a people's holiday. Granting that

a gorgeous Coronation has a vaster significance than appears to the merely practical person, the poor monarch has much to bear, and he can't even refuse to be the central object in a vast gallanty show. The outstanding fact is that the King is king, and that nothing any aspiring colonial can do in the way of seeing that the ceremonial job is properly performed can alter the fact. Nobody in the colonies cares a scrap who performs the ceremony and who goes to the Coronation or who stays away. It really wouldn't matter if Sir William Hall-Jones remained in his office and wrote kauri gum advertisements instead of bearing a banner or blowing n trumpet. The Archbishop of Canterbury will manage very nicely without him.