The Carnival Queen

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 271, 17 April 1914, Page 5

The Carnival Queen

■THE CORONATION CEREMONY. A LARGE ATTENDANCE. * ~ The interest excited yesterday by tlie crowning ceremony' of Miss Hilda Bis- '" hop as "'Carnival Queen" of New Ply- - mouth was no less keen, it somewhat less ._ noisy, than that evinced in the closing of "the polls on Saturday last. The day wu cow and showery, making the ide:i. of- holding-.the .ceremony in Pukekura Park absoultely out of the question. Indeed, in the morning it was feared that the proceedings would have to be postponed altogether. The afternoon, however, was finer, and it was decided' to hold the crowning ceremony in the Coronation hall. While the proceedings were highly successful both from a financial standpoint and from the point of view of Hie interest they attracted, it must he said that the arrangements were somewhat incomplete and not all that could have been desired for the closing scenes . of so successful an affair as the Carl nival has been. To begin with, the , procession did not leave the Terminus Hotel until well after 3 p.m., though timt ed for 2.30 p.m., and meantime, many of ' its more juvenile members were allowed to straggle, across the street. The Queen and the maids of honor, when they did appear, were forced to make their way across the footpath between the people, no royal carpet and no set order being in evidence. At the hall the crowd was too dense for comfort. This, was not the fault of trie committee, but it would have been better had the platform been high enough for a standing crowd to sec, and aj barricade glioma have been erected to keep a clear space round the dais. Lit- . tie things like these oil the wheels of progress considerably. As it was, the proceedings were witnessed 'by very few of the big crowd, owing in a, measure to , the tact that the "Revellers" and others ' were standing around the edge of the platform and effectively blocking the 1 view. ! THE PROCESSION. It was a long and varied proce'aicn , which left the Terminus Hotel, where the "royal" party had lunched. The ; crowd which lincdi its route found plenty , to amuse them in the menagerie which was well to the front, and not a little to admire in the Queen and maids of honor. First came the band, and behind them the leaven of the grotesque. The "animals" and absurdly amusing heads had been by no means over-esti-mated as far as amusement production was concerned. A tall "camel" walked unsteadily on four human feet, a stately frog waddled in its rear, and a wellfurnished horse delighted the small fry with its frisking. Alongside were tin immense and' portly "suffragette" with a mask face about two feet wide, and alt around were oddities too numerous to mention. After these followed a. band of the Arcadian Revellers, and behind these again gay outriders in red arid green, and pretty little pages, with the nerald. Then came the star attraction. In a carriage drawn by four greys, was the Queen in her robes of state, and Misses Veta Gilbert .and Madge llcnrichs (maids of honor) with Mr. 11-. ' Okey, M.P. Behind this was a second carriage containing Misses Annie Hawke, ' Elsie Bc:m?tt, Eileen MeOu'ire, and.- Glory Harrison (maids of honor). A string of cabs and cars were occupied bv liis Worship the Mayor, Mr. J. K. Hill', Mr. i R. E'lis (secretary of the committee) ' and gaily dressed "Arcadian Revellers.'' 1 The streets were lined with, people, and the Queen's equipage was cheered vociferously. AT THE HALL. ] The wise ones had already filled the ' gallery of the hall when the proces- ' sion arrived, and -the floor space, was ' soon crammed. After an unduly long < delay, the Queen and her attendants l mounted the stage, and the ceremony ' commenced. - - _ — y CROWNER'S SPEECH. \ Mr. H. .1. 11. Okey, M.P., crowned the Queen in the fojlowing terms:— 1 "Hail! 0 Queenj! We come before thee. f We .bow the knee unto thee. Inasmuch c as it has been decreed by the people t that thou art the one who shall reign (over them, so it is my lot, as one of Your Majesty's most humble of servitors, to make obeisance. Also, 0 Queen, have the people decreed that I, thy "' humble servant, must place on thy head this beautiful crown as a token that thou art really and in very truth tlicir \ Queen. And by the same decree <lo I ' ,pass into thy keeping the golden sceptre_ < as a, token that thoulhalt riile./Tiir- « don my shortcomings, 0 Queen, for this i day lam flustered and overcome by the ( weightiness of my responsibility, and if i I fail or falter in the proper fulfilment ( of my .humble duties, I prithee stay the ' hand of thy great servant, the * Lord , High Executioner. Fain would I not be , killed. May .thy reign be great and just. ; -May the hairs of thy head ever retain , / their glossy hue. May t&y loyal sub- , jects over proclaim thee as the Great , Queen. May they ever repeat thou art , the one! Thou art the one! Yea, 0 J Queen, thou art the one. So long a* , the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so long as the rain descends , from tho heavens and kisses the flowers i on the earth, so long as all that, and , so much, longer may we hail thee. Long , live the Queen. Long live the Queen.'' , The crown of gold was then placed on ' the Queen's,h'cad, and the Crowner knelt , before Her Majesty. ' . \ THE QUEEN'S SPEECH. J Tic Queen spoke as follows: ■ ' "Arise, 0 Mighty One! As it has l pleased the peoplelto honour me as < their Queen, so dotliN it please mc to ( honor thee. Arise, Sir O.K. Thou art I timorous in my presence, as verily thou ' shouldst be, yet when I look on '.th» ' comeliness of thy countenance am I well ' pleased and minded to think that the ' people showed great wisdom when they ' decreed that tJliou shouldst place on my ' 'head the crown and in my hand the < ' golden sceptre. May all that Is good < and just mark my reign. As the siiii ! shines in the heavens above and reflect* 1 his great glory, so may peace and con- ' tentnieut shine in the faces and dwell i;i > the hearts of all my loyal subjects her.! I ; to-day. Yea, may theirs be a pleasant ' portion. Let enmity and satire enter ' not. but only those thoughts which arc kind and charitable and good. Live on ' for the present in joy and unity. This < in not. the time for repining but the time ' of gladness. Strange sights 'have w„ ' witnessed tins day. Tlie homage of-my ] people fills my heart with a great coii- I tentnvent. Fear not. 0 Sir OK Though thou didst chatter fearfully,' ' yet will 1 not call upon hit Lord High 1 Executioner to chastiso thee, for thou ' art a well-meaning man, and good re- ' ports come of thee from the people, : Depart thou in peace, and when next the c people shall elect a Queen may thou be called upon to place on her'head the I crown and' in her Jiand the golden 1 sceptre, for thou are the great one the ( mighty one!" Tlie maids of honor were next presented to the Queen by Professor Cardston, and duly made obeisance. ' (