The Wellington Jubilee.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3417, 24 January 1890, Page 2

The Wellington Jubilee.

(ProinOiir' Own' Correspondent.)!; Breathes; there '.(he] man, with soul bo •' dead;' % : y r ::--_; : '"- '. n Who never to hlmsolf hatli said, 1] This is my own, my native land I - ii Whose heart hath.no'er within him j, burn'd, As home his footsteps he has tarn'd, From warideriiut on a foreign strand! If such there breathe, go, mark him well; . For him no tninatrol raptures swell; ii High' though his titles, proud his namoj I Boundless his woalth aswiah can olaim j ] Despite thoso titles, power, and delf, r The .wretch concentred all in self, / Lifihg, shall forfeit fair renowti, . . And, doubly dying, shall go down " To the'vile dust, from whence ho c • sprung, ''■'■"'■'"•. s Unwept, unhonourtl and unsung. •.. . ] Do not these words present' them- c selves tc all as the sentiments of a c true-born Britisher? Ah, yes! And j eveu in the veins of those of us who f came into existence in the fair isles { of the Pacific, whose jubileo m are ] now celebrating, have these seiiti- ] ments been inooulated. Bing out} e i bells! fill the air with sweet cadences i ye bands! march on ye rising generation, for we commemorate the possession by our fathers of this sunny land—this land enriched by Providential blessings and uncursed by want and woe! And the bells do ring, the bands do play, the rising generation do march. Picture the sight—a sight which must, gladden the hearts of those'of our noble pioneer. fathers who have "shuffled off the mortal coil." Here they are I ' Children, children, children. Tramp i tramp I On they march, headed.by a Protestant band! Oh, the cheering, i the affecting smiles, the captivating [looks of the dear little olive branches, npyful in anticipation of a day of measure. On each breast is pinned badge,.and on eaoh sbloulder is strung a very significant litltle pannikin. The streetß 'aro lined witih progenitors, eagerly Peeking for a gliance at the particular object of th'oir Infraction. What a procession! Whenl will it end ? For half an hour the crjnwd stands and looks with intense iWost upon tho thousands of juvenile Vaces as they pass, and at last tho end\ comes, Such-a concourse of childreri-Jiad perhaps never before been seen iiitibo colony. What the future will be.xnjHi hardly be conceivod. In hands are clasped banners and bimnorottes, tho motto of them all majng -" A«l----.vanco New Zealand," anil oh one in particular appearing the* words " In. Memoriara to the PioneVs at . rest." . Ah I how imposing! the I procession is not wholly oompojed of children. Following a thousand 1 juveniles are theindefatigable"Old \ ' settlew," who are. greeted with 1 vociferous oheere as they pas 3 along ' the crowded thoroughfares, Then come the civic fathers, Harbour Board, general committee, private citizens, and natives. But the next , great attraction to the children is most assuredly " The Trades." On 3 one lorrie is erected a baker's establishment, and from here buns are distributed amongst the hungry ' orowd. On another is a miniature printing office, from whioh is handed thousands of'programmes, printed in * the street. Then again there are tho ■ boilermakers, the bootmakers, • the B plumbers, and the woollen manu- , facturers, each engaged at their ' respective daily avocations. The fire brigade, seamen,' laborers, and trades' generally aro represented, and are ' followed immediately' by Friendly Societies. The most elaborate dis- * play in the latter is made by the : Druids, whoso presentation is simply 1 oxquisito. Tho whole',' procession, J whioh must be a" couple of miles in 2 length, is concluded with private carts, and is interpersed throughout 8 by bauds of music, Suoh a spectacle 1 a speotacle which has never beta 8 been presonted to the citizens of J Wellington, Tramp I tramp! on they maroh, the eight being rendered ® the moro imposing by the display on '' every building of handsome bunting 0 and by the occupation of every window en route by thousands of persons. Arriving at tließaain Reserve j* a ceremony which is no less affecting than' impressive is performed, and 0 the four thousand' ohildren join in singing lustily the "National n Anthem." A day, the festivity of a which will mark the annals of the 3 Colony, and whioh will be looked " back upon with the greatest pleasure 8 was concluded as the shades of night foil upon the city. 8 In the evening a monster torch--8 light procession passed through tho 0 main thoroughfares, and the enchant- :" ment of the scene was added to by a magnificent pyrotechnio display. 1 Thousands of persons crowded the streets, and with the general exclamation ." Begone dull care," all wont lin for a proper jollification, :>'■ The weather for the regatta was all i that could be desired, and those s inclined aquatically had a pleasant s day. Your, readers will probably „ have been furnished ere this with the a details.

' On Thursday the Sports in connection with the Jubiloo Celebration were a great success, To your humble servant .tlur greatest attraction was the show of dress material, which was, to Bay the least creditablo to Wellington, although it did. not compare very favorably with that or the lawn at a Melbourne Oup. The weather was flue,; and every event was vyell contested, The celebrations here concluded were by far the most extensive ever witnessed in Wellington,

Eketahuua Jubilee Picnic- • Tho Eketahuna Jubilee Picnic may certainly be prononnced a very successful aflhir, everything being admirably arranged and not a hitohof any sort occurring ■ to mar ,'tlio young people's pleasure. -, As regards the weather Providence must have looked with apodal favor, on the day, for, notwithstanding the fact that up to the night before nothing but heavy rains and high winds', I have been experienced, tho 22nd. was cloudlessly'fine and yet not too hot. , About 150 children assembled in IJr Parson's paddock and,, although numbers of the adult po'pulaco were absenfc.at Masterton and Pahiatua, a f&ir sprinkling found their way on to the ground. • ! -. ■'■•' ■ ■•■■■ A large programme of sports and raced were carried out in such way by the'Committeo, (to whom especial thanks are due)j that not ;a"'murmur was heardis The fireworks (arrangod oft a staging in the main street), went off without a single inks, and, to crowri all; the'youngsters were taken hi'Miosis to Osoar Smith's Tourist entertainment at the' Town Hill :to wind up the day. " """ .'' Several money prizeawe given, and, in addition two extra prizes for Jferaostpoints'were contested. The successful girl waiijjs Jennie Ander- : son, & yflung.iady of : 1 i] sum'mers,-' a perfeot'little reindeer for' speed, ; who quite put somo of the older girlsr ; iri the shade; .■ Master % Spring, (a

bright looting boy of 12), carried off thewatoh after a hard tussle. V-,' : ; At four.o'olook one. of those teas,; for which Mr. vVilliain Aahmoro' is noted, was done full justice to by 120 hungry boys and girls.everyone agreeing that it was the best affair of tho kind ever hold in Ekotahuna. ,