El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-05-24
81
Frederic
]. Haskin


to be the worlds nearest approach to
political Utopia
Again the train is carried on and
the traveller suddenly finds himself
whirling over the South African veldt
towards the great gold and diamond
mines of the newest member of the
self-governing dominions of the Brit
ish crown
1t is "All Red and All British" this
exhibition, and today the colonials in
London will celebrate their loyalty TO
the empire by visiting their respective
buildings at the Crystal Palace, while
the festival Of empire seeps upward to
its high tide.
Unlike Other Holidays.
In one resp sct the holiday of Empire
day is unlike other holidays. for the
schools do not give their pupils lib
erty. Instead every pupil in every
school under the British flag today
will be drilled in the ethics of imperial
loyalty, will be taught the necessity
of devotion to the empire and the de-
STABILITY Of closer imperial relations
The premiers- of practically all the
British colonies and f-governing
dominions are in London for the coro-
nation. and last night they were given
an Empire day dinner by the Pilgrims,
the famous London organization OF
Americans Lord Roberts presided
over the dinner as chairman The
friendship between the great English
speaking empire and the great Eng
lish speaking republic was thus SYM
bolized
Lord Roberts will receive the salutes
of 10000 Londop school boys who will
march In procession in honor of the
day But. after all, it is probable that
the great majority of the English peo-
pie will celebrate the holiday in the
true Anglo-Saxon fashion, by going TO
see some game or by participating in
some athletic sport
Instituted by Edward.
After queen Victoria's death in jan
uary, 1901, king Edward signified his
desire that her birthday be kept as a
holiday and to that end he instituted
Empire day. Edward died early in
May last year, and George V had been
king but a few days when Empire
day came around. The universal
mourning prevented any general eeIe-
bration. but the new king honored the
day in most significant manner.
He sent a message to all the people
of the oversee dominions, and another
to the princes and peoples of India .
calling on them to give their support
to the empire and promising them his
devoted and affectionate assistance. He
reminded the people of the overseas
that as sailor he had visited nearly
all parts OF the empire and that he
would hold their needs and their in
terests ever close to his heart To the
indians he repeated the pledges of his
grandmother and the promises of his
father that India should have more
and more liberty of self-control as time
went on
If there had been any probability
that the celebration of victoria's
birthday might have been abandoned.
it was jissipated by that action of
king George Hence the preparation
for the observance Of this years holt
day was more elaborate than ever be-
fore.
VIII BE Perpetual.
Although it viii be known hence
forth as Empire day, and gradually
will assume a character BETTING its
name, the holiday long will serve to
keep alive the reverence in which Great
and Great Britain hold the memory
of the great queen Victoria was born
at Kensington Palace in London on
May "a, 1919, the only child of Ed
ward. duke Of Kent, who was a son of
George Ill and brother of the then
prince regent, who was afterward
George ", and his successor, William
w She came to the throne in 1887
and .reigned until 1901. nearly two
thirds of the 10Th century
Under Victoria the possessions OF
Great Britain became more than mere
possessions, being transformed by the
processes Of modern politics into in
tegral parts of the British empire
When Victoria came to the throne
Canada was in revolt against the
crown, there was no such thing as
self-goyerning British colony, and the
British flag everywhere represented
exploitation When she laid down the
cares Of state there were a half dozen
free British nations and in every part
OF the world her flag represented free
dom and protection 1t Is fitting that
her birthday should have been selected
as the great imperial holiday of the
greatest empire the world has ever
known.
Tomorrow-Digging the Ditch of the
Panama Canal.