EMPIRE DAY.
To THY EDITOR OF TEE " SPECTATOR.l
SIR,—Noiing your references to Canada, home of Empire Day, in your issue of May 30th, also to Lord Meath's share in its introduction to other parts of the Empire, permit me, as the founder, to say that its acceptance abroad has been much retarded and its effect lessened by the attempt to keep this day at any uncertain time or on a public holiday. My idea was that it should be a grand schoolday in Imperial education, no mere holiday with spectacular appendages, but a downright thorough preparation for the intelligent celebra- tion of the birthday of her "Who knew the seasons when to take
Occasion by the hand, and make
The bounds of [Empire] wider yet,"
and thus bring home most forcibly the responsibility of citizen- ship laid upon every pupil as sharer in the Empire. The date was set for " May 23rd, or last schoolday before the Queen's birthday." On the passing of our Queen, May 24th, which had long been kept as a public holiday, was by an Act of the Parliament of Canada continued as such, and given the name of Victoria Day. We would not at this time ungraciously seek to revoke that Act; nor change the date of Empire Day, remembering with what "pleasure " the late Queen received the congratulations of loyal thousands assembled some ten years ago in Canada to keep this first Imperial school celebration. It is much to be regretted that when—five years after its incep- tion in Canada—introducing this day to British schools that most earnest worker, Lord Meath, did not follow Canada's lead. Much confusion would thereby have been avoided. The Imperial unity of the Empire and Cecil Rhodes's vision of its power would have been more clearly revealed in the simultaneous and electric hand-clasp of children round the world. Is it too late to hope that the past keeping of Empire Day has in it the promise of a time when the sound of children's voices in that celebration shall, like the roll-beat of the drum, follow the sun of Britain's Empire around the world P—I am, yours for King and Empire,
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