Empire Day was celebrated on Wednesday, May 24t4i (Queen Victoria's
birthday), throughout the United Kingdom and the Colonies. The King held a review at Aldershot, and the monument erected in St. Paul's to the four thousand three hundred officers and men from the Britains oversea who fell in the Boer War was unveiled by the Prince of Wales. St. Paul's is a fit place for a heroes' memorial ; but we aie tempted to wish that the monument could have stood in some public place for all men to see that the sons of the Empire will die for her as readily when they are born in the Colonies as in the Old Country. Among the minor celebrations, one of the most interesting was a review of a body of civilian Rifles by Lord Roberts at Newlands Corner, on the Surrey Downs. After a march-past of nearly three hundred mounted men, cyclists, and foot riflemen, Lord Roberts said his earnest hope was that it would not be long before na only every town and village, but every hamlet and farm would have its rifle club. He was quite certain that the way in which they must educate their men was by beginning with the boys. He wanted a rifle club started in all schools, and every assistance should be given to the boys by neighbouring clubs, who might lend their ranges for prac- tice. His sincere hope was that it would not be long before the Government took this matter up and insisted upon the boys at every school being taught to shoot with the rifle. That is a policy long urged on the country by the Spectator, and we are delighted to see it advocated by the man who helped the nation as did Lord Roberta when her need was the sorest.
Previous page
