* * * * Empire Day May 24th, Queen Victoria's
birthday, has now been recognized as Empire Day for nearly forty years, and officially since 1916. This was due in great measure to the pertinacious idealism of Lord Meath, and we welcome the proposal of a national memorial to that practical enthusiast for our race, for open spaces in London and, with Lady Meath, for more pious and practical charities than we can record. Falling on Whit-Sunday, the day turned the thoughts of many to the need of spiritual guidance in our national and imperial responsibilities. It was a fitting day for that now world-wide institution, the British Legion, to begin its annual reunion and consultations. Other regular Whitsuntide meetings are those of the great Friendly Societies. Their reports and discussions are always worth following. They reassure us that- voluntary thrift and voluntary efforts of British people to bear one another's burdens are not extinct. They are also now great businesses which have really carried with success the administration of National Health Insurance. If the Trade' Unions had had- the spirit similarly to administer Unemployment Insurance, what might the country have saved !
Previous page
