A Sketch of how "The Diamond Anthem" was Sung around the World: The 60th Anniversary of the Accession Day of Her Majesty Queen Victoria — John Shaqi
A Sketch of how "The Diamond Anthem" was Sung around the World: The 60th Anniversary of the Accession Day of Her Majesty Queen VictoriaCumberland, Barlow
History
A Sketch of how "The Diamond Anthem" was Sung around the World: The 60th Anniversary of the Accession Day of Her Majesty Queen Victoria
Cumberland, Barlow
National songs; Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, 1819-1901 -- Anniversaries, etc.
By the equivalent time of 7.31 p.m. at Windsor Castle the Anthem had
crossed the Atlantic, and first touched the shores at St. John’s,
Newfoundland, when it was met by Lodge Dudley, S.O.E., assembled,
together with the Governor-General and all the friendly societies in the
Cathedral. “The service was impressive in the extreme.” From here
westward through Canada I need not dilate how that as the sun crossed
the continent the line through the villages, towns and cities of Canada
was so complete that the singing of the Anthem in one place had not
ceased before it was taken up in the next. As says the report from
Orillia, “as the familiar words were sung with lusty fervor by nearly a
thousand voices, until the volume almost raised the roof, the sun passed
the hour of four. In imagination the congregation could hear the strains
as they rolled up from the east and died away into the west.” At
Toronto, 3,000 people were packed into the Cathedral. After completion
of the prayers there remained four minutes before it was our turn to
take our place in the circle of song. By direction of His Lordship, the
Bishop, the congregation knelt in silent prayer for Her Majesty and the
welfare of the Empire. An immense throng of 6,000 to 7,000 people filled
the grounds and the adjacent streets outside, and a Regimental Band had
been stationed on the Cathedral steps to lead their singing. At the
stroke of the Cathedral bell, which had been arranged to ring at 4.18
p.m., being the real meridian time for 4 p.m. at Toronto, the
congregation rose and joined with those outside in uplifting with heart
and voice their loyal prayer, “_God save our gracious Queen_.” Those
were moments of a life-time while we waited in silence for the coming of
the anthem. Thus actually minute after minute the Anthem strain followed
the hours across this continent to the shores of the Pacific at
Victoria, British Columbia, where an open-air service was held at the
equivalent of 12.13 midnight at Windsor Castle. “Among those present at
Beacon Hill Park were the Lieut.-Governor, the Mayor, the Admiral and
officers of the ships in harbor. At 4 o’clock the bugles rang out, the
royal standard was run up to the masthead, and the National Anthem was
sung with full force by an assemblage of 12,000 people.”
From here, leaving the land, the Anthem wafted its way back to the place
of beginning, being joined as it passed by the S.S. _Aorangi_, in lat.
32. 25. n.; long. 147. 49. w., and by the _Empress of China_, lat. 41.
16. n; long. 152. 30. w., until at length it came to the little island,
which is as far on one side of long. 180, the central degree of
longitude, a Levuka from where it had started is on the other. Here the
West had met the East. I will give the last letter, as it deserves, in
full, from the lighthouse-keeper on the island:—
“WAILAGILALA LIGHTHOUSE, FIJI,
“17 South, 179.6, West Long.,
“26th September, 1897.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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