THE CROWN AND THE EMPIRE
By BERNARD HOLLAND, C.B.
The proclamation of the Imperial title at Delhi in 1876, and the Royal celebrations in London in 1887, 1897, and 1902, together with the magnificent ceremonial at Delhi upon the last occasion, are the most striking symbolical manifestations in British history. They were the outward and visible signs of the magnitude and character of the Empire, and of its oneness in connection with the common centre.
In the days of Henry VIII. the King's dominion was confined within the narrow region which lies between the Scottish border and the English Channel, except that beyond the sea there was an English colony round Dublin, and a loose sovereignty over the natives of Ireland not unlike our earlier forms of Protectorates in Africa. Within this narrow sphere the King governed in every sense of the word, appointed and dismissed his Ministers, and was supreme except for the necessity of having sufficient regard for public opinion, or the strongest section of it, acting inside and outside of Parliament. In the days of Edward VII. the responsibility of government rests with a Prime Minister, who virtually holds his place because the temporary majority in the United Kingdom accept him for the chief manager of their affairs. That is the result of English history during the last three centuries. The system may not be the last word in our political life, but it has proved its merits by success. During the
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