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and commerce have increased with unprecedented bounds, and the wealth of the nation has also grown in a measure totally unknown before in any similar period of our history.”
With the present labour unrest in Britain, inflation, high taxes and an uncertain economic future, we are sharply reminded that the sentiments of the speaker expressed conditions of what in retrospect seem to be a golden period; that is, if we view it from an imperial standpoint which largely ignores the exploitation and racial condescension upon which the structure of Empire stood.
With the extension of power to remote corners of the globe and the gathering of the profits of trade, there was also progress to be noted within the nation: "The arts and sciences also have progressed in a manner that could have been thought impossible when Her Majesty ascended the throne. Discoveries and inventions have taken place which have added most materially to the prosperity, happiness, and comfort of all classes of Her Majesty's subjects. Nor has the progress been confined to material objects. Much has been done to raise and elevate the people, the advance in education has been surprising, and especially the efforts which have been expected."
There had also been advances in humanitarianism and liberalism: “Legislation has not been behindhand. Beneficent laws have been passed to mitigate the severity and harshness of former enactments, and other measures have been passed abolishing unnecessary restrictions and privileges and opening careers to many thousands of Her Majesty's subjects.”
The speaker prudently did not refer to the furore created among the expatriates of Hongkong when a few years earlier Governor Hennessy had introduced measures to make more humane the punishment meted out to Chinese criminals.
Nor did he speak of the strong objections raised to Governor Hennessy's efforts to introduce more equal status for the Chinese, such as the appointment of Mr. Ng Choy (Wu Ting-fang) as the first Chinese member of the Legislative Council and the Governor's wish to abolish class legislation such as the light and pass
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and commerce have increased with unprecedented bounds, and the wealth of the nation has also grown in a measure totally un- known before in any similar period of our history.”
With the present labour unrest in Britain, inflation, high taxes and an uncertain economic future, we are sharply reminded that the sentiments of the speaker expressed conditions of what in retrospect seem to be a golden period; that is, if we view it from an imperial standpoint which largely ignores the exploitation and racial condescension upon which the structure of Empire stood.
With the extension of power to remote corners of the globe and the gathering of the profits of trade, there was also progress to be noted within the nation: "The arts and sciences also have pro- gressed in a manner that could have been thought impossible when Her Majesty ascended the throne. Discoveries and inven- tions have taken place which have added most materially to the prosperity, happiness, and comfort of all classes of Her Majesty's subjects. Nor has the progress been confined to material objects. Much has been done to raise and elevate the people, the advance in education has been surprising, and especially the efforts which have been expected."
There had also been advances in humanitarianism and liberal- ism: “Legislation has not been behindhand. Beneficent laws have been passed to mitigate the severity and harshness of former en- actments, and other measures have been passed abolishing unnec- essary restrictions and privileges and opening careers to many thousands of Her Majesty's subjects.”
The speaker prudently did not refer to the furore created among the expatriates of Hongkong when a few years earlier Governor Hennessy had introduced measures to make more humane the punishment meted out to Chinese criminals.
Nor did he speak of the strong objections raised to Governor Hennessy's efforts to introduce more equal status for the Chinese, such as the appointment of Mr. Ng Choy (Wu Ting-fang) as the first Chinese member of the Legislative Council and the Gover- nor's wish to abolish class legislation such as the light and pass
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