Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 3).djvu/482

May-Day, 1887.
From a Photo. by Birtles, Northwich.
The May-Queen and her Court waiting for the Visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Mary Howarth, May-Queen, 1887.
(From a Photo. by G. B. Bradshaw & Co., Altrincham.) English rural festival, and the crowning of a May-Queen. On that occasion, "Her Majesty" was carried to the Green, or the "Heath," as it is called, in a chair, and, as but few of her liegemen and vassals gathered around her, the affair had but a poor effect, compared with the splendour of the present festival. Moreover, at the period alluded to, the whole fête was merely got up for the Church of England schools, and matters continued thus until 1877, when a new committee of the most public-spirited Knutsfordians was formed, who took upon themselves all responsibilities, and were determined to proceed in so open-handed a manner as to win support on every side. They resolved, therefore, to know neither sect nor party, and invited all the children of the township, whatever happened to be their belief or religious persuasion. The results far surpassed their most sanguine expectations, and the May-Day festival of Knutsford now proceeds on such a tide of popularity as to render its safety secure for all future time. Though, of course, the expenses of such a