A pretty incident of Sir George Grey’s tour through Australia as a tribune might have been reported in London next morning.  This was following the first conference, held in Sydney, on the great subject of Australasian federation:  Sir George, after a season of heather burning, was taking ship at Sydney, to return to New Zealand.  A multitude of people streamed forth to bid him good-bye, and he walked down their ranks to the steamer.

‘As I was stepping on board,’ he told the episode, ’I noticed a lad smoking a cigarette.  Being near him, I remarked quietly, “What a pity it is to see a bright boy like you smoking!  You are very young to smoke.  I am sure if you consider the expense it will lead you into, and perhaps the injury to your health, you will not smoke.”

’He looked up at me for a minute as if thinking, and then, with the declaration, “I’ll never smoke again,” threw the cigarette from him.  By this time the crowd had noted what was transpiring, and they cheered the lad again and again, much, I’m afraid, to his confusion.  Now, wasn’t that a nice thing for a boy to do?  It pleased me wonderfully.’

The proofs of federation by cable, which Sir George selected, were not, however, related to himself.  One was the auspicious and happy event of the birth of a child, in direct succession to the English throne, Prince Edward of York.  ‘Why,’ he paused, ’that was known within an hour on the farthest shores of Greater Britain, and the news, I can assure you, received with as keen a joy as in England.’  The second ease was the historic London dock strike, of which he said, ’Not merely was that struggle followed from hour to hour in Australasia, but encouragements and assistance from Australasian workers to their comrades at home, swept continually across the seas.’

There was already union between the different branches of the Anglo-Saxon family, and all we had to do was to afford it assistance in growing and forming.  Ever, we must provide more adequate means for utilising the onward tide of humanity, striving after higher ideals.  We needed to have life permeated with all the helps and lights that were possible; not to shut these out as they became available.

There had been disturbances to the growth of Anglo-Saxon union, and opportunities for its furtherance had been thrown away.  Perhaps the greatest disturbance was the war between the Northern and Southern States of America.  ‘It arose,’ Sir George noted, ’out of the one great flaw in that wonderful creation, the American Constitution.  Strangely enough, the Constitution omitted to make any provision for dealing with slavery, and inevitably, in course of time, came dispute and war.’  Yet, the strands of race held unbroken through that trial, and the future was secure.