PIONEERING DAYS

MANNERS AND MOOES HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Manners and modes of pioneer days were presented at a social evening arranged by the Auckland Historical Society in the T.M.C.A. concert hall ; last night. The president, the Rev. A. jB. Chappell, presided. Ihe hall was | specially decorated for the occasion with interesting historic relics, borne lent I from the Old Colonists 1 Museum, through the courtesy of the City Council and the chief librarian, Mr. John Barr, and others by individual members. Among the more interesting exhibits were a chair in which the wile of John King, one of the early missionaries, was lowered from the .brig Active into a ship's boat on arrival at the Bay of Islands, and part of an old altar cloth which had been used in the early days at Kaitaia. A brief review of the early history of New Zealand by Mr. Chappell was interspersed by exhibitions of the costumes actually worn in the pioneering daj'B. and arranged chiefly by Mrs. A. M. Wilson. Miss Marnie Spicer, a grand-daughter of an early missionary iamily, wore several lqvely old dresses and quaint shawls and bonnets, which had been the delight of her grandmother over 100 years ago. Miss Spicer's grandmother was Miss Mary Ann Williams, who came to the Bay of Islands with the Pev. Samuel Marsden in 1828, and later married the Rev. James Preece, who arrived from England a year later. The costumes of a later era—the pioneering days of the immigrant ships and the days of colonising development, which followed toward the close of last century—were shown by Mrs. E. R. Dunningham and Misses Billy Doust, Molly Stewart, Audrey Dodds and Audrey Stevens. They were dresses of quaint design and Sowing lines, which seemed to reflect the spirit of a less hurried age. During the evening an exhibition of Maori weaving was given by Mrs, M. Tuhapi and her family, with explanatory remarks by Mr. George Graham. Miss Tuhapi gave a poi dance, and songs were sung by Miss Rose Perez and Miss Mina Kronfeld. The entire gathering was indicative of the progress made by the society in less than two years of existence.