CONCERT AND BALL AT RANGIRIRI.
Observer, Volume 7, Issue 353, 12 September 1885, Page 10
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CONCERT AND BALL AT RANGIRIRI.
A concert and ball took place at Eangiriri on Friday, the 28th ult. Eangiriri has been long celebrated for its beautiful girls. On this occasion the girls were just as beautiful as ever, but there were not enough of them — that was the pity of it ! Messrs Bruce Bros, supplied the music, and dancing continued until 1.30 a.m., every one voting the affair awfully jolly. Miss Kanard (attired in blue silk with trimmings to match) was as usual unanimously voted belle of the ball, Miss Blackman coming in for second honours. Some of the dress improvers were of a monstrous size, fortunately not many were worn, or collisions attended with avvful results would inevitably have occurred during the dancing 1 .
A big fancy fair or bazaar (in connection with the church of England) is projected at Tauranga, to come off about February next. Girls who wish to have small, prettily-shaped mouths should repeat at frequent intervals during the day, 'Fanny Finch fried five floundering fish of Francis Fowler's father.' Three of the loveliest young ladies invited to^the dinner of the New York Coaching Club withdrew as soon as possible in disgust. The hall was lighted with burners in pink globes, and the effect of the reflection on their snowwhite costumes was something awful. A grand ball has recently been given in New York, ' by a well-known society woman,' to celebrate receiving her divorce papers. One of the American papers which notices this fete, predicts that ' divorce celebrations will soon rank in magnificence with weddings, christenings, and funerals.' - Yet another fashion in stationery. It is now common for people who reside in country houses worth taking to have a reduced photographic copy of their residences placed at the top of the sheets of notepaper in the place usually occupied by the address. Next, we suppose there will be reduced copies of their physiognomies at the end of their letters in the place of the superscription. The latest bit of gossip abont Queen Victoria is that she discovered in a son-in-law of Archbishop Tait a marvellous resemblance to the defunct John Brown ; and has since been inconvenient in her pressing attentions to him —calling on him, buying pictures of him, and sending for him post haste, to beguile an hour with his conversation. Middle-class people in England who cannot afford the £30 fee for a special licence to get married in the afternoon, must envy Scotch nuptial arrangemants not a little. North of the Cheviots people get married at whatever time of the day is most suitable to them. As a rule marriages take place in the evening, and are almost invariably performed in the bride's house. Except among Episcopalians, wedding breakfasts are unknown, and an enjoyable dance is much, more to the taste of Scottish wedding guests than, the dreary solemnity of the old-fashioned breakfast so dear — in every sense of the word — to their English brethren.' - The English papers are very rough on decollete dresses, which appear to furnish never-ending food for the ' society ' paragraphists. For instance, one funny man remarks that it is hardly the correct thing to say at an evening party nowadays that * the more you see of a lady the better you like her.' Another joke deals with a small boy who observes that his sister's ball-dress is slipping off her shoulders just as his pants slip off him. when the buttons are missing; and the well-worn story of the English clergyman at the ball is dragged in as often as possible. This venerable yarn tells of a parson who, about to enter a fashionable ball-room, stops dead on the threshold. ' Ah, Mr Sixthly,' says an acquaintance, 'it is not often that one sees such a sight as that !' referring to the crowded assembly. 'No,' says the parson, preparing to beat a retreat, ' I have never seen such a sight since I was weaned !' It is not generally known that the Maharajah Duleep Singh, who used to make such a dazzling display of diamonds in London drawing-rooms, married a poor girl in Egypt under most unusual circumstances. The Maharajah was paying a visit to the American Mission-school at Cairo, and was attracted by the intelligent manner in which one of the teachers conducted her class. The interest of the Prince increased on conversing with the girl, and he obtained the particulars of her history from the superintendent of the school. She was the daughter of an Arab woman. Her father was a German, who on his marriage with a countrywoman of his own, placed her I in a Mission-school, but from that time had refused to recognise her in any way. The superintendent had only expressions of the highest praise for the girl's conduct in fitting herself for the position of teacher. Though of pleasing appearance, the girl was by no means beautiful. The Prince married the Arab girl a fortnight later at the British Consulate at Alexandria. Here is a pretty story from Vienna : — A specimen of the ideal English ' Milord,' the hero of so many romantic and sensational novels, of which the race has apparently died out of late, has just re-appeared at the above mentioned city. A rich islander, who had entered a hairdresser's shop, noticed within a charming young girl, but very poorly attired,
conferring. with the master of the shop upon some matter of business. She was offering to part with her magnificent locks of hair, for which she asked ten florins, while the hairdresser would only give eight. At last, with tearful eyes, the pretty girl consented to the sacrifice and the hairdresser had already taken the scissors in hand, when the Englishman vented forth a thundering ' Halt !' He then asked the girl what were the motives that compelled her tosubmitto such a disfigurement, and learned thather parents, whohadbeenin easy circumstances, were actually without bread at the moment, the Englishman, taking his purse, drew forth two bank-notes, and offering them to the girl saying, « Will you let me buy your hair ?' The girl, without even noticing the gum, at once responded in the affirmative, and the Englishman, giving her the money, delicately pulled out a single hair, which he rolled round his finger, placed in ' his purse and so went away. The hairdresser then informed the young girl that the banknotes represented a sum of 5000 francs, when the latter burst into tears— this time for joy— at the thought of her parents being saved from misery. All Vienna is dying with impatience to ascertain the name of this generous benefactor, but he has since disappeared entirely from the scene. The peculiar feature of the races at Ascot is the driving thither in semi-state of the Prince and Princess of Wales. As a picture scarcely anything more charming can be conceived than the winding through the green woods of a troop of huntsmen wearing the Lincoln green, with their hunting horns and peaked caps, preceding the royal carriages drawn by eight horses apiece, bestridden by grooms in scarlet livery. This ceremonial is of very ancient date, and pictures are extant of various monarchs proceeding to the race course in ' Ascot state.' This year, however, the Queen forbade the procession, as Cup Day at Ascot was the day on which the Duchess of Connaught's father, the Red Prince, was being laid away forever. There was some fear that the royal party would not appear at all, and that all the blinds would be down in the royal inclosure, as they were last year, in consequence of the death of the Duke of Albany. But the royalties came, and what's more, the Princess was not in mourning, but wore a charming light blue dress, adorned with pink roses. The dressing at Ascot is always something extraordinary, and this year the most magnificent feminine apparel was observable. Fabrics usually reserved for the ball-room were thought not too expensive, not too brilliant, for use upon the velvet sward of the turf. White satins, cream velvets, Brussels point lace flounces, everything gorgeous that the most daring milliner could think of or devise — all that was at Ascot on the Cup Day.
