THE SOCIAL ROUND

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 149, 30 July 1914, Page 4

THE SOCIAL ROUND

NOTES AND NEWS.

Mr and Mrs H. W. Acton-Adams, Tipapa, leave to-day for Melbourne. Tlie ; Misses White-Parsons (2) arrived in Christclmrch from Wellington this morning. Mrs Denshire and the Misses Denshire (2), of Ashburton, who have been spending the last couple of months in Nelson, arrived in Christchureh from the north this morning, on their way home. Melbourne "Table Talk" announces the engagement of Miss Clarissa Aldridge, daughter of Mr and Mrs J. M. Aldridge, Brighton, to Mr H. A. Heighway,' son of the Rev. and Mrs George lleighway, Dunedin, N.Z. A loan art exhibition was opened in St. Barnabas's Schoolroom this afternoon, and will be continued again to-night from 7 to 10 o 'clock. Exhibits -included old china, pictures, silver, brassware, Korean curios, old books, old papers, etc. Afternoon tea was served. Quite a number of the sex that doesn't play * football turned up at the college grounds yesterday to see the match between the Ota go boys and the representatives of. Christ's College. Much enthusiasm, however, could not be worked ap over a match which (to the uninitiated mind of one of the same sex at any rate) was all on one side. Amongst those who came to watch the game were noticed Dr and Mrs Thomas, Miss Ilelmore, Mrs Leicester Matson, Mrs Andrews, Mrs R. W. Anderson, Mrsr Batchelor, Mrs G. j Harris, Miss Alison Jennings, Mrs T. j Cowlisliaw, Mr and Mrs Turnbull, Mrs j Tonks, Mr and Mrs Buchanan and Miss > Berkeley. i Last evening Mrs B. Wall work and Miss Ness Mackay,' who are presently opening classes for the tuition of Greek picture dancing and eurythimics, gave a short talk on this revival art to * a gathering of ladies. Mrs Wallwork gave a very interesting talk first of all, in the course of which she traced the ! development of the dance as practised By the ancient Greeks, who had for their ideals, grace, sound health, and strength—in short, physical perfection as far as it may go. How their dances aimed towards, and helped, these ideals 'was lucidly explained. Miss Ness Mackay showed a number of drawings, demonstrating how-tlie dances acted on the muscles of the body, and right and ■wrong positions in standing, sittiiigi and 'dancing. Btfth ladies were listened ito with the closest attention, and great interest .was manifested in all that was said and shown of this revived art. The gathering was held at Mrs Wallwork's residence on Cambridge Terrace, and at the conclusion of '' formal business,''; refreshments were served. j The annual social in connection with j the Congress Masonic Lodge was held j in the Art Gallery last evening, and j "was a thoroughly successful function.! The enjoyment of the social may be j gairged from the fact that there were ; no early departures from the scene of j gaiety, and at 2 o'clock —about which I time the last dance was announced—' the ball was as crowded as in the verv i * ! beginning of the evening. There were j about 87 couples present, and Wells's i Band supplied splendid dance niusiC, j Mr W. Ti Oliver acting as M.C. with»j courtesy ■ and ability. Matthews j catered for the supper. The tango, i "which is becoming übiquitous here, was J put on as an extra, and "was found so j fascinating that it had to be repeated, j and again repeated, before the even- j ing closed. During supper Mr Cfow- j hurst acceptably contributed a song, j Altogether an extremely happy time j was spent by the Congress Lodge; Masons and their friends, and all agree J that their social reunion of 1914 stands second-to none other held in previous; jears. I

Ironical reference to the. craze for tightly fitting dresses was made at a meeting of the Blankney Forest of Dean local authority, who passed a resolution asking the Great Western Railway Company to reduce the distance between the platform and the carriage steps of the trains. It was stated that women experienced great difficulty in entering anil leaving the carriages, and that many narrow escapes were recorded. Mr Clissold, the chairman of the council, who seconded the resolution, mentioned that it was the prevailing fashion among women to wear tight, close-fitting skirts, which made it difficult for them to raise their knees high enough to surmount the difficulty. *y. He had nojSSKibt that when the'railway W was fully acquainted with the nature of the complaint it would put its workpeople on to raise the platform to meet the requirements of fashion. He imagined that if the fashion became more extreme women would not be able to move at all. If representation were made, doubtless the railway companies would alter the platforms from time to time to meet the various exigencies of fashion.

The discussion on tho British Nationality and Status of Aliens Bill, now before the Imperial Parliament, has brought to light the interesting fact that up to 1870 a British woman had the right, on marriage to an alien, to choose her own nationality. The Act of 3870 took away that right and followed the Continental system of Roman law, which has always regarded the wife as the mere appendage of her husband. Since England has become a settling ground for foreigners, it happens that great numbers of Englishwomen marry aliens; until lately by doing this they actually lost their claim to an old age pension and to full insurance benefits. The present Government is opposed to the principle which it was intended to establish in the Commonwealth by the Australian Naturalisation Act, that a British woman is a British citizen by right of birth, and that this privilege cannot be taken away from her any more than from a man.

At the first of the June Courts at Buckingham Palace, many young women, who are destined to take leading places in society, made their debut. One of the most interesting was Lady Maud Cavendish, the elder daughter of the Duke and. Duchess of Devonshire, w r ho was presented by her mother. Lady Maud is one of the few intimate friends of Princess Mary, and will later on be practically certain to hold some prominent position at Court, as her father is a close friend of the King, while the Duchess is a mistress of the robes to the Queen.