THE SOCIAL ROUND

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 198, 25 September 1914, Page 4

THE SOCIAL ROUND

Mr and Mrs S. McKay (Blenheim) are visiting Wellington. Miss Gossett is visiting Dunedin, and is the guest of Mrs Sydney Neill. Mrs Findlay has returned to Ashburton from a visit to Christehurch. Dr and Mrs Blackmore have been .' visiting Hanmer Springs during the week. Mr and Mrs G. E. Edwards, Santa Barbara, California, are staying at Warner fs. Mrs and Miss Barker (Woodbury) Are the guests of Mrs A. Boyle, Riecarton. v Mr and Mrs Rhodes returned to Bluecliffs to-day after a brief visit to Christchurch. Dr Alice Moreland has been away from town for a few days this week, visiting Hanmer Springs. Mrs and Miss Greenwood have gone back to their home at Amberley, after spending a week at Werner's. Mrs- W. Macfarlane, who has been at 'Warner's since early in the week, returned to Kaiwara yesterday. Mr and Mrs H. W. Acton-Adams, who have been in town for several days, returned to Tipapa yesterday. Mrs E. O. Duncan, of Christehurch, •who has been on a visit to England, passed through Gibraltar .early this week on her return journey. MrsSykes, who only came out to New Zealand a month ago to join her- husband, Major Sykes, left again for England by the Eemuera, yesterday. Mr and "Mrs Hickman, who have been staying at the Clarendon Hotel '<■ for several days this week, motored back to Blenheim this morning. Mr Philip Snowden, the British M.P: ■who is coming to New Zealand to assist the No-license campaign, and Mrs Snowden are due to reach Auckland from Vancouver to-day. Colonel and the Misses Snow, Fendalton, who;have been paying a visit \to the Islands and Australia, arrived back in New Zealand by the Ulimaroa, which reached Wellington on Wednesday ' ■ • ■-, ■■ Among tlie women of to-day who have attained high honour in their work for humanity, the name of Miss Agnes Weston stands •'high; Women are not usually supposed to be. greatly concerned" in battleships, but it is in this connection that Miss Weston has attained fame (says the Auckland

"Weekly News-"). She is known as 4 ' Thei Mother of the Navy," and has a maternal interest in every man-6'-warsman afloat, whatever his nationality. Miss Weston was the founder of that great hostel, the "Sailors' Rest," at Portsmouth, which has been made the model for such homes throughout the world, and her methods have

been officially adopted by the Ameri-

can, German, and Japanese navies. The hostel is immensely popular with Jack ashore, and it is no uncommon sight to see a queue like that of a theatre crowd when the bluejackets are booking their beds. The refusal of the hotels to accept paper money in London left a couple of thousand well-to-do American tourists stranded at the commencement of the war. A meeting was hastily convened at the Waldorf.. Hotel, and the suggestion that a fleet of American transports should convey them to their own country was heartily cheered. Under the chairmanship of Mr Hetzlor, vice-president of the American Bankers' Association, the meeting decided to appoint three committees — transport, finance, and hotel accommodation. Those interested | were assured that one million dollars in gold was on its way from America to England, more than enough to cover the liabilities. One-lady, however, refused to be comforted, and confided to a; reporter that she felt "real awful—just like a lodger who hadn't paid his bill!" The dear lady pleaded poverty, with

her hands sparkling with'diamonds! The Australian Defence Department •- has. decided that four trained nurses are to sail on each transport. Six of these come from Victoria, and are all members of the Australian Army Nursing Service. They are Miss M. Finlay (acting matron), Miss Conyers, Miss Sam sing, Mrs White, Miss Lempriere, and Miss Kitchen. The members of the Australian Army Nursing Service may be called upon at any time, like the citizen forces, for home service only. So the six who are accompanying the-troops are going as volunteers. Altogether over .300 trained nurses have offered their services to the Defence Department in Victoria; so the one class of professional women whose training enables them to be of use in warfare, have indicated by their readiness to offer . service the spirit that animates women as a whole in this crisis. The Australian army nurses are paid a retaining fee of £1 a year, and have to provide their own uniforms. They may join at 21, but as a matter of fact are always some years older'; for they must, in addition to the three years' training required of any trained

nurse, have spent at least twelve months in a general hospital with male adults. They have to produce certificates for both medical and surgical nursing, and are required to show that they are in good health and physically fit. Every year they must attend lectures on any organisation, and are then classed as efficient for that year, and are obliged to retire at the age of 50. They number 24 in Victoria in addition to a lady superintendent and a matron. Miss Bell (the matron of the Melbourne Hospital) is the lady superintendent for Victoria.

A'touching event of the first week of the war has been, the number of '' service marriages,'' says a recent English exchange. Scores of soldiers and sailors have been hurriedly wedded, and have passed from the altar to the ranks. Chief among them was Lord Edward Grosvenor, a youthful uncle of the Duke of Westminster, who was married to Lady Dorothy Browne, the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Ken mare. The ceremony took place at the pretty little church of Lyndhurst, on the edge of New Forest, and the bridegroom immediately left to join the corps of naval airmen. These service marriages have been so numerous that the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London have made special arrangements for the immediate issue of marriage licenses to naval and military men. The same thing is being done abroad. The Austrian Church authorities, in view of the oubreak of war, have permitted marriages to take place immediately without the usual publication of the banns, the parties being required to swear that there is no legal hindrance to the union. Hundreds of such marriages have been celebrated during the week, and in some churches a score of couples have been united at one ceremony.

A lady noticed lately at a- children 's party thart a little boy of four and a half had. a bad' cold, and- was too feverish to take part in any game or dance. "My dear child," she said, "what a cold you have! '*' "It's not a cold, "he said, gravely; "it's an error. ? ' She was much surprised at the answer, but not when she afterwards learnt that; he was the son of a Christian Scientist mother. ' •.