SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 144, 20 June 1899, Page 3

SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

BENEFIT CONCERT AT GOVERNI The society which exists here for the ! Protection oii Women and Children and ! the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals must feel very grateful for the kindly |and practical interest His Excellency

MENT HOUSE

; the Governor and the Countess of Kani furly have taken in its philanthropic I labours. Thanks to the assistance ! rendered by them the funds of the organisation, which were at low water, are now in a most satisfactory state, land the Society is enabled to proceed jon its career of usefulness untrammelled by the financial considerations j which have hampered it in the past. The benelit concert held in Govern- ! ment House ballroom on Saturday was I the suggestion of Lady Ranfurly, who | hoped by such an entertainment not i merely to stimulate public interest in | the Society, but to improve its nionejtary position. That Her Ladyship hit upon the very best way of helping the organisation, the success of the enterj tamment from every point of view, abundantly proves. The musiwil sec;tion of the community, including' such distinguished visitors as Mdlle. Trej belli and Mr J. Pvouse, gave their ser- | vices for nothing-, and the public ac- ] corded a most enthusiastic support to 'the concert. At eight o'clock the ballroom at Government House, when ! filled by a fashionable audience, pre- ! sented v brilliant appearance. All the | arrangements for receiving and seat- | ing- the visitors had been perfectly carj ried out by the Government House I officials, and the result was that the j entertainment was listened to under the most comfortable a.nd atractdve conditions. Soon after the hour fixed for the open ing of the concert His Excellency and the Countess of Ranfnrly, with Ladies Constance and Eileen T\no\-. Miss Douglas, Capt, Dudley Alexander (Private Secretary), the JTIoTi. Chas. Hill-Trevor (A.D.C."), a.nd Professor Karl Schrnitt (A.D.C.) entered the room, welcomed by the National Anthem, which was played by the Young1 Ladies' Orchestra, under Miss Thorpe. The concert opened with aai instrumental selection by the same orchestra (Mutt's Norwegian Scenes), and the same Society performed latw on selections from "The Geisha" and Yon Blon's "Unter Dem Sieges Banner/ The young ladies and their talented conductor (Miss Thorpe) are to be complimented on their excellent performance. lOach of the items was warmly received, the bright music of "The Geisha," already familiar to many, being particularly relished. Miss Harper and Mr Archdale Taylor were loudly applauded for their dramatic rendering1 of the well-known duct 'No, Sir." The song may be somewhat hnckeneyed, but certainly Mr Tayler made one quite forget that by the way he acted the part of the lover. Another vocal item in the first part of the programme was Miss Emily Reeve's careful interpretation of Schubert's "Dv Bist Dv Run," a song which suited her strong contralto voice. Mr John Prause was

down for one song-, but as was to have

been expected no sooner had he finished "Thou Art My World," than the audience testified by their prolonged applause that they must have another. With his customary courtesy Mr Prouse complied with the demand, and sang- "Hearts of Oak." The two other

instrumental items of the first half of the evening- were a viplin solo by Miss Sybil Lewis .and a mandolin solo by Sig-norina Antoinetta Albeggiania. The first young1 lady, who was accompanied on the piano by Mr R. Leslie Hunt, was very successful in her playing- of Wieniav.-ski's 2nd Mazurka—so successful indeed that she was ' recalled and played . as an encore 'St. Patrick's Day in the morning. The Signorina's performance, on the mandolin, "La Porza Del Destlno," displayed to advantage the possibilities of that sweet instrument.

Mademoiselle TrebellFs appearance, the event of the eveningl, did not take place till the middle of the second part of the programme, but when she came she made up for her delay by singingno less than three songs in succession—the last two In answer to a vociferous applause. Her first item was "Una Piecirella," a canzonetta by Gomes, "her second "The Nightingale's Trill' —a delicious -performance this— and her third a lovely French ditty. It is unnecessary here to dilate on the exquisite finish and melody which characterised these songs. The public are already aware of Mdlle. Trebelli's powers. Before leaving- the stage the singer was presented with a beautiful shower bouquet by the Countess of Itanfurly. Mr Prouse sang during this part of the concert "The River of Life," and two other gentlemen a,lso contributed solos, Mr Walter Kirby singing "The Minstrel Boy" to Mr R. Leslie Hunt's piano accompaniment, and Mr Arthur J. Murphy "For Thine. Own Sake." Mrs Edward Russell's "Dear Home Land" was somewhat marred by the nervousness of the singer. The cornet solo "See the Conquering Hero Comes," by Master Percy M. West, was a most meritorious performance on the part of that young gentleman.

The concert was under the direction of Professor Ka-rl Schmitt, and in addition to the performers already mentioned, the following ladies acted aa accompanists: Mrs Parkes, Mrs Archdale Tayler, Misses Hardinge, Thorpe, Reene, Kendon and Midgely. It was announced during the evening by the Secretary of the Society, Mr H. Wilding, that the proceeds from the concert would amount to between £80 and £85, and that this sum would practically all go to the Society, as His Excellency and Lady Ranfurly had defrayed all the expenses of the entertainment. In expressing the thanks of the Society for the generosity of its vice-regal patrons, the Secretary explained that prior to the coming to Auckland of His Excellency the organisation was £45 in debt. Now that burden had been paid off, and through the interest which Lard and Lady Ranfurly had taken in the Society, and the assistance they had accorded it, there was about £85 to the good and a bright futiire lay before the Society.