WOMEN'S WORLD

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 213, 6 September 1916, Page 8

WOMEN'S WORLD

n .SOCIAL JOTTINGS. > J *- i m -; Miss Spedding, whose honorary work j j for tlie Patriotic League has been of a 41 strenuous nature during the year just ■', closed, has gone to Tirau for a few days' {\ xest -before beginning work afresh. Mrs Hiley, wife of the general manager ; i of Ne.w Zealand railways, accompanied Jj Tjy her infant child and Miss Kirk, rej ; turned to Auckland by the Makura. I 1,1x5 and Bliss Holdsworth, who have ; 1 been travelling in Australia, in company With dL- Holdsworth, iranaging director ) ? of the Union Steamship Company, returned to Auckland by the Makura, and departed for their home in Dunediu by I " the Main Trunk. , The "Sun" says that CUiss Dorothy I Southey-Baker, of Auckland, who is one || of Miss Jenny Cullen's violin pupils at ; j the Conservatorium, Sydney, has had i j jfco undergo an operation for appendicitis ■ ; at a private hospital. She is now pro- |! gressing satisfactorily. Mies Southey- [ ; Baker is a descendant of Southey, the poet. Madame Melba has been laid up with I 1 a severe attack of influenza since her 11 return to Melbourne from Sydney, and X : has cancelled her concert organised for I "the 'benefit of the wives and children of professional musicians. Mrs St. John Buckley, <of Oamaru, and . ■* her daughters are visiting the !Xortli i . Island. IJ Lady Helen Brassey has been married ; J to ilajor John Murray, son of the famous ! * publisher. -.: - - - - A farewell tea was given to Miss Beat- - rice day and Madame Boeufre a t the j .- Anti-German League of Victoria. These Lj ladies held the positions of treasurer and | - vice-president respectively of the New I i Zealand league, and have "left for Europe I ". to bring about an alliance between the I ; Australasian leagues and the British and ; ; lYench ones. j • Mrs. B. D. Cohen, of Sydney, aunt of j « Artliur Myers, arrived in Auckland ', ]>y the Makura, and went on by the same '. vessel next day, en route to England. Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Miller, of Te Kuiti, • ire staying at Cargen for a few 1 days. ; - Miss Handyside, of Xapier. arrived in - Auckland at the beginning of the week, end took up 'hex .residence at Cargen. J.'iss Handyside will probably proceed to ; V.'hangarei to visit iher sister. Bγ. and Mre. Alexander Wilson, oi Wanganiiii are staying at the Grand. Mrs. Leo Wflkie and Mrs. Desmond ■ Campion, of "Wanganui, aTe amongst the guests at the Grand. Mre. and Mies Spedding, of Dunedin, ;., are on a Jiollday visit to Auckland. Xhev I ore staying at the Grand Hotel. - ; Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Cowlishaw, of \ "'■ \ hri3tc ' QUrcn . have been on a visit to ■ . --uckland, and were staying at the Grand .:- ictel. Mrs. Cowiiehaw had her two :; of »unedin, and i! C«n^* w y»Ston, has gone to I time. Aliai J" 6^ c wiU Bta >' ior s ™« ■ for EngCl, *\ a e leaves Portly take place to Mv <tie r mar! "iage will .;/;; Skinner,; .Conwnjsai o ?^ er ' son of r - - Christchuiclu^:^ ■■»! -Crown Lands,

Mre. A. Hinton, wife of Mr. Arthur Hinton, examiner for the Royal College of Music, but who is well known as Katli erine Goodson, one of the world's famcus pianiets, is at present staying at Cargen. It was announced in the Sydney Press that Mrs. Hin£on proposed giving one recital in. Xew Zealand, but tW report is denied by the distinguished visitor. Mrs. Hinton states that, alter a series of fifty-one recitals Teeentljgiven in the United States, she wishes to spend her two or three weeks' visit to .Auckland in recuperating. The engagement is announced of Lady Irene Curzon, eldest daughter of Earl Curzon, to Mr. Guy Benson, a wellknown London banker. Lady Irene. who celebrated her twentieth birthday last January, inherits the beauty and charm of her late mother, who was a daughter of Levi Leiter, the American millionaire. Besides great wealth from •her maternal grandfather. Lady Irene will inherit her .father's barony of EavensdaleAs bridal offerings, which arc not the feature of the Englieh wedding that they were in pre-war days, a new kind of pre-j sent is being given to war brides. It is; just a copper casket wrought by hand! •with the most beautiful art. "in this; casket the letters of her soldier husband j will be enshrined, and other prec'iouel scuveuire connected with his niilitarv career. To mark the end of Lady Baldwin Spencer's third year, and the beginning of her fourth year as president of the Melbourne Lyceum Club, she was presented with a box of beaten silver, and a leathc* album in antique design, to hold the photographs of her baby grand-daughter, whose name—"Barbara"'—was inscribed on the cover. Both gifts were the work of members of the Arts and Crafts Society.

WOMEN'S PATRIOTIC WORK. The first annual meeting of the Women's Patriotic League, which took place om Thursday, was one of the largest and most representative gatherings of women yet held in Auckland. Between 300 and 400 members were present. Delegates, came from far and near representing branches. They came from as far south as Te Kuiti, as well us from the distant north. To honour the visitors the hall had been decorated ; with palms and arum lilies in pots, while 1 the afternoon tea-tables were laden with < delicacies and adorned with freesias nnd j other spring flowers, which", mixed with . filmy asparagus fern, gave a light and . dainty touch to the scene. The enterj tainnicnt committee, of which ilrs- : Maguire is the moving, spirit, was in • charge of the refreshments. Mrs. j Keary, in place of Mrs. JMaguire, who was, unfortunately, indisposed. did everything possible to entertain the guests in a happy manner. The Mayoress (Mrs. Gunson) took the chair, and in a clear and happy speech ! extended a hearty welcome to the visit- ! ing delegates. Mrs. Gunson spoke of the very great kindness which had been extended to herself and Miss Spedding on their recent organising tour through the country, and hoped that the visitors from the country would enjoy their trip to the town as much as she had hers to the country. The speaker then went into details of the work accomplished by the League, and laid stress upon the appreciation which had been received in advices from the front. Just as the men were working shoulder to shoulder to support each other abroad, so were the women working at home to support the brave men who were fighting their battles for them. The speaker was heartily applauded upon taking her seat. In speaking afterwards on the work of the League, the secretary (Miss Spedding) mentioned that, in spite of the many calls upon Mrs. Gunson's time, she had only failed to be present at one meeting during the year—a remarkable record for a, busy public worker. To show the work done by the secretarial staff of voluntary workers, it was mentioned that 12,000 letters had been received and attended to during the last j three months. Miss Spedding remarked that if the meeting would excuse her she would like to describe the secretarial staff as bricks. This was wittily taken up when the representative of the office staff replied during the,afternoon. She remarked that as Miss Spedding had said they "'were bricks" for their voluntary hard work, the secretary must be the mortar which bound them together and supported the structure—a sally which raised a ripple of merriment. In moving the adoption of the secretary's report, Mr. A. G. Lunn paid a high tribute to Mrs. Gunson as president. She was possessed of a tact and womanly charm "which endeared her to everyone who met her. 3lr. Lunn expressed the opinion that lie had never handled a more concise, logical, and yet comprehensive report than the one which had just been presented to the meeting. It reflected-great credit on all concerned. When this war was concluded, the csuntsX- should be jn potaev

sion of a body of women who were determined to devote themselves to the highest good of the land, without party feeling or sectarian bias, and this •would be one of the great blessings which would come out of tlic terrible war. During the afternoon the session was continued, when reports were delivered by the visiting delegates. The different branches were represented as follows:—Miss A. Payne, Port Albert: Mrs. Campbell, Coromandel; Mrs. Greenslade, .Hamilton; Mrs. Milligan, Te Puke; Miss .Stewart, Kawakawa; Mrs. Carmichael, •Manawaru; Mrs. Nicholls, Lower Thames Valley; Mrs. Deaver, Whangarei: Mrs. Kapsom. Kaihu; Mrs. Forster. Otorohanga; Mrs! ■Reynolds, Cambridge; Mrs. Luxford. Ohaupo; Mrs. Jolly. Frankton Junction; Mrs. S. J. Lewie, Tuakau; Mrs. Butehart, Waikino: Mrs. Kerr Taylor, Waimnuku; Miss Wallis, Morriusville: Miss Barnes, Drury, Mis. Wyatt, Howick; Miss Bell,' Wiri; Mrs. Wily. Buekland; Mrs. Webster, Pukekohe; Miss Sutton, Pnpatoetoc; Mrs. McLeod, Parakai; Mrs. Oxlcy, llelensville; Mrs. Jack, Henderson; Mrs. Mason, Otahuhu: Mrs. Currie, Mangere; Mrs. Blomfield, Takapuna; Mrs. Fraser, Northcote; •Miss Mason, Devonport: Mrs. White, Taupiri; Mrs. Irwin, Point Chevalier; Mrs. Fnlljames, Milford: Mrs. McColl, Newmarket: Mrs. McPhail, Birkenliead; and Mrs- Xesbitt. Avondale. One of the youngest of these offshoots is the Devonport branch, which has only been going for ten weeks, yet can show a membership of 132 workers. The Devonport magazine department has already ■collected 265 magazines and books for the use of the returned wounded aboard the transports. > During the afternoon tea was served, and musical items were,given by Miss Ava Symons, who played violin solos, and Miss lima Page, who contributed a eong. A hearty vote of thanks -was proposed by Mrs. Irwin to Mrs. Gunson for the able manner in which she had presided over the gathering, which, being seconded by Mra. Sydney Nathan, was carried by acclamation, and closed the first annual gathering of the Auckland Women's Patriotic League.