SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 334, 22 October 1908, Page 3

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

The Races. A great crowd of people went out: to tho races at Trentham yesterday, and .in spite of the threatening' appearance of tho"-ftorn-ing a great many of them went in very pretty summer frocks and nats, not- did they suffer by doing so, since the rain came on slowly with long warning, and Reared off before the people had to go .to ;■ their trains. A man's. report of the. stand_.'is that "there were plenty of blue' ana wh-to and pink frocks and lots of hats with roses, and that surely conveys comprehensively an idea' of the grandstand's appearance. Mrs. Chapman's "At Home." Mrs. Partridge's pretty .reception; rooms looked charming yesterday aftermm,. when Judge Chapman and Mrs. Chapman entertained a number of their friends. In jcho drawing room there were great bowls of flowers, white broom, lilac, arum lilies, and in the large' (lining room the .wide fireplace was filled with masses of golden broom. The tea table decorations were earned out m gold and lavender, vases 'filled with yelldw laburnum'' making an effective contrast to sprays of purple wistaria and large del ir-ately-coloured ' clematis flowers. During the whole afternoon a string baud played in an adjoining room, providing a pleasant accompaniment •to the steady flow of conversation. Several of the judges were present, with other legal fr.iends of the host. -lis. Etherington and Miss Wyhe helped to serve the .tea. . Mrs. : . Chapman's very artistic, frock i was of grey striped ' ninon, the bodice and skiri .miich'trimmed with black-Chantilly lace insertion. The yoke was of 'cream net,- and the broad belt of pale blue silk, a colour that'was repeated in little touches on the bodice.. Miss Partridge' wore a- graoef'il trailing' frock of black voile, with cream lace - 'fichu; Lady Stout wore a costume of soft Brown cloth,' with cream vest, and a toque of cream andbroxn straw, with tuft' of brown-tipped feather, Mrs. David Tindlay, green chiffon taffetas, with'cream lace, wide green and blue hat with huge blue and ping roses; MisS Richrooiid, violet 1 cloth frock, with' black ano white hat; Mrs. Hales,_ black voile, w;. f h black lace over' white • silk; Mrs. Raiik'ne Brown, blue coat and skirt; Mrs. Ethsrin-s----ton, pretty embroidered cream blouse, with cream skirt; Mrs. Treadwell, green. silk,with bands of dark green velvet, and light green hat with feathers; Mrs. Izard, brown velvet costume, and black hat lined with rose coloured - silk; Mrs.- G. Fitzgerald, black frocx with blouse of black filet lace over, white silk, 'and black and white hat; Mrs; Duncan, black dress, with black and white hat; Mrs. Miles, striped fawn coat and sjtirt, and brown ' toque with brown and heliotrope plumes. Among others prosent were Mrs. and Miss Seaton, Mrs. Brandon, Mrs.'Litchfield, Professor and Mrs. Salmond, Mr';, Mrs., and Miss Hamiltou, Miss Coates, Mies Holmes,- Mrs. W. Kennedy, Mrs. Samuel, Mrs. Field, Mrs. Shand, Miss Baucho,} ; and Miss Baldwin Warne, Mr. Justice Derinistou, Mr. Justice Cooper, and Mr. Justice Williams,. Colonel Baucho'p,"Mr. Martin' Chapman, and Mr. Harry Chapman, ••' Mr. D. Findlay, Mr. A. Cooper, and Dr. Hay . Mr.' and Mrs. F. W. Haybittle .tfera 'to have left London for Wellington by the Tomoana yesterday. .. : '•* Women's Social Club. ' t f The Social' Club, which heldoits inaugural meeting in the Geisha Tea Rooms, Panama Street, some few-., weeks ago, has since then,.giv.en one., or two social ovenings in the rooms,.and. last' night it gavo a dance in the Sydney Street Schoolroom. There were soveral politi<jpl t panditi.ate.s,,present or repre r sented. Among "those" present' iv.ere Mrs. ; Izard, in frock of scarlet velvet; Mrs. Win-; der, wearihg.black.net, with'blouse of white net; Mrs'., Schoch,' black' velvet and cream lace; Mrs. Bolton, black .net ;. Mrs. Meacham 1 , black satin, with black velvet coat and cream: lace scarf; Miss Schoch, white.net; Mrs. Stevenson, white silk ;■ ■ Mrs. Millington, black velvet and point lace. Mrs. Hislop came on with Mr. Hislop after the nurses' dinner. ...

The Nurses Dinner. The dinner given yesterday, evening .by- the Trained Nurses' Association was in every way a conspicuous success. ; It was given in .'the large dining-room of, the Y.M.0.A., and though the guests portals or thatinstitution in general. devoted to the service of man, with a certain amount of timidity, they were reassured''by the numbers of other guests they found waiting there, and very soon the second floor had all the air of being a women's club. The dinner was prepared and served by. the matron of the Y.M.C.A. and her'staff of helpers, and did vorv great credit to her skill. The long tables which ran down , the length of the room and across were decorated with many small. vases filled with' vari-coloured .. anemones, and the delicacies were Very daintily served. Among the guests were a great many nurses from the general hospital and .others in this city, several wives of doctors, and'a great number of women who are. interested in the work of the nurses. Thp committee who arranged 'tho dinner consisted of tlio following members: —Mrs. Kendall (president), Mrs. Gibbs, Miss Palmer, Mrs. Holgate',. Miss Ilodson, Miss Stewart, Miss' Berry, Miss Kohn, and Miss Dunlop, who was a very energetic secretary.' • Mother. Miry Joseph Aubert was welcomed with great enthusiasm by the nurses. When all the guests were assembled, the dining-room presented a very, charming sight, with its rows and rows of women in pretty evening frocks, with here and there an equally pretty uniform, and never' a stiff black-coated man to spoil the bright effect. Everyone knows nowadays that a number of women by themselves can have a most delightful social time, and if there had been any doubt on the subject, the success of this dinner must have proved the point.,, After the dinner there were speeches, Mrs. Hislop making an excellent speech in proposing the health of the president, Mrs.. Kendall. She congratulated the association on the success of its entertainment, and recalled the two previous smaller % entertainments, which had encouraged them to hold this one in a larger hall. Slie was especially pleased to notice how many of the guests were only friends, not members of"the association, because she liked to see outside women interested'- in what any specially-trained section of women workers were doing. She would like to see all women interested in matters that effected the welfare of the city. She paid a high tribute to the work done by Mrs. Kendall in helping to form the association and in persistently urging the establishment of a hostel. Her work had been quiet,- ■ unostentatious, persistent, and very effective, and;it jyasidue to-what ,she had done that the' 'association had to-day a habitation of its own. The. toast was drunk enthusiastically with (.musical honours. • ■ Dr. Agnes Bennett briefly responded on behalf or Mrs.-Kendall, and then" proposed, the toast of-"The Nurses" in a very interesting speech, contrasting- tho position and qualifications of the nurses of to-day with those of previous years. She referred to the fac't that the first nurses of Christendom were connected with religious organisations, and right through the. centuries we had had:,nursos of this typo in our midst, and she spoke of the pleasure it gave the association to have with them as their guest so distinguished.a reprc : sentative of the religious nursing orders, as they found in Mother Mary Aubert. - In proposing the health of the nurses; she wished to couple with it the name of Mother Mary Aubert. Mother Mary Aubert replied to the toast in a few words,' referring to her experience in the Crimea and her association'with Miss Florence Nightingale; : . Miss M'Lean, Inspector of Hospitals, proposed a vote of thanks to Mrs. Hislop, which was carried, and then the company adjourned to another room, whore a programme 1 of music, song, and recitation was contributed by the nurses and their friends. It must be admitted that this part of the entertainment was not.absolutely and without exception feminine.

Mrs. Kendall wore a frock of black sequined net; Mrs; Hislop wore black net, with vest and undersleeves of white lace; Miss M'Lcan, black net with sequin trimming; Dr. Agnes Bennett, cream voile; Dr. Platts-Mills, champagne crepe over pale blue silk, with puffed sleeves of pale blue and bortho of maltese lace; Dr. Elizabeth Gunn, white chiffon taffetas; Miss Bicknell, cream frock; Miss Berry, black silk; Miss Palmer woro her uniform; Mrs. Crosby, pretty pale blue frock, with cream lace; Mrs. Gibbs, black chiffon taffetas and cream lace; Miss Coates, black silk; Mrs. liankine Brown, black frock, with Limerick lace; Mrs. Boyd was in black; Miss O'Connor, black frock, with fichu of handsome cream lace. Among others prosent were: —Mrs. von Haast, Mrs. Samuel, Mrs. and Miss Winder, Mrs. Riley, Mrs. Sutcliffe-, Mrs. Herbert, Mrs. Thornton, Mrs. Hales, Miss Newman.