SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 473, 3 April 1909, Page 10

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

A Farewell Tea. Mrs. C. B. Hussoll, yesterdav afternooon gave a . very;, pleasant little tea for Mis: Mary Seaton and' bcr girl friends. Song: j. wero suug-by--Miss Kember, Miss Z. Nathan and-Miss Mary' Jones, whilo fortunes wer< read.'.in-'oho.'dircotion and planchette spelle* \ out,its:mysteries' in another, both of thcs< providing entertainment, of which girl: q never tire.- Mrs. Russell received wearing a pretty frock of grey silk, trimmed wit!: silver braid. Miss Eaviell woro whito muslin, .with trimming of wliito satin ribbon, and Miss Blanche Faviell woro a prcttj frock of pale blue muslin. Miss Seatoii [• came in a-cream coat and skirt, and cream hat with brown roses. Among other guests present woro the Misses Treadwell, Dean, 1 Kano, D'Oyloy, Marchant, Beauchamp (2), 3 Knight, Reid, Knox, and Bristow. E 3 Miss Coates "At Homo." ' Miss Coates entertained a number of !, ladies at an afternoon tea at her homo in , Hobson Street, yesterday, to meet Mrs. Wallis. ' Tea was served in the diningroom, and, from there, the guests adjourned to tlio largo 'drawing-room, where for half an hour, Mrs. Wallis interested them in the doings and the meaning of tho PanAnglican Congress. Mrs. Wallis was one of the Women'delegates, from tho diocese of Wellington, to : the' Congress in London, and ever since her return, sho has been anxious to let the women of 'Wellington understand what great things had been achieved' at a gathering which was unique m tho history of the Anglican Church. It, is a very largo subject to deal with in an afternoon's talk, and Mrs. Wallis, managed very skilfully to cull facts that gave one an idea of tho Congress's doings, dealing chiefly with the points that wero most likely to bo of interest to women. Some of her speech was a repetition to a larger audience of what she had said at the meeting of,the Gleaner's Union, < which was reported at the time. _ She spoke also of the great interest that is taken by people of almost every class at Home in social questions. There was a frivolous set, somewhero about tho middle of the social range, that did not interest itself in such question, though individual members might do so, and for th« rest, go where one might, one would fini in the homes :of the people, books tha showed they, wero studying social problem: earnestly. The satuo attention should b< paid to these matters in Now Zealand, Mrs Wallis said, for though the same evil condi tions do ■ not yet exist, the beginnings an here, and if, when the foundations of mod era society werer being ' laid in Englanc people , had . thought of studying the treiu of social, influences, the evils that exist to-day would'not have come into being. She quoted the Bishop, of Birmingham, who hac said: ' There is very little we can do in the way of stopping this evil (sweating) excepf in the way of preserving a permanentlj troubled conscience," and sho pointed ou'f that, at least, the women here might keej: their eyes open, and study tho conditions around thorn, lost a stato of things most undesirablo should -develop. At the conelusion 'of a most interesting address, a vote of thanks- to MrsJ Wallis was accorded oh , the motion'of'Mrs/'T:':W. Hislop. 7';," Lord Dalmeny's Engagement; Latest London>'japers _ chronicle as the most • .primarily-"interesting social: event tho 'announcement of the engagement of Lord ■ Kosebery'iT son and heir,. .Lord Dalmeny.- To great prospects and immense wealth, Lord Dalmeny.. may lay claim to add a delightful personality.': Interested, liko'his politics, he is also well known as one of the most thorough allround: sportsmen, in England. A first-rate rider to hounds,' ho is also a first-class' cricketer,- /and tin '■ charming Miss Dorothy Groshe will fiiid a-kindred spirit,- in-, all matters relating to. outdoor sports, and',.aitaiisements. . Miss -Dorothy !• Gro3verior, who is barely nineteen, is,the younger of the two handsome daughters : of Lord Henry Grosvenor, who have, both been taken out in society since their respective debuts by KatharineDuchess of Westminster; and Miss "Dot" Grosvenor, as she is known-to her friends besides her lovo of dancing, is a first-rate rider to hounds; indeed, from early childhood, riding has been her principal delight Ihe marriage., js.oto. take place in London • soon after' Easter* ••• 0': a ;Flowers on jtho stage. ® -Much . admiration was expressed at tho artistic way in -which tho' stage at the Concert Hall w'a's decorated for Madamo ElderliorstV pianoforte" "recital. It was carpeted, ;j and all round the front there were pots of palms and bowls of scarlet cactus dahlias, while a very tall palm on a< high stand at _■ <>. no sido of the stago broko the long bare line of wall. Tho elfect was charming and ■ restful, and many jjcoplo expressed a wish that the example would bo followed by ; other .performers. "They havo not a hope, -- ' said ono man who had been associated with j many musicians. "You will hardly ever hnd a musician who will consent to have • flowers on his platform. They break the sound too badly. Ono singer I remember, i who camo oirtho'stago and found it decor- ' ated 'with jot plants, .went along tho front Kicking,- each'■ pot" olf into tho auditorium, ! pleased: with tho smash it made. When Monsieur Gerardy was hore, some splendid pot-plants wero procured, to' decorate tho stage at his first concert, and he had them all taken off before he would play ; because [ they broke tho • sound of his instrument. Mr. and Mrs. Mallinson, again, refuse to • have any sort of decoration on tho stage." "But," it was suggested, "they might at least havo a carpot; a stage looks so bare without a carpet." "4 carpet!" exclaimed the man of experience in horrified tones; "a carpet is tho very worst thing you could . suggest, better a dozen pot plants than one carpet," and ho went on to oxplain that tho sound of the piano is half deadened if it is : taken off the resonant floor. In a bare • room, where thoro was no carpet, the voice of a singer, or "the "sound of a piano, might resound unpleasantly, it would ring, and tho softening effect of carpet and curtains is of advantage; that is--because the sound is so confined, but in a largo hall, whnro there is plenty of room, this softening effect is not required, and would indeed be disastrous So Wellington concert-goers must mako up their mmds to admire wliito walls and baro boards—though, by the way, it might bo possible to havo the whito walls of the con-cert-room pleasantly tinted. Mrs. D. Caselberg, of Masteton, is visiting Wellington for a few days. _ Mrs. A. H. Wrightson, of Opaki, is spendmg a short holiday in Wellington. Mrs. Summerell, of Mast-erton, is a visitor to Wellington for, a few days. Miss.,Coopah, 0f..; Melbourne, who has ' been in .Wellington-,' left for homo by tho ' ■ Moeraki yesterday;' Miss Coopah's marriage i to Mr. Alexander, ..of the Technical School, i \\ ellington, takes place next month in Melbourne. The .honeymoon is to bo spent in : Glasgow, tho homo of Mr. Alexander. i A meeting is being called by Mrs.' J. I\ i Luke, for Tuesday afternoon, in tho Concert ' Chamber, to discuss somo method by which ' the "women of Wellington can express their 1 appreciation of tho services rendered to J them by Mrs. Hislop, during tho four > years of, her,husband's term of office. i Mr. and Mrs. ■ Mallinson, who leavo New ' Zealand for Sydney on Thursday, will not i .remain any length of time in Australia, but' will go straight on to Dresden. They aro not likely to return to Wellington. Mrs. H." Byauchainp leaves on Thursday J by the I'aparoa for a short visit to England. Sho does not at'present expcct to bo away • for more than foiir or livo months. ' Tho. marriage of Miss Judith Empson, f daughter of tho Principal of Wanganui Col- r legiato School, to Mr. Gordon Williams, i eldest son of Mr. Alan Williams', of To t Aute, is to take placo ill Canterbury at the Ji end of this mouth, or tho beginning of May, i