SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 898, 18 August 1910, Page 9

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

The Drapers' Ball. The Wholesale and Retail Drapery Ball, held fin the Town Hall last evening, proved,to be"a very successful and enjoyable affair. Probably it was the most decorative ball, in its arrangements, that has Vet been held in the Town Hall, the schema of colouring and the general planning of effects having been most carefully carried out. ; It is a somewhat '.difficult matter to, make any departure from previous ways of decoration, when one considers the- constructive features of the building, and tho decorative committee have every 'reason lo.be complimented-upon the success of their efforts. The vestibule of the Town •Hull presented quite a woodland appearance, a perfect" forest of; palms, fern trees,, and) bush foliage forming a lane, through which the dancing hall, was peached. . In the ■ middle of. it.-,from the too of a kind of mountain fastness, a woolly ram;;. with most'-belligerent' horns, gazed truculently; down upon tho stream of. dancers■■■,;that ; ' occasionally stopped to admire him, 'or to wonderwhat special family, he belonged to. . In the hall' itself streamers of "most deli-cately-graduated - pink muslin, alternating .with cream, and-with ropes of electric lights intermingling, were carried from the gasolier to the sides of the gallery.- •'-, There was .'also suspended ..from, the gasolier a huge star- of red 'rhododendrons, from' which -whiffs of the scent of the flowers camo every now and then. Graceful,- light-looking festoons of green muslin were carried round the.front of t the.gallery, while just a little below ; it' was carried ; a long rope of lycopodium, to which alternate clusters ol rhododendrons 'and pretty.baskets, also' covered with ,tho same flowers, were fastened. Alcoves, which have now become indispensable, were, formed beneath the gallery, divided from one anotner with pink and green., curiums in soft shades, carpeted in green, and furnished as ..small drawing-rooms, while pretty- lace curtains, mounted upon pink and green muslin, were draped '.in front-of them. A. somewhat new feature was, the hiding of .the . front •of the stage ■ with mirrors, .ending on each sido with.a green lattice-' work, to which was fastened, clusters of rhododendrons. Palms and ferns decorated the top'of it, and in the.background .were pink-curtains,'quite hiding the organ gallery. . The staircases were carpeted and embowered,in all sorts of bush foliage, while clusters of the same-flow-ers that had been used throughout were twined about the pillars. The supper 'room was also, most elaborately decorated in blue, and whito, streamers of these colours being carried from the gasolier to the sides of the-room, the gallery being also festooned, and . the vails as;well. Baskets of tinted flowers -wWe hung from various parts, of the room, and graceful trails of lycopodium were to be seen everywhere. Mr. Page had the decorative, management of the ball in his hands, and was responsible for'air.;these charming arrangements. The supper tables were most daintily arranged with yellow and Godber supplied ; a sumptuous supper. Some of those present were Mrs. Bell, wearing white satin with crystal trimming; Mrs. Page, blue-crepe de chine trimmed with crystal beading; Miss Ritchie, pale bluo crepe de-chine with jewelled trimming; Mrs. ,F. Cohen; violet brocade with jewelled: lace; Mrs. Davis, black satin trimmed %ith jet; Miss. Gentles, White satin trimmed .with crystal bugles;. Mrs. Seaton, eau de; nil satin with crystal trimming; Mrs. Kinnear, pale pink hinon over pink silk, ■; trimmed 'with black vel-, vet ribbon,-: Mrs; Frost, -vieux : .rose silk with jet trimming; Miss Davis, pink sillf with silver trimming;. Miss Violet Earle, white silk;'. Miss It' Lean,. white satin; Miss Orams, black net over white silk, with crystal trimming;-Mrs. Whitcombe, pale bluo chiffon taffetas with pearl trimming;. -Mrs. Patrick, .white crepe de chine; Miss ■ Wrigley, .white silk ' with gold trimming;. Miss R. Queree, white lace-over white silk,;and caught up with pink roses'; Miss Pascoe, mauve mousseline', de soie, with, silver trirnming; Miss l'lvans, green chiffon over green silk and trimmed with silver; Miss Johns, blue charmeuse; Miss Sheldon, pink silk; Miss Woodward, white ninon over silk;, and Miss M'Donald, 1 heliotrope silk.

Mrs." W. Bull, of Manakau, who has bee'i visiting' Christchurch and the neighbouring townships; is now a guest of Miss Francis, 98 Majoribanks Street for a few weeks. ' Mr. and Mrs. Boy Barton are visitors to Wellington. ■;■'■■ Mr. Hutchison, editor of the "Otago Daily. Times," and Mrs.,' Hutchison" are spending a few days in-Wellington, and are staying at the Grand Hotel. •■■ Miss Stafford is visiting friends in Fapanui. ...',.. Mrs. Tylee, of Makuri, accompanied by her- husband, has been spending a few days in Wellington. Mr. arid Mrs. H. Hume, after a short visit in Palmerston and Wellington, return to 3lasterton to-day. -.. . Mrs. Mackenzie and the. Misses , Mac-, kenzie are expected to accompany tlio Hon. T. Mackenzie on his return to Wellington, and they. will probably remain here for about three months. * ,' \. Mr. Wm. Compton, son of Mr. Thomas Compton, 1 of Upper Feniridge, was.married in Knox Church, Masterton, yesterday to Miss Katherine' Graham, daughter of, Mrs.. Graham','of'Masterton. .

"Noll GwynrieV to the Rescue. Hospitals anil their needs worn to be very muoh in the public mind'just now, botn in New Zealand and in Australia. In the latter country Miss .Nellie Stewart lias been very' busy organising a monster matineo tor the purpose, oi raising funds for obtaining a supply of radium i'qii tho Sydney Hospital: As radium is siich a "tremendously expensive thing to get, it is almost impossible for any hospital to keep a supply of it, so that the numberless, cases in which radium is tile necessary element for treatment, such as cancer, for instance, have but a very slender chance of being cured. A few private individuals who are fortunate enough to have means at their disposal can, of course, afford ■ the radium treatment, but the majority of cases that enter the large hospitals have not the -slightest chance of it, and can |.only pray for a speedy end to their torments. It is with the view of bringing it I within the, reach of these sufferers that Miss Stewart 1 is arranging this matinee, which is to take place on September 5. She was accorded a'remarkable welcome at the theatre the evening that her project became known, a welcome which she modestly attributed to the public endorsement of the need of radium at the Sydney Hospital.In order that every penny that playgoers can spare may go towards the purchase of radium, Miss Stewart has asked that everyone who in the past have sent her floral tributes would this time send her the mohey spent on their offerings instead. Tho amount, of course, would help Ito swell the ; sum total. The Australiah papers say that the'idea to have in Nell. Gwynms's name has appealed strongly to' playgoers. One, in a communication to Miss Stewart/ mentioned an interesting incident that camo under his notice when last in London. He was standing in!a street,of the great, metropolis one day when there was a peal of bells in a dhurch near by. He wondered the cause, and his curiosity prompted him' to - mate inquiry. The bells were those- of St.. in the Fields, and he learned that Nell Gwyiine had made provision- that they, should be rung each year on" tho anniversary of her death. She also had provided that a certain number of the poor of London should be fed on that day.at. a certain hostelry with boiled mutton and turnips, this was done with never-failing regularity.

~ has been suggested to Miss. Stewart that the "whole performance' bs carried out according to .the custom of playgoing in tho period where practical, in order to fall in With this idea. "Nell Gwynne',(as impersonated by Miss Stewart) will sell oranges in the gallery'in ■ <!n ?i „, Ie lnte rvals, ■ and Rollins,- who calls bill of the play" in lugubrious accents nr tho comedy, will parade the aisles'of the stalls and dress circle when he is not appearing on the stage; .Miss StewaTt. will .welcome any helpful ideas'from those, interested in .mating the matmce . a-splendid success.