SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3002, 13 February 1917, Page 2

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Red Cross Work. During the month of January the following goods were received and packed and sent away: from the Central Ited Cross Depot in Mercer Street to hospitals ill England and New Zealand: —Sheets, 86 received; pyjamas, 863 received, 535 dispatched; day shirts. 307 and 270; draw sheets, 33 received; towels, 86 received, 25 dispatched; linen towels, 52 received; quilts, 30 dispatched; pillow cases, 163 received; flannel underpants, 309 received and dispatched; socks, 3 pairs, pillows 1, and cushions 11 received: hospital shirts, 51 received, 130 dispatched; flannel nightshirts 14 and cotton nightshirts 1 received; underpants, 43 received, 170 dispatched; white handkerchiefs, 178 and 590; slippers, 73 and 45; treasure bags, 89 and 514; pan covers, 310 received; hot water bag covers 10, flannel waistcoats 6, and feeders 120 received; walking sticks, 636 received and dispatched; jug covers, 40 received and 475 dispatched; dressing gowns, 25 and 23; blankets, 34 and 22; lounge suits, 20 received; knee caps, 2 and nightingales 2 received; bed jackcts, 100 received and 150 dispatched ; hand-knitted socks, 149 pairs received ; bed socks, 107 received and 120 dispatched; face cloths, 345 and 1200; mufflers, 50 received and dispatched; balaclavas, 25 received, 96 dispatched; mittens, 52 and 135; total garments received during the month, 4406, and' total sent away 5606. The bandages and dressings which have passed through the depot during the month are: Manytail bandages, 134 received and 230 dispatched; roller bandages. 340 received and 1291 dispatched; i 1 bandages, 10 received; eye bandages, 24, and head bandages 85 received; triangular bandages, 85 received and 175 dispatched; swabs, 2875 and 3575; Koslyn slings, 20 received; limb pillows, 16; fomentation wringers 5 and fomentation cloths 50 received; total received, 3644 and total sent away 5271.

The following havo sent goods to the depot during tho past week:—New Plymouth Centre British Red Cross ; Newman Sub-centre 8.R.C., Central Depot Napier, Karori Golf Club Bandaging Party, (per Mrs. Henry), Miramar Red Cross Guild, Mrs. W. G. Fauknor, Mrs. W. S. Reid, and Red Cross Fund Wairoa.

Miss M'Lean, of Havelock North, is on a visit to Wellington. Miss Heath, who has been on a, visit to her sister, Mrs. E. R. Ludbrook, Gishome,' has returned to Wellington. Mr. and Mrs. Wallis Jackson (Wellington) are visiting Christchurcli, Mr. Stewart Dawson, accompanied by his daughter, is at present in Auckland. He is engaged on a 'Business visit to Now Zealand. Mrs. H. S. Willis, of Napier, is in Wellington, and will, remain for a week. : Mr. and Mrs. W. Epps, of Sydney, who havo.boon spending a few days in Napier, have arrived in Wellington. Miss V. M. Groig, headmistress of tho Girls' High School, Napier, who proposed leaving for England at an early date, has decided, in view of tho great shortago of teachers in tho Dominion, that it is her duty to remain in Now Zealand. Miss Groig's decision has given much satisfaction to parents and guardians of pupils, says an exchange. Miss Gertrude Owon, ono of the secretaries of tho Christchurcli Y.W.C.A., is taking a holiday, after the recent hard work of the conference. Miss Owen is camping at tho Selwyn River. Afterwards sho will accompany Miss K. A. Clarkj another of tho secretaries, to Quecnstown and r.ho Southern Lakes. Miss Mayne, of Napier, who has Icon on a holiday visit te Christchurcli, has returned. Mrs. W. G. Russell returned to Napier last Saturday, accompanied by her sister, Miss Agnes Davies. Mrs. Bradney Williams, the lion, secretary of the ladies' auxiliary of tho Navy League, is leaving shortly on a visit to Taranaki. During l'er absence Miss Edwin, of 179 tho Terrace, will undertake her duties. Tho engagement is announced of Miss Davidina aLing, sixth daughter of Mr. Audi Mrs. A. Laing, Inglewood, to Lieut. N. G. Sutherland, <nly son of Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Sutherland, Mount Eden, Auckland. Captain Chaytor, K.C., and. Mrs. Ohaytor aro revisiting New Zealand after a lengthy absence. Captain Chaytor has been invalided from tho army and is on a health trip through New Zealand.

It seems, says an exchange, that somo of the private rooms at 10 Downing Street are. decorated in futurist styles. Mrs. Lloyd George has simple tastes, aiid is, according to her friends, suro to have these modes "strafed."

Royal Visit to St. George's Hospital. The King and Queen with. ,%;ir children, with Lady Airlio and Major Seymour in attendance, recently drove down to that immense King George's Hospital, tho organisation and equipment of which would bo one of the wonders of the war if one had timo to realise it. Unluckily, Lady Ripon, who from the beginning has been tho good angel of its endless wards, with their literal miles of flooring, their thousand upon thousand bods, their domestic offices which would fill a village, could not be there on account of illness; and Lady Juliet Duff had her own wounded in the Couller Street Hospital to look after, so the duty of escorting tho Royal party fell to tho 0.C., Colonel Cottell, Mr. Goschen, chairman of tho hospital committee, and Miss iDavies, the matron. The hospital, besides tho facts of its size and that it bears the King's name, was a '•■ particularly happy choice, because representatives of all the troops find their way there as special cases if not in tho ordinary routine, so that Australians and Canadians, and Indians, Now Zoalanders and Newfoundlanders alike shared with tho men of the old forces, Princess Mary with her brothers being allotted certain wards all on their own account. It was the young Princes' initial effort in this direction, and everyone was charmed with the natural boyish shyness with which Prince George especially began his task, taking shelter .under his sister's wing for the first part of one ward, and the equally natural way in which later they threw their diffidence. off, and entered into the cheeriest of conversations with the men, listening in one ward with evident amusement to a gramophone; for by_ the King's strict injunc-. tions everything went on as usual —a gramophone here, a little,concert ]Airty there, groups of mothers and wives and children, who all came in for a share of the afternoon's delight, everywhere. Some of tho beds are the special gifts of the King and Queen, and'bear their names, and to these Their Majesties brought big photographs of themselves, the King giving special pleasure by hanging ono of'. his in position with truo naval Tho occupant of ono bed, a Grenadier Guardsman, had his tiny son with him, and tho King had a long, laughing talk to tho littlo fellow, who proudly showed the badge of "daddy's regiment" on his tunic.

Elsowhero the Queen sought out specially tho meii who v/oro most seriously ill, speaking gentle words of sympathy to ono and .another, and leaving tho bunch of sweet-scented violets taken from the front of her black propo do chino dress with the nurse in one little ward, whero men too tired to enjoy gramophones or concerts, crackers or-jokes, rested in content. Princess Mary, too, was in black, and wore a long overcoat with sealskin collar and cuffs over her frock, tho Queen having discarded her sealskin cloak with its sablo collar on entering the wards. And in leaving the King showed still further kindliness, for ho presented Colonel Cottell with a charming littlo souvenir "to wear on-his watch-chain"—and not just a casual one, but a beautiful littlo gold antique representing tho St. George of Medicine and Surgery slaying the Dragon of Disease.—"Tho Queen."

Major-General'Sir Francis Lloyd, the. London District Commander, was at tho front recently, and in an after-dinner speech on his return ho jaid that part of France was _ practically a swamp. Ho. sawj a British Grenadier iu tho front lilies who for 36 hours was buried up to his shoulders in mud. When he was rescued his first words to his captain were: "Thank you, sir, for the soup that was given mo while I was there." That was typical of the British soldier. ......

Mrs. Lloyd George, tho now chatelaino of 10 Downing Street, one reads (says an exchango), has no ambition to bo a political force. She is, in fact, everything Britain expects of a British wifo and mother. Quiot, retiring, a devoted helpmeet, with absolutely no wish to shine except in tho reflected glory of her brilliant husband's radiance. You have only toilook at her to see sho is untouched fcy the': hectic restlessness that is ono of the hallmarks of tho'newer woman. Even tho modern oxtravaganco .in clothes has passed her by; indeed, one does not associate extravagance iu any form with England's new- "first lady." But for all her "womanliness" Mrs. Lloyd Georgo is not "womanly" in the .sense that sho takes no interest in anything outside her houso and home. Social reform finds her always a keen disciple, and the common senso of her class is a boon on committees.' The Pritno Minister's elder daughter is engaged to Captain T. N. Evans Megan; the other is a littlo schoolgirl, onco much in tho public eye in the picture papers as her father's pet companion. Now the man who is to "save tho nation" is almost too busy for domesticity.

The Popular Glove-mitts. . The Ladies' Auxiliary of tlie Navy League-announce that the recipo for the sailors' knitted glove-mittens are for sale at 6d. each. These mittens big really a very useful blend of glove and mitten. AVhen the man wishes to use all his fingers, instead of having to remove his glove, ho .simply pushes his fingers through a slit specially made in the palm, and the- glove becomes a mitten. One of the officials of the auxiliary has received a letter - whicn was forwarded from the Navy League in London, .from an English lady, asking for the. pattern of the glove-mitt, as knitted in New Zealand. The sailors simply ( love them, as they are eo cosy and warm, and' are not so easily lost as are the ordinary gloves, which have to be pulled on and off so frequently. Army Nurse's in Hospital. j The hospital ' and progress report which was issued yesterday .contained the following names of members of tho N.Z.A.N.S., under the heading of "not' severe cases":—Hanan, Nurse Eileen. Grace, 22/121 (Mrs.;; Hanan, Parnell); Petrc, Nurse Gertrude Rosy, 22/260 (F. AV. Petre, St. Clair, Dunedin); West, Staff Nurse Alice Maud, 22/368" (Mrs. West, 57 Molesworth Street, I Wellington). ---- Tbe. oldest love letter in the world dates from 3000 years ago. It was found not long since engraved upon a tablet. The ardent one W2ites: "Do write to mo! I have come from Babylon, but I have not found thee there. This has greatly grieved me. It-is absolutely necessary that thou sliouldst come in November. -Mayest'thou, for the love of mo live.for ever!".... The ladies in' charge of the Red Cross Shop, 'Otaki, on Saturday were Mesdames Hodgson and Gillies, with Misses Miller, Robieson, and Wellwood' as helpers. The' takings amounted! to £9, and considering the long spell of dry weather; and the scarcity of vegetables, this was most'satisfactory. Mrs. Dann sold flowers on Friday, and did excellent business for tho Red Cross.

Lady's Vision of Trench Fight. Many well authenticated stories are told of how sweethearts and wives have been warned by dreams and telepathy of impending danger to loved ones at tlie front, says an exchange. One of the most vivid stories yet on record is related by a young lady whoso fiance was recently wounded. Almost as soon as she fell asleep one night she dreamed that she saw her fiance' in the trenches preparing for a raid. In her dream the <young lady saw him,' with many others,' climb out of the British trenches, cross No Man's Land, and enter the enemy's lines. Her'dream became confused for a moment, and then quite plainly she saw him climb on to the parapet of the German trench and fall back wounded. A big man came up. took the wounded man on his shoulder, and can led him back to the British lines. The young lady awoke feeling very alarmed, and the next day wrote to her fiance for news. A few days afterwards she received a letter from hin>, in hospital, stating that on the night of her dream, about midnight, he was one of a raiding I party, composed of English and New Zeals'nders,' and was wounded whilst standing on the top_ of the German trench. A big Maori carried him back ■• to the British lines, exactly as the young lady had pictured in her dream. Mr. and' Mrs. E. Glendinning (Waibua) have been visiting Napier. , Women shipwrights have started I work in Bristol Channel yards.

A Belgian physician declares, that early baldness is frequently caused by the excessive eating of meat. He asserts that he has often checked cases of /ailing hair by combining with local treatment a diet of milk, eggs, and fruit.