SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 29, 29 October 1918, Page 2

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Wellington Red Cross Shop. Tho many visitors who so generously buy at the sliop are reminded of the attractive supply of home-made ' cliu.tneys, pickles, jams, cakes, and sweets which the'ladies of the Spinsters' Club will have for salo to-day. These Indies especially wish to guarantee all tho good 9 as being of the best nunlity, and they hope Ihnfc many friends will come mid buy the goods they have prepared. Next Friday the Catholic Knitting Guild will be in charge. .Members are making preparations for a successful day. Y.W.C.A. Work, The annual report of the Y.W.O.A. states: "By furnishing a stall, by assisting in a street sale and collection on fled Triangle Day, wo wore able to add .£2OO to tho total raised by tho Y.M.C.A. for tho men in the trenches. On Bed Jorsey Appeal Day we again assisted in a street salo and colUetjon, and raised JC37. In response to an appeal from our National Board for the Associations of Australasia to build up and equip a hut for tho W.A.A.C.'s in France, in a quarter where one was much needed, we raised .£IOO. Two concerts were arranged, and as a result we were able to give .£22 to tho Red Cross to help the Copper Trail and to keep ,£lO for our" own Soldiers' Hospitality Fund;. Throughout tho year a email but enthusiastic band of members has been working diligently for the Red Cross, and many parcels have been forwarded to the depot and to the Countess of. Liverpool Fund. The sum .of £W was contributed for tho purchase of wool. At the time that six o'clock closing came into force we opened our club rooms to soldiers on Saturday evenings, when the men throng into town from tho camps. 'Socials' have boen;held every week, with programmes arranged by an enthusiastic Entertainment Committee. Tho evenings have been marked by originality arid variety,'and most enjoyable times have been spent. Many have been tho expressions of gratitude made by thesoldiers in their keen appreciation of the wholesome fun and entertainment that it has been our privilege to provide for them. The sum of £h& was subscribed by members to facilitate the arrangements for hospitality, and a committee of girls have proved themselves capable of rnnning the supper alone. Sometimes wo have wordered what would happen if our numbers increased,... and then we have been made to feel our limitations of space, but we are glad when we think that this limitation is due to the fact that tho soldiers are still using our building in Boulcott Street, for which 'purpose it continues to be let to tho IMI.C.A."\.

The Mutual. Fur Coat. ! , A lady residing in Oriental Bay, who had experienced great difficulty i" securing domestic help, at last thought. that she had secured a treasure. The girl, about 19 years of age, was clean, noal looking, and unquestionably intelligent. "Now about nights off," said the mistress. "You may have overy evening off after 7.80 p.m., except Thursday. I usually have a few friends up that evening and will want yowr help:" The maid's face glowed perceptibly as she se.id"Oh, I'm sorry. I won't be able to tako the situation!" ■ "Surely," said tho lady, "I in treating you li'berally. I only ivant you homo on tho one night!" "Yes I know, but— "Tint what on earth do you want to do on Thursday that yon can't do any other evening?" ' "Well, you see, it's like this: Five of us have bought a fur coat, and it's my .turn to .wear it on Thursday afternoon and,evening!"

I The Australian Typo. ; An American lady, who is working at \ the Eaglo Y.XT.CA. hut in tho Strand, :|in talking of the soldiers of the various i Allied! countries, said that she wns biti lorly disappointed when she saw her own j countrymen march through London, ' states tho London'correspondent of "The Australasian." ' "They were fine, sturdy, earnest, healthy, well-equipped mon, but, in the main, plain. Your Australian men cannot bo matched by any other body of, men.' They are as nearly perfect in limb and feature as any humnn beings can be.. The type is broadshoulflered, lean, lithe, sinewy, with fine features, big nose, well-set eye-j, and splendidly-shaped head." This is very much what GpJsworthy said some year or two back, when he stood in London watching crowds pass by, and noting, how few persons were really good looking. But he found that the Australians nearly all reached his rather high standard.

A School Dinner Party. An interesting function was held last Friday evening , at the District High School, Greytoivn, when the girls of tne cooking class, under tho supervision oi their teller, Miss ICeniiy, entertained at dinner tho members of the School Committee and of the Town Lands Trust, which body has given such generous assistance to the school. Tho guest of honour was Itr. I l '.. 11. Bakewell, M.A., Chief Inspector of. Schools, olid there wero also present two medical officers from ,the camp. 'Dig dinner was most excellent and well served, icflecting great credit on the teaching of domestic science in Greytoivn. Mr. \V. C. Device, the headniustor, presided, and loyal and other toasts were duly honoured. Mr. Bakewell expressed his pleasu.ro nt being onco more in Greytown, whore he had lwen for many years in ohargo of tho school, 110 congratulated them on the progress rniido in tho interval. Secondary school work was.often handicapped by the'difficulty of finding one teacher qualified- to teach all subjects, the ideal being to - have a separate teacher for each subject, which wits of coiurse impossible in a country school. Lieutenant-Colonel Little in hie speech congratulated the school en having aueh an exceedingly well-equipped laboratory. Ho proceeded to give an interesting sketch of tho development of medical science. Though it was popularly eupposed that Gerhiimy had led,the way, as a matter of fact the great discoveries of medicine—the use of anaesthetics .and nntisoptics and aseptic ;' surgery-were due to British and Ifrench research. And now, as a result of the war, other scientific work, such as the making of glass and aniline dyes, was finding its proper home in England. After, dinner (he children of tho higher xtandards and secondary department,shoivid some interesting experiments in practical and agricultural chemistry.

Y.W.C.A. Girls' Department. 'In the course of the annual report of the Y W.C.A. it was stated that tho membership of the Girls' Department etood at 315; of these 130 are meeting regularly in educational nnd l'ecrentive clubs. "Others again use the association in different ways," states the report. "One of the ideals before the Girls' Department lenders is to havo in all tho clubs as many members iw possible shaying in tho actual responsibilities and organisation. Efforts have been made to maintain balanced and interesting programmos. Visits have been paid to the houses of absentee members by the Girls Department secrehuy, and by ■ girls who have-been in regular attendance. Ihat thcro' is an increasing need for organised work among girls of adolescent age will be obvious when we consider that of all tho girls in the city between the ages of fourteen and twenty the greater proportion are already earning' their own livings or preparing to do so, and are thrust into all the. temptations and dangers of city life, whereas a generation ago they would have been closely guarded by mothers and older friends, Games havo been organised, and the girls have shown great interest and enthusiasm. Keenly-contested hockey matches have taken place during the winter in tlio Wellington Hookey. Association, and our team was successful in being equal witlv another team in the finale, , and so it shares, tho honour of winning the Junior Championship Cup."-

The first "blind" ball to be given in Australia will bo held at the City Hall, Prahrnn, on Wednesday, Ootobcr 30 (states the "Australasian"). It is being organised by the Victorian Association of Draillo Writers, and tho proceeds will go towards providing the .'Christmas picnic and the general entertainments--to'tho blind readers during .the coining year. Following on the lines of St. Dunstans Hostel for Blinded Soldiers, , London, where dancing is the most popular form of amusement, the Braille writers, during the winter, havo organised a dnnoing class.' Mr. "Williamson,' tho well-known dancing master, generously acted in the capacity of honorary instructor, and tho blind pupils have made steady progress.