SOCIAL AND PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 124, 10 February 1923, Page 14

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL ITEMS

MATTERS OF INTEREST FROM FAR AND NEAR

(By

Imogen.)

Miss Gortrude Omer, formerly general secretary for the Christchurch y.W.0.A., and now filling the post of general secretary for the Australasian Y.W.0.A., left for Christchurch this week, after spending some time in Wellington.

Among Wellington visitors to Christchurch are Mrs. A. E. Whyte, Mrs. Sinclair Thomnson, and Mrs. S. Kirlscaldie. '

Mr and Mrs. J. R. Howard (Itancitikei) passed through Wellington , this Week on their return from a visit to Christchurch.

Mrs. Hugh Williams (Masterton} in Visiting Christchurch.

Mrs. Gifford Marshall and Miss Marshall (Wanganui) are visiting tl-.n Soutji Island.

Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Beamish, Miss 'Joyce Beamish, and their little son, also Miss K. Fannin, who have been touring the North Island, left .Wellington by mail train for Hastings on / (Tuesday.

•; The Mayoress of Masterton, Mrs. 0. N'. Pragnell, returned on Thursday from a visit io Wellington.

The two hundred wives of the exEultan will not, after all, appear at the Casino de Paris. M. Volterra, who is nothing if not enterprising, did his best to use such friendly relations tis exist between Angora and Paris in order to secure a 'contract for tho entire harem as a unit. However, the . Kemalists appear to have replied that although the ladies were free individually to sign any engagement they pleased, the affair could'not be treated ns a Government concession, and M. Volterra has g.ven up the attempt, states the Paris correspondent of the “Observer.” After all, an experienced music-haii chorus will probably represent the liarem in a far more attractive and far more entertaining way than the real, article, and will carry far more illusion of reality. For, as Stevenson in “The Wreckers” makes his sailor say, “What’s the use of its being the truth if it doesn’t look like the truth?”

' The marriage took place in St. Luke’s Church, ' Christchurch, this week, of Miss Etta Saunders, daughter of Mrs. W. Mills, of Cashmere Hills, Christchurch, to Mr. Charles Henry Taylor, only son of Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Taylor, late of Dunedin, and now of Christchurch. . The Rev. TW. P. Hughes, a family friend, officiated. The bridesmaids were Miss Doris Taylor and Miss Eileen Belcher. There was also a flower-girl, Noeline Hughes. The bridegroom is the New Zealand and Australasian champion tniddle-distance runner, and he was attended by two other well-known athletes, Mr. J. Garrick as'best man, and Mr. W. H. Buckhurst as groomsman. Previous to his marriage Mr. Taylor was made a presentation by the members of the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club of a travelling-rug. Mr. 0. S. Thomas, on behalf of the St. Patrick’s Sports Association, presented Mr. Taylor with a pocket wallet and a ladies’ purse and satchel combined. An easy chair was presented to Mr. Taylor on Tuesday by the staff of C. I Taylor and Co., dyers.

Madame Emily Briggs, who has held so prominent, a position in musical circles in Wanganui, has decided to take up her residence in Wellington, and will leave on Monday next.

Mrs. lan Johnston has returned to Waitotara from a ‘visit to Palmerston North.

Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Goddard and family have arrived in Auckland by tho Kaikoura from England. Mr. Goddard is late captain of the Waimate and Whakatane.

Mrs. Taylor, of Nottingham, England, whose work in connection with the Mothers’ Union in England is well known, has left for Auckland, on rout-o for England.

Mrs. and Miss Taylor, of Dunedin, are visiting IVellington, and are staying with Mrs. AVaddel. Kelburn Parade.

An Australian visitor to Rotorua the other day paid a compliment to the courtesy of the Maoris by remarlnag that when ho. wanted to find out anything about the ulaco he found it best to ask a Maori,* who was sure to be courteous and to tell all he knew.

Private advice has been received in Stratford of the, death at Christchurch on January 20 of Mrs. M. A. Hollands, relict of Mr. G. Hollands, of Tunbridge Wells, England, and mother of Mr. E. F. Hollands, formerly electrical engineer to tho Stratford Borough Council.

Mothers in naming their children follow t.Be fashion, just as they do in choosing their own clothes, and you can almost te'.l a child’s age by find, ing out what it ; s called. For boys this is no savere handicap, and it matters little in London, for instance, that the Peters of the first Peter Pan enthusiasm are now growing up. writes a Paris correspondent. For women, however, the matter is more delicate, and although th* many com. fortably proportioned Eugenics to be found in Paris are no doubt now beyond the ago when it Is annoying to admit that you were born in the «ay days of the Second Empire,, there are later fashions which are still danger--ous, and others that will beeoine ro. Twenty years hence there will be ladies in Paris. v>hu will nut n.-member charitably the mothers who called them Simone oi: Suzanna or Madeleine; for those are 'apparently the names of most little gkis who ere now between eight and ten years old. . The Madeleines arid thj Suzannes will no doubt go through without giving away their year too flagrantly; but tho Simones are doomed. At present there is-one pei son who has reason to feel flattered and that is the actress, to whom tho popularity of tho name is an obvious compliment: but, as time to-v on, even she may begin to hesitate. Other favourite names, taken from tho samo statistics, are Germaine, Luci- 1 enne, Andree, Odette, and Renee. Jeanne remains in the tradition, but it is surprising to find that Mario has almost entirely dropped out of it. &o the times change.

The Y.W.O.A. first aid class will bo held in conjunction with the St. John Ambulance Society, and will open very shortly.

A bequest of £lOO to the Jubilee Institute for the Blind, Parnell, was made by the late Mr. G. H. Broad, of Auckland, who died in December.

Miss Eileen Didsbury and Miss Sally Barraud will leave to-day for a v l s J t to the Franz josef Glacier and Christchurch.

’The death took place in Auckland on Tuesday of Mrs. Elizabeth Bowrmg, widow of tho late Air. Alfred Bowring. Her death severs a long connection with the city of Auckland, for Air. and Sirs. Bowring arrived there m 1856, in the ship Gypsy (states the “Scar”). Air. Bo wring, whose death preceded his wife’s by 24 years, formerly had a piano warehouse in Symonds Street. Mrs. Bowring, despite her great ago (sho was in her ninetyfirst year), maintained the full use of her faculties practically up to the end, and was able to get about until within a week of her death. Of a family of twelve, seven are still alive, and sho is survived by 23 grandchildren and three great-grandchild-ren. Her surviving sons are: Messrs. Albert and Percy Bowring, of Auckland, Edgar Bowring, of Melbourne, and Walter Bowring, of ‘Wellington, who returned from England the other dav, after studying art for two years abroad. Airs. Albert Sponcqr, of Auckland, Airs. James, of Avondale, and Mrs. Buckhuist, of Christchurch, are daughters of the deceased lady.

Mr. and Airs. R. P. Hudson, Alotueka, are residing at “Pendennis for the short session.

Thol Education Committee of the Y IV.C.A. has planned for classes to be held in various subjects during the winter months. These classes offer special facilities to girls who are occupied during the day, or who, haying left school, wish to keep on with thenstudies.

By the death of Mrs. W. J. Maxwell, the city of Auckland lost one of its pioneer settlers. Mrs. Maxwell arrived with, hen parents, the Mr. ard Mrs. J. N. Newbold, by the ship Caduceus on March 25, 1860. Several years later Mrs. Maxwell became organist at the Wesleyan Church, Whau Road. Thaj was before tho name was changed to Kingsland. It was her father, Air. Newbold, who brought before the Road Board the idea of naming tho district Kingsland. When the railwav was laid to Helensrille the station was also named Kingsland. The 'late Mrs. Maxwell ,\’ as afterwards organist at ihe Primitive Methodist Church in Upper Pitt Street, aqd later at the Aletlicdist Church, Bayfield, Ponsonby. Airs. Maxwell made mauv friends on account of her great hospitality and sympathy with all good vorks. Surviving her are her husband, one son (Mr. N. N. Maxwell, of Pukekohe), and one daughter (Mrs. J. Powdrill, of Opotiki), also the following brothers and sisters:— Mr N. L. Newbold, of Gisborne; Rev, T W. Newbold, Dunedin; Alajor J. E. Newbold, of ihe Salvation Army, llellinrrton; Mr. P. S. Newbold, of Auckland ; and Mrs. IV. Andrew, of Christchurch.

The usual short service will be held at tho Y.W.C.A., 5 Boulcott Street to-morrow afternoon. The speaker will be Miss Boniface.

Airs. S. J. Gill has returned to Alasterton from a visit to Seatoun.

An afternoon tea for tho wives of the visiting New South Wales bowlers was given by the Wellington Bowling Club yesterday. The decorations of the pavilion were carried out in red, white, and blue, tho colours of the visitors and of tho Wellington Club being in this way combined. Airs. Salek, tho wife of the president, was in charge of the tea arrangements, and a particularly pleasant afternoon was spent in spite of the occasional showers of rain. A theatre party in the evening made a verv enjoyable finish to the day. Ou tho preceding day (Wednesday) the visiting ladies were taken out for »■ motor drive in the Hutt valley, and entertained at afternoon tea at Petone. The opportunity of seeing something ot the country was much appreciated by the visitors.

Frenchwomen are very economical. They are also very anxious to bo in the fashion. _ Tho combination of these two desires leads them to invent all kinds of subterfuges in order to got the latest thing cheaply, states the Pan's correspondent of the “Sunday Observer.” They will get dresses on approval from fashionable houses, and have them copie’d by their home dressmaker before returning them. They will bribe the ladies’ maids of rich women to copy their mistresses’ clothes. Above all, they can invariably bo tempted by any shop which claims to sell at less than half the original price exact reproductions of the “models” of the great houses. Naturally the great houses try to stop this traffic. Tile law allows them certain measures of protection, among which is the right to search the establishments which are suspected of having copied their registered designs. A trade society has now been started in Paris to organise these searches and prosecutions, and it is reported already to have secured a rich harvest of examples of infringed copyright. The tvhole thing seems to bo rather a vicious circle, however. If the law is to allow nobodv to be in tho fashion except those who have invented the fashion, it can hardly bo called a fashion at all; and no woman will be pleased to wear a dress which none of tho other women will reei'gnise as fashionable.

Women’s National Reserve, The annual meeting of ihe Berhampore branch was held on Thursday afternoon. Airs. Florence Porter presided, and congratulated the members upon tho splendid record of work for l»ue year, the large amount accomplished being greater than on the previous year, and said that their enthusiasm and businesslike methods were a groat help to the organisation of which they formed a part. The following were elected —President, Mrs. Beales ; vicopresidonts, Mosdames Watt, Harris, nnd Avery: secretary, Miss Finlayson; collector, Airs. Taylor; committee, Mesdamos Chatfield, Harper, Aforris, Jenson, Eagle, Charles, Lyons, Edwards, Robertson, and Airs. Chatfield (senior). Airs. Williamson offered to collect flowers from the branch the fourth Saturday in each month for the Karori Afemorial Cemetery, which offer was warmly appreciated. Afternoon tea brought a profitable afternoon to a close.