BIRTHDAY PARTY

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LVI, Issue 65, 23 August 1935, Page 5

BIRTHDAY PARTY

LEESTON WOMEN'S INSTITUTE

On Tuesday evening the Leeston Women's Institute celebrated its fourth birthday party. There was a large gathering of members, representatives of other institutes , and ; kindred organisations and the general public. The guests were welcomed by Miss V. Bowis, the president of the institute. A very good programme of musical items and recitations was given, and there were also two one-act plays. All were thoroughly enjoyed by the audience and some of the items were repeated to satisfy insistent demands for nlore. The programme was arranged by the social committee, of which Mrs F. B. Clausen is convener, and its work was, by the applause accorded by the audience, pronounced to be good. The various items were contributed by the following:—Miss Winchester, pianoforte solo; Miss B. Woodard, vocal solo; Mrs Felton, recitations; Mr F. Jarman, vocal solo; Miss Beamsley, vocal solo; Masters Douglas Mercer and Jim Martin, vocal duets; Mr D. Suckling, solos. Miss Rosa Bowden played the accompaniments for the vocal items.

A tragedy and a comedy were the types of plays presented, and very good work was done by those taking part. The first one, "Flickering Lights," was written by a New Zealand author, Ethel M.~ Madeley, of Masterton. The story was composed of such ingredients as a young, woman's marriage to a man who proved to be a criminal and who possessed a dominating influence over her, to such an extent as to bring her within the clutches of the law; fortunetelling by means of cards; a missing bracelet with a sinister reputation; and the consequences of a fused electric wire which plunged the room into semi-darkness, relieved only by the flickering light of a fire and a solitary candle. In this subdued lighting the action of the play was carried to its tragic conclusion. The parts taken by Mrs Clausen, Mrs Coe and Miss N. Doak were those of three young women who shared a flat, while Miss S. Bowis characterised a visitor who possessed the faculty of reading the future by means of cards. Upon the lights failing she agreed to try her skill, and when reading the cards of Bobby (Mrs Coe), suggested a series of sinister incidents in Bobby's life which reached a tragic denouement with the arrival of a policeman (Mr L. Smith), when the secrets of the girl's life were revealed and she fell a victim to poison secreted in the old bracelet which she had worn concealed on her arm. The greater share of the dramatic acting fell on Mrs Coe, who as the flippant but unfortunate Bobby gave a very good characterisation of the part. Miss S. Bowis, as the fortune-teller, was also very good, while Mrs Clausen and Miss Doak, although their parts were smaller, did their work very well indeed, all contributing to the success of the production.

The second play, "Elizabeth Refuses," was a bright little comedy, written by Margaret Macnamara, who had taken incidents from Jane Austin's novel, "Pride and Prejudice" and had blended them into a delightful play. The story had mainly to do with the efforts of a mother to find suitable and wealthy husbands for her eligible daughters. The mother (Mrs A. E. Brown) during the time of the play suffered from nervous headache, mainly due to worry about the property of her husband (still alive and healthy) which would pass on his death to a nephew, a clergyman (Mr P. W. Page). The two daughters were Jane (Miss V. Hatch) and Elizabeth (Miss B. Woodard), and most of the play revolved around the love affairs of the latter, including a ponderous and circumlocutious proposal from the clergyman. The girl's affections were for the son of an aristocratic and pompous old woman (Mrs C. G. Fisher), who resented any suggestion of a marriage between Elizabeth and her son. How the affairs of the girl were straightened out was not indicated, btit the tangle produced many humorous situations. Mrs Brown gave a very good interpretation of the nerve-ridden, harsh-tempered mother, while as her high-spirited, independent-minded daughter, Miss Woodard gave a very bright display. Mrs Fisher was good as the haughty mother of the favoured son, while Mr Page, as the wordy, self-centred clergyman, appeared to advantage in a characteristic part. Miss Hatch, the other daughter, had very little to do, but that little she did well. j Altogether, the plays, which were i produced by Mr Page, were creditably done, and in bringing to light the histrionic ability of the people of the district, the institute is doingvery good work.

After supper had been served by the members, the birthday cake was cut. Before this was done, however,

Mrs Holley, an ex-member of the institute, in which ahe held the office of vice-president, lit the four candles which adorned the handsome cake, which was beautifully decorated and was made and iced by Mr and Mrs Martin. Messages of greeting and congratulation to the institute were given by representatives from the Southbridge and Brookside institutes and from the ' Dunsandel' branch v^ the Women's Division of the New Zealand Farmers' Union and the Leeston Night Circle. Afterwards the hall was cleared and a very enjoyable dance was held.