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Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 72, 25 March 1912, Page 9

Women in Print.

"AIL wise ■work is mainly threefold in character. It is honest, useful, and cheerful."— Rusldn.

Miss Nicholson, of New Plymouth, is a guest of Mrs. Kctheram, Oriental Bay. Mrs. Whitelaw, who has been in Wellington saying goodbye lo her brother and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Peacock, and who has been staying for the last few days with Mrs. Corkill, left on Saturday for her homo in Auckland. Miss Clifford leaves to-night for Christchurch. Miss May Moss went on Saturday to Wanganui to stay with Miss Campion. Mrs. L. B. Logan, of Keleo, Otago, is a guest of Mrs. Wallace Mackenzie, Willi>street. Miss Madge Macgregor, who has been itaying with Mrs. Logan, returned from the Soath yesterday. Mrs Louis Blundell has returned home from her trip to -the South leland. Mrs. and Miss Nancy Anson, of Christchurch, left on Friday, en route for England. Mrs. Facon, accompanied by Colonel Campbell, left this morning for Auckland, where on Saturday the sudden death of her son, Mr. E. D. Hacon, took place. Several teas were, given last week for Mrs. Tewsley and Mrs. Samuel, both of whom are shortly leaving WellingtonMr. Peacock's house has been taken by Mrs. M'Bean, who, with her son and daughter, has been staying recently at Day c Bay. Mi» Campbell, of Greymouth, is staying with her sister, Mi*b. M'Evedy. Mrs. F. Webster and Mrs. H. Stocker, of New Plymouth, are spending a few days here before they leave for Sydney. • Beautiful weather favoured the opening of the Miramar Golf Club for this season and induced a> large number of visitors to journey out to the links. There they were received by the captain, Mr- P- C Freeth, and after some interesting competitions enjoyed the afternoon tea. set out daintily among autumn leaves and^berries in a marquee. Mrs. Thomas Wiggins, who died at her residence; Kuratiwhiti-stitet, Greytown, on Friday evening, aged seventynine years, was bom in County Cavan, Ireland, in. 1833, and- came to the Dominion thirty-three years ago, and resided in Grey town for thirty years. .She is survived by her husband, two sons, and two daughters. The annual sports of th« Victoria College Amateur Athletic Club also attracted many, who, quite apart from the interest of the competitions, enjoyed the fre&h air, wonderful views, and sunshine. But,, alas ! the summer — which has been no summer — has gone, as anyone who &afc in the shade in the Parliament grounds on. Saturday could testify. It was bitterly cold, and some dauntless girls in white muslins were regarded by those who ahivei'ed in velvet -and, furi as certain victims ■of influenza. Out pretty, airy chiffons,, which this season have had few opportunities to delighu the eyes of man. and of our fembunt, frienoi, mnst be put away. The general tone of the frocks of the gathering at the laying of the^ foundation stone wat. (lull. Lady Ward was dr^sed in black velvet and,: luxurious ermine stole and muff, her bright blue feathered hat, small and high, striking a welcome note of brightness in the general gloom. Miss Ward wore a graceful frock, with a loose panel at the back, of pale grey, and a wide black velvet hat, with a broad band of ermine, a big bunch of violets and a mauve bag giving a pretty touch of colour; Mrs. Roderick M'Kenzie's dark blue coat and skirt was worn with a black hat with white feathers; Mrs. Seddon, a black frock and a black plumed hat; Mies Seddon was in black velvet with, white lace and a black hat with white plumes. On Saturday night at the Y.W.C.A. Boomß the Ladies' Seagull Amateur Swimming Club held a land drill lifeeaving competition. Miss 0. Arthur instructed and Mr. G. Neal judged the winners. Miss F. Thompson gained first prize, with Miss J. Ward second, and Miss 1. Tandy third. Other competitors were: Misses F. Outtriin, <-M. Nolan, W. M'Comieh, B. Gard, A. Cole, A. Levy, and G. Tucker. Among those present were Lady Findlay, Miss Field, Miss K. Arthur (hon. secretary 1 ,, and Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Wright. 'At the conclusion the president (Lady Findlay) presented the successful candidates with the Royal Life-caving Society's awards gained lately. She congratulated Miss Arthur on the way she has instructed the girls, and said it gave her great pleasure to present the medals and certificates, which showed that, the girls took a gimt interest in this claes of sport. Mr. Wright also spoke a few words to the class, and eaid he was very pk-ased to *oe a vice-president of the club, and wished it every success in the futnre. When a deputation waited on Mr. D, P. Loasby at Greytown, aeking him to again stand for the Mayoralty— he hae already been five years in office— he stated that he had consulted his wife, and sho had agreed to allow him to sacrifice himself again. Questioned recently on the subject of appreciation of food,- the secretary of a mixed club, where half a dozen chefs are kept busy- at the luncheon hour, stated emphatically thai the elaborate dishes were not prepared for the ' men at all (says a- writer in the London Telegraph.) "Most of the men who come here," he saU, "professional men, men oi leisure, and a few business men, lunch eimply when they are alone. It is when they entertain ladies that a. demand is made on onr resources. I can assure you," he declared, with a smile, "that the old fallacy of a woman's primitive taetes in the matter of food will not hold good any longer. It is perfect nonsense 1 I should advise you, if you will not accept my assurance, to spend a morning here, and note the luncheons served. Luncheon parties are very popular at present; indeed, they are one of the fancies of the moment. I suppose women who ate shopping or who have ran up from the country to see friends, do theatre, and so on, seize the opportunity of making ueo of their clubs. A club Inncheon is more convenient than a. dinner, because as muck time as desired may be spent over it, whereas people frequently want to dine- m a hurry and go on" to the opera, or tho theatre. As to the ladies' luncheons, a great deal of time is epenfc on choosing and arranging. Every course has to be thought out and planned beforehand. My private opinion k that when women travel thuy do not meiely enjoy novelties ni tuod tie men do ; they make & point of finding out what new dishes aio; they make notes of them, and oider them as soon a& ever they uyji at their clubt, when* expert chefs are regd^ tv

meet their wishes. Of couree, we like to provide out-of-the-way diehes, and to prove our knowledge of cooking and our world-wide acquaintance with cosmopolitan menus. ' Women who give theee luncheon parties are acquainted with every detail —flowers, wine, indeed, the whole arrangement from start to finish is supervised with the utmost care and thoroughness" Here is an idea, supplied by the journal The Lady, for the Wellington hostesses who lack gardens: We may be allowed to use artificial flowers for room and table decoration without being considered "un-smart," if I may coin such a word. Did I live always in the country —l wish I did !—1 should 'ponr scorn on the idea of artificial flowere. In that case, between ourselves, I would rather fill my big bowls with ivy and various treasures from the hedgerows, and my little bowls with poieonous fungi, that look so alluring and are so wkkedj than during, the et^ason when there 'is a. dearth of flowers would I permit an' ai'tificial representation to graces —or disgrace !—my rooms. ,But i).. London or any other big city one has to recognise the force of circumstances. Flowers bought from the flower-seller or the florist fade all too Boon. I havo been distressed past worda when I have in the morning arranged a lovely nosegay on the dinner table, to create delight in the hearts of my; guests, to find that when 8 o'clock arrived they wore so ' droopy and woebegone that they looked as if they wished they had never 'been born/ But now such qualms will |no longer assail me, because —as the laws of fashion permit-^-I shall buy my | flowers from •my milliner or some one of that ilk. Yet these flowers must bo carefully ohosen, as it would never do to have cowslips in January or chrysanthemums in June. They must be the flowera in season, and tney must be such as lend themselves to decoration. Just now, perhaps, the small carnations or picotees are the best, as the real onos can so easily -be procured from abroad. An epergne or rose-bowl can be filled with the.se mixed with a few fronds of maidenhair fern (preserved) most effectively, or they can be arranged in a 'big basket with moss and foliage. Fortunately, it is only the centre-piece which has now iv be considered on a dinner table, the small vases as corner pieces being things of the past; and it it such it ■comfort to the town dweller to know that these flowers need no caxe in the way-of fresh water and clipped ends —they only require dusting. For a luncheon' party I have a great weakness for a centre bowl of violets, but these have always been a dubious joy, because, as a* rule, there is great difficulty in making them hold up their heads (I believe the "modest violet" is supposed to droop., though «he annoys mo when ehe does it on a weak and flabby stem), but with their, representations there is no trouble. Some people will say, "What about the perfume?" Well, I have rarely bought violets in the street or from a, florist that do not smell somewhat like cabbage? (I do not allude to the flowers freshly gathered from a garden); but'if perfume is desfred, get tiomo of the very best violet acont and spray the 'bowl with it slightly. I do not advocate the " scented flowers" which can be bought., fcecautte they so soon adopt a sort of musty odour. As spring advances we can take-our choice amongst many artificial beauties. I know nothing 'n^ore' ■tihatming yon. >a dinner table than a silver bowl * filled with apple and pear blossom, but the real blossoms are not only very -expensive, but fail and fade with exasperating rapidity. Tho artificial blooms so closely represent Nature that it is alniost impossible to tell the difference without feeling them. For a tall vase in the drawing room three or four arum lilies will be. quite a 4a 4 feature for weeks. Tulips, poppies,- daisies —in fact, any tall flowers where only three or four large blooms are wanted to fill a jar — are always effective, care being taken that the, right foliage is mixed with them. We are well acquainted with the drees doll tea-coey, and with the «ame subject performing a variety of other functions (writes our London correspondent.) • The lateet notion is .for the voluminous skirt of the beautifully gowned doll to cover up a tall box of rare chocolates or caramels. The size of the doll depends upon the box it has to cover. The clothes are beautifully made, whether representative of the picturesque era in dress or of the latest Paris- styles. The doll covering the tall scent bottle, introduced at Christmas, is meeting with quite a good demand. But the scent supply wearing the clothes of a modern Parisian is not a handy trifle to carry about in the satchel-bag, roomy though the' latter continues often to be". The perfume sceptre sprinkler will answer the requiremente more satisfactorily. This is a .slender glass tube, lees thick than a lead pencil, filled with any scent preferred, and corked with a email crown-tppped sprinkler. The whole is encased in a fitting cover of ivory which prevents breakage. A turn of the crown-top sets the sprinkler to work.

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