WOMEN IN PRINT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 93, 16 October 1913, Page 9

WOMEN IN PRINT.

Worry is friction, inactivity rust; both deitroy the human machine.

Sirs. Fisher, wife of the Hon. F. M. B. Fißher, was hostess of a very pleasant little tea in the Minister's room yesterday afternoon, when Madame jDlara Butt was guest of honour. Before tea Madame Clam Butt had been an absorbed listener to the discussion in Parliament, and was so interested that she returned later and stayed till the dinner adjournment. Another visitor to Wellington who was a guest of Mrs. Fisher's, and who also was in the House, was Mrs. Nicol, of Colombo, who leaves to-morrow for Sydney, en route to her home. The tea-table in the Minister's room was decorated with lilies of the valley and soft draperies of faintest mauve tulle. The little party, which included the Hon. Mr. Fisher, the Hon. Mr. Rhodes, and Mr. William Murdoch, the pianist whose music is so greatly appreciated, was of the brightest. Mrs. Fisher wore a smart black tailor-made, with white cloth revers and collar, and a black and white hat. Madame Clara Butt was in wallflower j red rough-faced serge, the coat showing lace frills, fastened by diamonds Her wide hat, most picturesque and becoming, was of black tegal, the crown half hidden, by a mount of bird of paradise plumes, scarlet and green grey. A very perfectly arranged , little luncheon was given yesterday for Mrs. Nicol, of Colombo, who has been staying •with Mrs. Riley, by Mrs. J. B. MacEwan. The table was decorated with pale mauve irises and Argentine sweet peas, with a dainty note -of contrast in the shape of pink roses. Each guest had a posy of lilies of the valley, and the place cards were mauve in designs of pansies — which is for remembrance — I ana held by little parroquete with gailycoloured plumage, that perched on the edge of the glasses. Mrs. MacEwan was in silver-grey with a pretty blouse of lace and net, and Mrs. Nicol wore pale grey sh&ntung and a bonnet of lavender with pink roses. Mrs. Nicol has been the centre of much, entertaining Jiere. A Melbourne girl, who has been staying with Mrs. Gilruth. at Port Darwin, has written an interesting letter .to a Wellington friend. She and Mrs. Gilruth had a trip, on horseback, recently/ accompanying a party which was inoculating some cattle belonging to a wellknown T^i'ritorian, who travels about with fifty horses and a regiment of black boys to look after them. Instead of hobbling his horses he ties large bells — any number from one to three— about their necks, and all night long there are cathedral' chimes going on about the ottinp. -ivsiiit. tixeir owner shoute, in anywifle but cathedral language, to the black boys to chase the horses away. Though the master was horrified at the idea of ladies in his camp, the nigger cookery proved excellent. They rode about 150 miles altogether, and Mrs. j Gilruth was none the worse. There has ! been great interest in a murder case — a white man killed by blacks many hundreds of miles away along the coast. The victim was a trepanger, had been already in a horse-stealing case, and was a brute to the blacks. The murder was done by Myalls, or wild blacks. The white man went in a lugger down the coast and camped with hia own blacks. They all went to the creek to collect trepang by the light of paperbark torches, and there the wild blacks speared him. In Court the most interesting witnesses were the native omen, the Myall lubrai, belonging to the nine stalwart blacks/ who sat chained in the dock. They understood no English, and one of i the other witnesses, Ada, acted as interpreter. Ada • had a shock of curly black hair, and sad eyes like a retriever dog. She wonderfully extracted information from' the poor scared lubras, and gave it bit by bit to the Judge. The whole jirocdfcdings must have seem* ed most futile to the blacks, who could not possibly understand why all theft© questions Were asked instead of the simple one, "Who killed the white man?" which they were all, including the murderers, ready to answer. When a witness was asked to identify one of the prisoners, the prisoner always forestalled him by rising with V clank of chains and pointing proudly to himself. Five of the blacks were condemned to death. There was a large attendance at the sale of work in St. Hilda's Schoolroom yesterday, opened by Mr. W. F. Massey, wife of the Prime Minister. The proceeds are to go towards defraying general expenses and debt extinction, and the fund should benefit considerably, for the articles were pretty and useful, and sales brisk. Among the many attractions were Aunt Sally, conjuring 'by Mi*. Major, dances by Miss Holm's pupils, music, and various competitions. Mrs. Massey wore a black voile frock, a smart black guipure coat, and a hat of violet trimmed with floral ribbon and roses. Miss Massey wore grey whipcord and a bronze straw hat with Bulgarian trimming. The Rev. Mr. Maclaverty welcomed and introduced Mrs. Massey, who was presented with a bouquet of mauve peas tied with mauve ribbons. The hon. secretaries were Messrs. T. M'Ewan and R. Collins. In charge of the staUs were the following : Sewing Guild, Mesdames Coleman, Halley, Myles,'and Eobb; Mothers' Union (produce), Mesdames Maclaverty M. Anderson, Ferkins, Greville, and Griffiths ; choir stall (sweets), Miss Griffiths, Mrs. Harper, and assistants; C.E.M.S. stall (variety), Mr. Johnston and assistants; Christmas tree, Miss Chapman and assistants ; flowers, the Misses Farrell ; tearooms, Mrs. Bence and assistants. This afternoon his Worship the Mayor will open the bazaar. Miss Hirschberg is a guest of Mrs. Bristow.. Miss M. Caldow, who has been studying music at Home, returned yesterday by the Sydney boat. Mr. and Mrs. and Miss Charlton, of Hastings, and Mr. and Mrs. Lavell, of Dannevirke, are at the Grand Hotel. Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Toogood and Miss Toogood, s of Featherston, who have been two months in Sydney, returned yesterday by the Moeraki. Mrs. H. M- Campbell, of Hawkes Bay, is in town till Saturday. ' Dr. and Mrs. Nairn arrived from Blenheim yesterday and are at the Windsor. Mr. and Mrs. V. N. Nolan, Mr. and Mrs. Hunter, and Miss Young motored from Wanganui yesteixlay, and are at the Hotel Windsor. Mr. and Mrs. Ewart, from Canada, are at the Grand Hotel. Mr. and Mrs. C. P. M. Butterworth, of Dunedin, left for London to-day in the Kuapehu. Mr. and Mrs. Aufrere Fenwick, of Dunedin, returned yesterday from Sydney, where they have been staying soma months. A very pleasant evening was tendered to the members and friends of the South Wellington Tennis Club by Mr. A. Bell, Kintoul-street i Musical items and competilionb occupied the first part of bb* ••voning. and, »fUr tupper, dancing i WJ6 taduigeci u>

Mrs. E. Schmoll, of Abel Smith-street, has Teturned to her home, much better in health. At "Itinga," Tiber-street, Island Bay, Miss H. Jack was the guest of honour at a "handkerchief and doily" tea given by Mt&. W. A. Wright. Miss Jack received many dainty and useful presents. During the afternoon eongs wear© .given by Mrs. R. M'Lean, Miss Bonnett, Miss I. Dix, Mks Gurney; the Misses Dix (2) and Mrs. Ferkins recited ; while pianoforte solos were contributed by the Misses Watson and Duncan. Mrs. R. M'Lean wore a pretty frock of grey and pink shot silk, with an overdress of grey silk. Mrs. Wright's dress was of wedgwood blue, with a lace overdress, and Miss Jack wore a dainty champagne-coloured cofitmme. Amongst those present were a number of the members of the Public Trust Office staff, with whom Miss Jack has been associated for several years. On Saturday morning Miss Jack was presented by the staff of the Public Trust Office with a purse of sovereigns, on the. occasion of her severing her connection with the office in view of her approaching marriage. The Matron of the Wellington Hospital desires to acknowledge the following gifts : — Flowers^ — Mxs. C. F. Vallance, Mm* Hilte (Daniel-street). Books — Mrs. Devine (Levin). Illustrated ■apers — Dr. Holmes, Mrs. Ward. Old nnen — Mts. Booth (Aro-street). Magazines^— Miss Arnold, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. M'Mineman (Island Bay), Mxs. Penty. . In Notre Dame Cathedral, Montreal, the Roman Catholic Archbishop has addressed thousands of women (writes our London correspondent), and has asked them to aid him in suppressing the outrageously immodest styles of female dress recently introduced among the poor as well as the rich. He said that the present mode of dress was undoing Christian modesty, defeating religion, and killing all virtue. He added : "Are modesty, innocence, and purity to be banished from 'our families? It is especially the duty of mothers and older sisters to inculcate a high degree of modesty in their young daughters and sisters. If you women unite against this innovation you will have a salutary influence. Condemn it in your family. You have friends : condemn it in your circle. Be apostles of modesty, innocence, and decent dress. Let woman's glory be her modesty, purity, and refinement. If you will help me in this crusade, God will bless you." Certainly there are many many instances of women parading the parks and the streets and | the seaside promenades _ with almost nothing on. The materials are of the most ethereal, necks are as bare during the day almost to the same extent as they are at night, skirts are skimpy and so meagre at the feet that the front or side opening has become quite usual. Even the tennis girl — the one who thinks more of her appearance than of the game— 'is going in for the exceedingly narrow skirt, which makes it almost impossible for her to run, and which would trip her over many times were it not for the side slit, which reveals a flouncing of fine embroidery or lace, headed by coloured ribbon bows and ends — dainty, perhaps, but not well suited to a game necessitating free and active movement. Then, too, halflength sleeves do not go far toward covering the "-arms. But, apparently, we are promised some improvements with the coining of the autumn styles. The employment of art unions and raffles for the raising of money for church purposes was condemned by the Bishop of Bathurst (N.S.W.) at the Anglican Synod last week. "I do urge the abandonment of some of the means of raising money that I find used in this diocese," he said. "I am sure they are not really necessary. It is a' great grief to me to find that, though this synod has twice by resolution called upon all Church people in this diocese to refrain from raising money for the Church by means of raffles and art unions, there are still some parishes that disregard this injunction, ft is a somewhat subtle matter to find the true ethical condemnation of gambling To denounce it as robbery, or taking that for which no equivalent has been given, is to invite an easy refutation. It is an undoubted fact that the gambling habit is a real danger in Australian life. It is also a special temptation in most parts of the further west. It is also true that it begins insidiously in a small way, but, the passion once excited, feeds on its further gratification. While we use in any way the chance of the lot for raising money, our protest against gambling as a whole is 'tinkling brass and sounding cymbal,' to which no sensible man will hearken."