SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

Evening Star, Issue 18741, 17 September 1924, Page 3

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

Miss H. Watson has returned from Mount Cook. Miss Nancy Le Cren is staying with Mrs Lo Cren, Momington. Mrs Watson is now in charge o! the University canteen. Mrs S. M. Park has been appointed to the High Schools’ Board of Governors. Mrs Dodgshun has gone north to take part in the ladies’ golf championship at Hamilton. Miss M. M'Bride has returned from Roxburgh. Mrs Greenfield is back in town. Miss Whitson has returned to town. Miss Holmes and Miss Bridgers, of Wellington, have returned north. Jlrs Edmond has gone for a short visit to Lake Wanaka. Dr and Mrs Bowie have gone back to Timaru. Miss E. Moodie is the guest of Mrs Mackerras, George street. On Friday Miss Ensor gave a bridge party for Mrs Stringer, of Auckland. The players included Mesdames Stock, Isaacs, Marshall Macdonald, Hilton, De Clive Lowe, Falla, and Miss Priest. Miss Beatrice Reilly, at present in charge of the Maternity Hospital at Waimate, has been appointed matron of the Louisa Roberts Hospital at Middlemarch for twelve months. Mrs 0. E. Statham was “ at home ’’ to a a large number of guests at the House, when the guest of honor was Mrs Dion Boucicault, otherwise Irene Vanbrugh, Many M.P.s turned up, and' even Mr Massey found time to snatch a few hasty minutes. Mr J. A. Dunning, B.Sc., who has been selected as the Auckland nominee for the Rhodes Scholarship this year, has had a distinguished career. He is at present on the staff of M'Glashan College, and is well known in cricket and hockey circles. Mrs Marshall Macdonald gave a very 1 nice bridge party last Saturday for the Misses Stand. Mesdames G. Mac Lean, G. Gallaway, E. Hazlctt, D. Ramsay, Mathesnn, and Misses Webster (2), Reynolds, and Graham were the players that evening. Mrs Hiett (district president), Mrs Macartney (district treasurer), Mrs Hutton, Mrs Duncan, Mrs Twose, Miss Powell, and Miss Begg all left on Monday for Oaraant, where the District Convention of the W.C.T.U. is to be held. Mrs 0. A. Hutton, who has left for the north, will lecture on her experiences in the East in aid of the W.C.T.U. funds. Mrs Hutton’s lectures will bo illustrated by lantern views, and as she has travelled extensively the talks should be very interesting.

On Friday Mrs Roy Stevenson gave a jolly little fox-trot party for her mother, Mrs A. A. Howes, of Christchurch, who is her guest at present. The hostess looked charming in a gown of blue and gold shot charmeuse. Among the guests were Mesdames Morrison, Hudson, Graham, Coutts, 1 Johnson, Hams, Nichol, R. Nichol, C. Fenwick, Cowie, Da we. Haddick, M'Crorio, Hitchon, M'Leod, Penrose, Mias Howes, Miss Morrison. Mrs Vivian on Monday gave a bridge : party for Mrs Stringer. The guests were ; Mr and Mrs Isaacs, Mr and Mrs M'Arthur, Mrs Clapperton, Mrs Le Creji, Miss Gilkison, Messrs Greenfield, Hartmann, and Myles. The Trained Nurses’ Association held a ! general meeting at St. Helens Hospital on Monday to discuss remits, etc., for the forthcoming conference to bo .’held in ! Auckland. During the course of the evening the nurses passed a hearty motion of congratulation to Miss Thurston, who has boon appointed to succeed Miss Brown at the Dunedin Hospital. I 1 bliss Gilkison gave a most successful afternoon for Mrs Ernest Le Cren. A large number of friends assembled, amongst whom were Lady Williams, Mesdamos Bridgeman, Sargood, Vallango, G. Roberts, A. Morris, J. Sira, Moore, Glendinning, Le Cren, Miss B. Farquhar, and Miss Morris. The St. Clair Ladies’ Social Club held its last ordinary meeting on Monday. Miss M'Dougall, owing to an unfortunate accident to her mother, was not ablo to take charge of tho evening, and the committee had to hastily organise tho entertainment. The following ladies contributed items : Mrs Paine (violin solo), Mrs J. Sattcrthwaite, Mrs W. Watson, and Miss M‘Bride (songs), Mrs Gamble (recitation), and Mrs Hervey gave a humorous sketch, so that after all the members enjoyed themselves.

Dr Barnett, at the invitation of the Dunedin Nursing Corps, spoke on Monday on ‘ The Prevention of 111-health,’ and brought before the members the newest proposals to attain this desirable end. At the close of a most interesting address Miss M’Naughton, of the Dunedin central branch, proposed a vote of thanks, which was carried with great heartiness.

Dr Hadwen, who was mentioned in the cables tho other day, was a well-known character in Somerset, apart from his antivaccination theories. His children were at school with me, and many were the tales we heard. This one is true, anyway. His son, a clever boy, always had longish hair (another fad of his father’s), and when on his birthday ho was allowed- to choose a present, he replied: “To have my hair cut short, like other boys.”

Tho St. Clair Ladies’ Golf Club held a meeting in the Y.M.C.A, Rooms last Friday for the presentation of trophies and the election of this season’s officers. These were the prize-winners Champion, Mrs M'Carthy; runner-up, Mrs J. Waddell Smith; best not score, Miss 0. Stevens; consolation, Miss Stevens;’ L.6.U. silver medal, Mrs C. B. Wight; bronze junior medal, Miss Lethbridge; junior cup, Mrs Bell. Tho election resulted ns follows: President, Mrs T. K. Sidey; vice-presi-dents, Mrs R. Hudson and Mrs M'Carthy ; captain, Mrs C. B. Wight; deputy-captain, Miss Stevens; committee—Mcsdames J. Waddell Smith, A. Smellio, Bell, and Miss Lethbridge; secretary, Miss Sutherland.

At tho St. John Ambulance headquarters last Saturday night the three nursing divisions arranged a social evening, _ with Miss Stewart (ex-lady district superintendent) as the guest of honor. About fifty ladies and gentlemen were present, and tho Rev. Bryan King opened the proceedings. Ho reviewed Miss Stewart’s work, extending to twenty-one years’ service in the Dunedin Nursing Division, and to almost two years as superintendent; and he expressed the regret of all that pressure of business made Miss Stewart resign Imposition. Dr Stuart Moore, the hon. medical lecturer of Dunedin Division, was then called upon for a speech, at the end of which ho presented Miss Stewart with a handsome despatch case as a small token from members of the corps of esteem and affectionate regard. Miss Stewart replied, and said that she was sorry that she could pot continue. Various items were con-

tributed, including a mandolin bolo by Miss Langley and a recitation by Miaa Holey. After supper speeches were ma-de by Misses Tallack, Applegarth, and Mr Belworthyj and competitions resulted in success for Misses Andrew, MTCnight, Dawson, and Mr M'Coll.

Miss Siodeberg has gone back to Auckland, where she expects to stay for about a year or so. BIRTHDAY HONORS. It is not given to many of us to bo “in harness” for fifty years, and to be at the end of those long years still abounding with good health and spirits, able to lace life cheerfully. Yet so it is with Miss Hooper, whoso birthday was celebrated on Tuesday night at the Strand •Salon. The rooms were crowded with friends, many of them pupils past and present, all anxious to congratulate Miss Hooper and to show with what esteem and affection she is regarded. It was not long before the table was covered with bouquets and presents, so that it was almost a case of “ embarras de richesses.” Forty-nine years ago, to be quite accurate, Miss Adda Hooper started on her career as dancing mistress, receiving her training under the celebrated Garbois, in whose academy she stayed as teacher. This was in Dublin, then the centre of fashion, with its own select Vice-Regal set and “ season.” Many were the nervous debutantes that passed through Miss Hooper’s hands, learning to make the courtly curtsy required. And even the Vice-Regal family itself had extra training in what was then considered an essential part of education, “ deportment.” It was a daily task. In later years Miss Hooper went to London, where, again, she was very successful, and then the enterprising lady launched out to Australia, where again, in Adelaide, she had almost the monopoly of “the smart sot,” including the Earl of Kintore, Sir Fowell Buxton, Lord Tennyson, K.C.M.G., and Dean Marryat. Largely for private reasons Miss Hooper came finally to New Zealand, and made it her real home; and, taking Tuesday night as a criterion, she has made many strong, loyal friends, who realise that hero wo have an ideal typo of the British woman, plucky, bright, counting no trouble too great fo achieve her end. At supper Nil’s Grinling presented, on behalf of friends all over the ■world (the list of apologies for absence was such a long one), a handbag “with a silver lining,” after which all present sang ‘ For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow.’ Miss Hooper, handsome in a black silk dress covered with midnight sequins, suitably replied, and hoped that all the dancers present might still be able to trip it lightly when they reached her age. I cannot, of course, give a complete list of the guests present—there were so many—but I did notice the following : —Mr am! Mrs Brugli, Mr and Mrs Grinling, Mr and Mrs A. Cameron, Dr and Mrs Borrie (Fort Chal- ! raers), Mr and Mrs S. Cameron, Mr and airs Eastgate, Mr and Mrs L. Mills, Mr and Mrs R. Little, Mr and Mrs MacIntyre, Mr and Mrs R. Stevenson, Mr and Mrs J. Fletcher, Mr and Mrs A. Harris, Misses Howes, Holland, Joachim, Alexander, K. Davidson, A. Out ten, Gillies, Mackie, Nicolson, Gibbs, Mesdames Dnthie, Gillies, Brimmer, Ruhen, Allan Craig, Messrs Richardson, Mpckie (2), Williams, M'Farlane, M'Crorie (2). KEEPING OUT FLOWERS. Many women who are artistic enough over the arrangements of their cut flowers fail lamentably over the question of prolonging their life. Yet in the majority of cases it is not a matter of hot rooms or lighting which makes flowers droop and die, but merely a lack of proper cleanliness (states a writer 1 in the ‘ Manchester Guardian ’). The addition of salt or charcoal to the water is far less important than the regular supply of fresh pure water. The stain and slime which collects round the sides and at) the bottom of a vase after flowers have been in it for a few days is rank poison, and every time flowers are thrown out of a vase it should be thoroughly cleansed with warm water and soap, and dried out with an old soft glass cloth. Narrow-necked vases are for this reason unsuitable for cut flowers. Similarly, metal vases —brass, copper, pewter, and even silver—are not ideal receptacles, unless a small glass vessel is placed inside. But a shallow silver rose bowl seems to agree with many flowers. To preserve flowers in the house all water should be emptied out of the vases every day; the flowers picked over, all dead ones thrown away, and the ends of the stems of all the others cut a tiny bit, while all leaves that have been under water must bo picked off. Perfectly fresh water is then put in the vases and the life of the flowers prolonged for a considerable period. It is not enough to fill up the vases daily with a little fresh water on top of the old; the flowers will suffer from file lack of the food they require. It is well to remember that some few plans are sure to kill the rest if cut and placed in water together. Mignonette is the most noticeable instance of this. 'Hie choice of suitable vessels is half the battle in effective decoration. Glass and China suit some flowers to perfection, while others as manifestly clamor for silver and crystal. Beal “ cottage flowers ” look their best in coarse earthenware and peasant pottery, glazed or unglazed. But a word of warning should be given regarding the use of unglazed pottery, such as the delightful little rod honey jars or the earthenware saucers in which, with the addition of a lining of moss, the low-grow-ing flowers look so charming. If a cork or thick rafia mat is not placed underneath (hem the result is ruin to a polished table.