SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Evening Star, Issue 19408, 17 November 1926, Page 12

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Mrs E. 0. Tapley is back from Waimate.

Mrs Wallis is back in Dunedin.

Mr and Mrs Rattray are the guest? of Mr and Mrs Fenwick.

Ms Baughan left Dunedin yesterday, and gave a most successful lecture at Timaru on ‘Penal Reform.*

Mr and Mrs Frank Bell returned by the Tainui.

Dr Gladys Mac Alister ia engaged to Dr Walton Bremner, and the wedding is expected to take place shortly, after which a three residence in Loudon is contemplated. Mrs. A. E Hammer, who has been visiting friends in Dunedin, has returned to her home in Auckland.

Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M., and Mrs Bundle returned during the week from a holiday trip in the north, and are now residing in Mr H. D. Skinner’s house in Tweed street, which they have taken for a year. Not many of us housewives out here realise how the coal strike at Home has affected daily life. Latest news sent to the writer states that now Edinburgh washhouses and the Portobello baths have been closed owing to the acute Scarcity of coal.

Women have been long in entering the professional ranks of sport. Now we nave a professional tennis player, and the first girl golfer who hopes to make money by club and ball. Her London advertisement runs as follows:—“Young girl desires post as golf professional. Good player and coach.” This sounds attractive to the impressionable male but unfortunately he takes golf so seriously I Miss Ethel Morrison (Ettie Maginnity), a Wellington girl,' is making good on the stage, and latest news tells of her great success in Chicago, when she played in Anita Loos’s dramatised version of ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.’ Miss Morrison first showed what she was made of in the Wellington Amateur Operatic Society, and from there became a professional, till now she is well known in New York, with occasional excursions to Boston and Chicago.

On Thursday night the Karnak Entertainers gave another successful concert at Ravensbourne in aid of carnival funds, and considering the very wot night there was a good house. The concert given was bright from start to finish. The programme was varied, and included a magic turn by Douglas Greenwood, fancy dancing by Alice Campbell and Joan .Buchanan, songs by Olive Meining, Alice Suttie, Ross Hughes, and John Barry, and a recitation by Jean Williamson, which were all well received by the audience. Dorothy Gibbs and Pat' Woods also gave valuable assistance in sketches, and Vera M'Gregor proved an efficient accompanist. At tbo close of the concert a couple of hours' dancing was enjoyed by all.

A curious case has recently been tried in Edinburgh, which emphasises the need tor revising the law dealing with the nationalisation of _ married women—a point that all feminine societies in England are striving for. As the law stands at present, a woman takes the nationality of her husband. In this case the woman was born in Scotland, and has never been put of the country. . In 1918 she married an American sailor, who deserted her after ten days. In consequence of this marriage she became an alien, and _as such was summoned before the sheriff. He fortunately had some common sense, and made a few apt remarks on the absurd position thus created, No doubt those women who are fighting so well for their cause in Great Britain will in time see that this sort of thing becomes impossible.

Last Monday Miss Hamilton gave a most enjoyable evening at her residence, Forth -street, for the coining of age of her niece, Miss Kathleen Hamilton. The hostess wore a becoming taffeta evening gown of the newest lavender shade, and Miss Kathleen Hamilton looked very well in cream georgette of early Victorian style. Among those present were Mrs Jack Hamilton (navy blue, henna trimmings), Misses Elsie Ryan (oensefuchsia crepe de chine), Dorothy Stentiford (lavender morocaine, fur trimmed), Vera Harris (green georgette), Belle Haras (pink satin), May Howard (beaded net over henna georgette), Doreen Shcehay (pale green ninon), Messrs Geddes, Hamilton (2), Ryan, Sheehay. Campbell, E. Stentiford, and M'Callum, Dancing was enjoyed until the early hours of the morning. Mss Kathleen Hamilton received many beautiful and costly gifts, including telegrams from many parts of the dominion.

The Saravati Musical Club, of Palmerston, was entertained at the vicarage, Oamaru, the home of Mrs Lionel Richards, last Friday, by the Musical Circle of the North Otago Women’s Club, and most enjoyable the function proved. Mrs Hjornng, president of the circle, received the guests, on whose behalf . Miss Mavis Grieve presented a beautiful bouquet, while the Oamaru members, not to be outdone in generosity, presented a fine hand-painted programme of the Rems, to commemorate the occasion. Ihe following ladies took part:—Miss Hewat (piano solo), Miss Williams (song), Ms Douglas (a most interesting paper on the early days of Palmerston), Mrs Hjornng (song), Mrs M'Dowell (monologue), Miss Marshall (song). An amusing little play, ‘Stirring the Pudding,’ proved popular, and was well acted by Mesdames Forrester and Hjorring, Misses Hewat, Marshall, Williams, and M'Adam.

Many people seem to think that the love of flowers is confined to women, and this no doubt is the reason why the patients in the men’s wards are plentifully supplied with cigarettes and other male luxuries, while the women s wards are bright with blossoms. All sick people, however, enjoy the beauty and gaiety of flowers, and I am sure that dozens of Dunedin residents will bo only too glad to help brighten the

various wards in our hospitals, once their attention is drawn to the fact of the recent shortage, which indeed has at times been ao acute that the myrses have actually bought flowers.

The Houghton ward has been under the care ot a Dunedin .lady, and has managed to keep a smiling face, hut the other two men’s wards (the Alexandra and the Dominion) have at times been quite woeful. Will any ladies or Seutlemen who are to send owers, regularly or otherwise, please communicate with “Diana,” ‘Evening Star ’ ? The ideal aimed at is that the whole system of hospital flowers should be organised—so that all wards receive the same treatment. Should anyone find it difficult to take the flowers, arrangements can he made for having them called for.

Last Friday evening unfortunately was so cold that most of the gajlydressed portion of the guests that attended the private view of the new art exhibition had to don overcoats, so that, though one knew there were many handsome frocks, one could not see them to full advantage. Sir Lindo Ferguson, the president, received the guests, who all spent a profitable and enjoyable hour or two looking at the pictures—after which supper helped to warm one up. Among those present were Sir William and Lady Sim, Lady Williams, Lady Fenwick, Mr and Mrs Reynolds, Mr K. and Mrs Maclndoe, Dr and Sirs Ritchie, Dr and Mrs Fitchett, Mr and Mrs E. Theomin, Mr and Mrs Speight, Mr and Mrs Salmond, Mr and Miss Donniston, Mr and Miss Haggitt, Mr and Mrs R. Glendinning, Mr and Mrs J. Roberts, Mr and Mrs M'George, Mr and Mrs Sargood, Mr and Mrs Mandeno, Mr and Mrs Callan, Mr and Mrs Brock, Mr and Mrs Gallaway, Mr and Mrs Cheeseman, Mr and Mrs Melville, Mesdames Watson Shonnan,, Kelly (Christchurch), Leech ; Todd, Smith, North, Merrington, Ritchie, Laidlaw, Smith (Christchurch), Ncsbit, Crouch (Queensland), Angus Cameron, Dr Storms, Dr M. Whyte, Dr Carmalt Jones, Misses L. Roberts, M'Gill, Williams, Israel, Reid. Milson, Lewisham, Roberts, Law, Sutherland, Cheeseman, Webster (2), 'Theomin, and Salmond. The play-reading circle of the Women’s Club held its annual party last Friday, and the attractive programme it produced proved most popular to the large audience, among which was quite a good sprinkling of the sterner sex. Mesdames Eastgate, Scoullar, and Miss M'Carthy, in producing that sparkling little comedy, ‘Between the Soup and Savoury,’ struck a new note in cooking a real savoury on a real electric stove. Then followed songs by Mrs Evans and Miss Rontham, and a piano solo by Mrs H. C. Campbell. The rather boisterous and hilarious econo from * Twelfth Night ’ was well acted by Mesdames Morrell and Gard’ner, Misses Aslin, Alexander, and Hey wood. Two more short plays—‘ The Doctor’s Confession ’ (Mr and' Mrs Gard’ner and Miss Aslin) and ‘The Modern Portia’ (Mrs Aubrey Stephens and Miss Holland)— showed that the Women’s Club has plenty of good talent. But perhaps the item that stood out as a really brilliant piece of work was the prison scene from G.B.S’a ‘Joan of Arc,’ given by Miss Bessie Thomson with chains on her wrists and ankles. This lady has recently returned from London, where she studied at some of the foremost theatrical schools, as well as playing behind London footlights, so that naturally she had the real professional touch in her added to which she has the gift of a rich, pleasing voice.

Miss Baughan was the guest of honor on Monday afternoon, when the literary circle of the Women’s Club gave a reception for this distinguished writer and welfare worker. Mrs Ewing (the chairwoman) greeted the guest on behalf of all present. Miss Baughan, in her thanks to the circle, showed herself a first-class speaker. She pointed out that with one’s day so full of necessary duties it was good to form circles for the cultivation of beauty, and. the aesthetic side of life. A literary circle was thus excellent, for literature went hack to all ages, and ministered to the future; it linked up all times and all countries. In response to a special request Miss Baughan gave a short talk on penal reform, introducing her lecturette by the remark that now she was working with men, not words, she was attempting practical poetry. She made an earnest appeal for the cooperation of all women in this_ great movement, which is. now recognised in Great Britain as doing excellent work. One of the best ways of showing sympathy is by joining the John Howard League (Howard being the founder of it), or, to give it its quite correct title, “ The Penal Reform League.” Membership costs only 2s fid, and any further information will bo gladly supplied by Mrs Elder, 373 Upper York place. Further evidence of the increasing popularity of the Cosy Cabaret was furnished on Saturday night last, when a gathering which overtaxed the seating accommodation of the Overseas Hall spent another pleasant and enjoyable evening. Important contributing factors to the success of the evening were the splendid condition of the floor and the high-class musical programme rendered by Arthur Gordon and his dance band.

books, ‘ The Homes of Tennyson,’ written »by her brother, Mr A. H. Paterson, the novelist, and after her husband’s death she edited three volumes of his correspondence and other prose writings. j