SOCIAL AND GENERAL.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 199, 9 August 1911, Page 11

SOCIAL AND GENERAL.

NAPIER, AUGUST 8, 1911. A Dance. Mr. and Mrs. 1.. McHardy gave a delightful dance on Friday evening. Their house is so well suited for entertaining and huge fires everywhere made things very cosy. Frocks too are seen to so much better advantage in a private house than in any hall anti some very pretty ones were worn on this occasion. Miss McHardy received her guests in the lounge hall, wearing a lovely soft blue satin gown. Mrs. Edie Williams looked very smart in red chiffon ; Mrs. Levien’s dainty pink satin and spangled tunic was much admired; Mrs. Ching woie a handsome white satin and pearl trimming: Mrs. A. C. Russell was in pink brocade with mauve tunic ; Miss Fell black charmeuse and green ninon tunic ; Miss Hindmarsh blue satin and lovely oriental panel ; Miss L. Snodgrass white ninon caught in with pink bows ; Miss Dewes, floral muslin : Miss Sandtman, vieux rose satin ; Miss Kettle, white satin spangled tunic; Miss Moeller wore her pretty debutante frock : Miss Margoliouth, white lace; Miss E. Brown, white; Miss May Williams, pink.

Misses Wood. McFarlane. Harvey . Lusk. White, Hetley. and Humphreys, and Messrs. Nation, Van Dadlezon. Groom. Brabant. Ching. A. C. Russell, Levien, Sandtman, Kettle. Rome. Wood. Hindmarsh. White. McLernon, and Dr. Harvey were amongst the guests. Items of Interest. Mrs. Lewis, Wanganui, has been visiting her daughter, Mrs. W. Dinwiddle. Miss Gladys Hill has gone to Gisborne for several months. Miss Shirley (Hanmer Springs) is spending a holiday in Napier. Miss Dorothy Rainbow leaves by the Corinthic on Thursday for London, where she intends entering St. Thomas’ Hospital as probationer. Mrs. Allen Williams (Te Aute) is spending a few days at the Masonic Hotel. Mrs. Averil is visiting Christchurch. Bishop Williams and Miss Williams have returned from Gisborne.

Miss Lees (East Coast) is visiting Napier. Miss Ida White (Braeburn) is staying in Napier. Mrs. Morris Fox. 'Wellington, is on a visit to Napier. Miss Kennedy has gone to Gisborne. on account of the rather serious illness of her brother, Mr. Frank Kennedy. Mrs. R. D .D. McLean and Miss McLean have returned front Wellington. The Coronation.

By this week's mail come the! fullest details of the Coronation. [ The great surprise is that the crowds were nothing as large as I expected, but the enthusiasm was i tremendous. It was unfortunate) that the New Zealand stand should j have been placed just outside St. Janies’ Palace instead of on the return route when the King and Queen in their crowns and robes, and the peers and peeresses in theirs could have been watched. As it was the spectators on this stand who had come so many thousands of miles to witness the procession, returned home before Il o’clock, having seen all that was possible from their position. The purely social point of viewof the Coronation was extraordinarily interesting. Quite a number of peers and peeresses arrived at- the Abbey in their State coaches. These vehicles presented a very magnificent appearance, the most noteworthy being those owned by Lord Bute, which was of? powder blue and apricot, yellow ; I Lord Lonsdale, bright canary col-* cured coach was easily recognised, j Lord Cadogan’s carriage of Cadogan blue and brown was superbly j turned out. Splendid tiaras and! jewels of all kinds were jom by j the peeresses, and th-e fact- that all: were wearing the orthodox robes I of crimson trimmed with ermine j over white satin skirts contributed ' in no small degree to the beauty! of the scene. Nearly all the peeresses wore crimson velvet, and; embroidered bags in which were , carried handkerchiefs, fans, and in many cases little boxvs of chore-1 late and lozenges. The youngest peeress in the Abbey was Lady Clifton, of Leighton, Bromswold. who inherited her title on the | death of her father, the late Lord; Darnley, when she was only a few months old. She is now eleven J years of age. The yr.iiiy-st peer* was Lord Donegal, who has not ( yet reached his eighth birthday. I Writing of her impressions with- i in the Abbey. Marie Corelli says: 1 ‘‘Equality for all men is the cry!* Then what- have our millions of} people been about cheering theirj visible crowned Head as though they were gone mad with enthusiasm ’ Why such a frenzy of rap-

ture for a King and Queen ? Why ? Because England is loyal to the back-bone, and Socialism is no more than a ripple of discontent on a stagnant pool. Never was there such a proof of the fidelity of the country to the Throne and to all the Throne signifies as this wonderful picture of our Coronation Day.”

The entrance of the Queen was magnificent. She bore herself with dignity, almosl with coldness —she was very pale, and obviously had much ado to keep her stately selfcontrol. Her gorgeous train borne by the Duchess of Devonshire, glowed with burning gold, and diamonds flashed from her neck and arms and she walked with a regal step, looking queenly to the very height of queenliness. Round her were her lovely Maids of Honour, all exquisitely pretty and dainty, like rosebuds round a central rose.

The King’s entrance was. however. more effective than that of his handsome Consort, for there was something pathetic in his demeanour. He looked overweighted by his splendour, and a somewhat touching tiredness seemed to be on him when the Crown of England was placed upon his brows and when the thunderous shout •God Save the King" rang

through every corner of the Abbey. “Be strong and play the Man!” sang the glorious choir like angels in the distance. “Keep the Commandments of the Lord thy God and walk in His Ways! Be strong and play the Man.”