MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10108, 5 August 1893, Page 3

MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT.

The members of the Waltham Literary Society held their second winter social gathering in the old Wesleyan schoolroom last evening. Notwithstanding the unfavourable nature of the weather, there was a very good attendance. The room was effectively decorated with flags of various colours, kindly lent for the occasion by Captain Clark and the New Zealand Shipping Company; and evergreens. Vocal and instrumental items and recitations were contributed by Mesdames Shemmen and Ditford, Miss A. Milner, and Messrs G. W. Milner. F. Ditford, Lambert, Goodman, W. J. Maddren, and others. Misses Bailey and Ferguson played the accompaniments. Throughout the evening dancing and various kinds of parlour games were entered into with great spirit by several of those present. Messrs Maddren and Kobeon acted aa M.C.'e. The Literary Society of the Canterbury Engineers held a meeting on Tuesday evening. A letter was read from the North Belt Society with reference to competitions to be held on August 22 by that Society. It was resolved to send representatives. The subject for debate was “Women’s Franchise,” the affirmative being taken by Lance-Corporal Hobbs, and the negative by Sapper Taylor. When put to the meeting after being fully discussed, the vote was in favour of the affirmative. At a largely attended meeting of the Kaiapoi Wesleyan Mutual improvement Association held on Thursday evening, the contents of the Journal were read by the lady editor. It was announced that at the next meeting a paper on “The Outlook —Social, Moral and Political,” would ha given by Mrs G. H. Blackwell, The Rev J. S. Smalley was in the chair.