Afternoon Tea Goffip

Free Lance, Volume VIII, Issue 400, 29 February 1908, Page 10

Afternoon Tea Goffip

By Little Miss Muffitt.

THE Pans Opera House employs forty dressmakers and thiity tailors constantly. What a time the Parisian, actors and actresses must have fitting. • • • A parcel of wool offeied for sale in. Sydney last Tuesday was marked "W. J. B. over IRISH LORDS." Somebody's wool gathering, right enough ' • • • "Where is your automobile department?" asked the man, entering the big department store. "Follow your nose," s "' replied the clerk near the door. • • • Relief at last, says a Sydney paper. Six hours' work a day and pay twice a week is coming. It should have been adopted years ago. In Fiji it has been 'the rule for centuries ' • • * A serious case of justice has occurred at Sydney. On Wednesday week last at one Court a man was fined 10s for beating his wife, and at another Court on the Thursday a man was fined £3 for beating his horse That's going better than our Jai Pee decisions • • • Madame Clara Butt's sister, who sings under the name of Miss Ethel Hook, gave her first recital at the Beckstem Hall. London, m December. Arnold Trowell. a boy 'cellist from New Zealand assisted. The combination of names ought to catch on anywhere. • • • "I never noticed that old church in the Sanatorium grounds before," said a lady while returning to Rotorua from the round trip last week And the other passengers laughed hugely, for the "old church" was the new bathhouse still unfinished the total cost being a trifle of £40 000 • • • According to one of our dailies • "Something akin to 25.000 carcases of mutton will be taken on board the Tvser steamer Nevehan a. due in the roadstead on Sunday." Whether the something akin will be goat carcases or swine is problematical • • • As showing the prevailing domestic peril, it is stated authoritatively that a life insurance doctor, when examining a candidate in Wellington last week, asked- "Do you contemplate any enterprise involving gTeat personal risk or danger?" "Yes; lam going to discharge our cook to-night'" the applicant answered Rumoured in London that Miss Ellen Terry is contemplating a farewell tour that will take her around the world, beginning in Australia, continuing through New Zealand, the United States and Canada, and ending in England. We are getting into the throes of a great excitement with Sarah and Ellen both on the war-path • • • The foundation-stone of the new Presbyterian ChuTch in Bank-strec (says the Whangarei "Press") is to be laid by the Prime Minister, the- RigLt Hon. Sur Joseph Ward, on the occasion or his approaching visit to 1 Whangarei." Sir Joseph is showing himself to be an all-round performer, and of very cosmopolitan religious convictions. • • • Quite a striking instance of devotion to duty is recorded in a recent advertisement in a provincial paper — ■ "Wanted, 10,000 cockroaches and other insects by a tenant, who greed to leave his present residence in the some condition as it was when he took it." With the "other insects" the supply is confidently expected to exceed the demand in view of the hot and dry season. • • • An earl and his wife were recently refused entrance to the restaurant of a great London hotel because they were not in evening dress. The earl's protest led the manager to* ask the opinions of his patrons as to whether the evening dress rule should be enfocred. Only seven out of 373 favoured abolishing the rule. Eight dukes. nine marquises, and forty-one earls were among the voters. So beastly lowering, dontcherknow, to appear in common, ordinary attire!

Ihiritng the course of a speech in Welling ..on last week, the Hon. George Fowlds said that gambling was a great evil, worse eyn than> drink. Of course, the Government have x>nJy discovered this since the bookmakers nere licensed last session. A luial aspect. The energetic wife of a curate in the Wanaiapa visited an elderly panshionei Said she "My husband has just secured the incumbency of a church, and I can't tell you how 'delighted lam lam " "Yes," interrupted the old lady , "I quite undei stand voin feelings I folt just that way when our pig took the gold medal at the cattle-show'" * • * Singular thing that Lady Ward should be chosen to lav the foundationstone of a newspaper office, and Sir Joseph to lay the stone for a new Presbyterian church. Whule passing through Hamilton on her return from Rotorua to Auckland last week, Lady Ward declared to be "well and truly laid" the foundation of a new building for the "Waikato Times." Looks like a reversal of the order A Home society paper tells of a bill han "At Home" at which a pianist of world-wide reputation was asked to perform. When he had finished the hostess's young daughter was made to sit down and play her new piece "Now tell me. Herr ," said the fussy mother to the great artist, "what do you think of mv daughter's execution?" "Madam," he replied deliberately "I think it would be a capital idea."^ When Madame Clara Butt was_ in Christchurch recently. Miss C. Livingstone a local singer, sang before her, and Madame was sp favourably impressed with Miss Livingstone's voice that she advised her to go to the Old Country or the Continent for further musical training Miss Livingstone intends to exnlore the Old World accordingly, and she's going to do it in double quick time, too, for she leaves the Dominion m about three weeks time.