Sossip from Sydney.

Free Lance, Volume XVI, Issue 871, 16 March 1917, Page 5

Sossip from Sydney.

SteAs Ohbistabbi<. : — TSrOTJR New Zealand Soldiers' Recep- ■*-.' tion Society here is doing a useful work in a - quiet unostentatious- way. There are no social frills or society headlines amongst the women who welcome the coming and speed the parting . guest in khaki. Quite lately some New -Zealand Reinforcements., Lieut. Chambers in command, were entertained by the Reception Society, which now numbers about 200 members. 4J a •»'■.-.' O " • Amidst the general squabbling amongst the Ins and Outs in politics, Liberal ladies are nobly enfolding in a maternal embrace Labour ladies, whose husbands, like the brilliant leader, Mr. Holman, are going to the. poll as the New South Wales National Party. Our great little Federal Prime Minis- . -ter Hughes is probably as sorry as every .other' loyal Australian '. that he didn't bring in conscription—or try he returned from England. The difficulties with the Labour unions, threatening: to. down tools if he did so, could hardly have been worse than our "Billy's" present hornets' nest in the Federal Parliament. ';* .;"*-'■■ * *■-■..' s Mean spirits are going. to stick at nothing, including much mud-slinging, in.the hope of keeping-our chief statesman from uplifting his magnetic oratory at the Imperial Conference. Australia is the first country. i.h the world, 'put to- the severe test 6f conscripting itself by a referendum. The compara- * tively small majority of anti-votes is our one comfort in this tras|s mistake. The hornets mean to kee|pf the conscription sting in their tails, and ; that is going to be the danger ssone of tb« • Hughes party. Yet the little man's recent speech in Sydney Town Hall was received with such rapturous acclamation that a few feeble marplots were hopeless aB a bob-hod element. . , One of Nelson's (New Zealand) pioneers, Mr. M. M. Webster, has been in England for some months. He is the "working" guest of a daughter, Mrs. Anderson, of "The Hermitage,?' in Sussex, for, he says, "I am a kind of assistant rouse-about on this, small

farm, doing my bit in these strenuous times in producing necessary food." You don't catch the sturdy pioneer type sitting down in idleness, gobbling up Mother England's larder and giving nothing in return! ". i .•*■.■*■■*• ■» Returning to the temporary union between the Holmanites and the more progressive Liberal ladies, a Sydney stronghold of,the latter will now welcome the ex-enemy within its premises. This is the Queen Victoria Club. Greatly to. their credit, members will even .pour"out tea for former bury the political hatchet under their best upholstery. The National Party is the only party t-liat counts in war time. - but — —?\.:: There is the bitter section of Labour women, headed by their caustic leader Mrs. Kate Dwyer. She is the Trades Hall's most vehement anti, on everything of. vital moment to the Empire in its agonised struggle to keep British subjects free men and ' women. These parish-pump, political shriekers want the scalp of Holman (if they can get it) and will add the head piece of Hughes if the Pates help them. Therefore, they still see the devil's horns under the tulle bonnets- of Queen Victoria Club ladies. And they will fight to the last gibe-and-muddy-ditch —the women of the National Party. ■' * . * ■» *■•-■ We-are all politicians (of- sorts) just now. -Our State elections happen the end of this month. The Nationalists have taken as their colours the Red, White, and Blue, behind which Britain fights to a finish. The prophet is, not born who can tell what the fateful poll day may bring. If the P.L.L. win— then—goodbye to Mr. Holman's. amalgamated blend of Lib-Lab. patriotism. Several of our nursing army have recently been awarded the first-class Royal Red Cross. Of those on home duty here are Miss Veenman, matron of Randwiek Military Hospital; Miss Maud RusselH in charge of our Garrison Hospital, Randwiek; and Miss Richardson, matron-in-chief 'at the headquarters in Melbourne. The latter saw active service abroad in the early days of the war, when nurses often worked 18 and 20 hours out of 24.

Here is a mention of an interesting silver %vedding. On March 2, 1892 (Sydney) by the Rev. Dr. Steel, Robert, eldest son of James T. Reyburn, shipping agent; Whangarei, New Zealand, to Agnes, 'fifth daughter of Gifford Duncan Georgeson, formerly shipmaster at Lerwick, Shetland Isles". This union of the clans is worth a mention, if only for the memory of the late Dr. Steel, one of the most notable Presbyterian divines who ever preached the Word, in this city. A local sweets factory/ Stedman's, gave a practical deomnstration of its interest in the Red Cross. The proprietor gave the use of his premises and machinery, and his employees supplied the labour, gratis, on a Saturday after- • noon. Two tons of boiled, lollies go to the front, with the Red Cross label, as a result. ■ » «■ » v Sydney is mildly curious—when it isn't thinking about the "war and the elections-— as to whether that perennial agitator, Adela-'Pankhurst, will again wave her arms on any Sydney platform. She lives by the game of politics, and our coming elections may tempt her to try her luck as a general mischief maker. Perth has recently given her such stiff doses of the-National Anthem, that, the lady may look for a new. address, forthwith. Heaven grant it ..maynot be ".'this "metropolis. Even the most, exasperated loyalist does not wish to ' seeAdela get the "doing" an angry New ' South Wales audience can give an agi- ; tat or When its blood is up. Besides, we do not wish to make this perambulating nuisance a niartyr., One of Sydney's expert' spinners, Miss Nancy Chisholm, is now lecturing and demonstrating . in Adelaide for .tied Cross purposes. She uses; generally speaking, the business-like,, if unlovely, machine invented by.Sir Gerald Strict/ land. It turns out the spun wool'more quickly than the picturesque Norwegian or Flemish spinning' wheel. But it is a very plain statement in machinery, and looks like a small sewing machine, minus the top. •'■*'' »..■■"».. © , The , Players' Club, with Mrs. Plogsted as hon. organiser, are completing a five nights', uroduction of "Mrs. Dane's Defence" in aid of various comforts'. funds. Probably £350,' or more, will be the glad tidings when the cash is counted. This is quite good for an amateur ■show in our little Repertory Theatre. Mrs. Plogsted is an American lady now resident here. She dressed the part of the tearful heroine, in sumptuous frocks. Her boots, long white New York species, were miracles of footgear, that fitted like the perfect kid gloves'. A sea green dress,.'made in New York, was edged, .with white fur. The quaint semi-bolero bodice had a flat fur collar, and opened in deep Y in front. These new coats fit much more, tightly ; than their predecessors. In • front they just touch the waist, then skip round, to the hack, and lie flat against the figure, '£$. 9 9 '. {£' The chemise frock, a bold, unblushing title bestowed on the newest autumn models, has, as yet, only been seen here on mannequins..! As they are the tall, or at least, the slim fashionplate figures, the; effect is sufficiently graceful. But they threaten to outdo any other absurdity, if > materfamilias with a generous' roundabout plumpness gets a fancy for them. _ - 'flj ■ ' _• - © 9 . ' Made as the name implies in one piece, they are cut so\ as to fall in very full flared lines. Usually the hem has a broad band of fur or velvet.. A silk girdle loosely knotted on. one side gives a hint of a waist line. , -»•»'■» »' With evening gowns made in chemise style (what's in a name, anyhow, since the very hoardings advertise our underwear in pictorial shrieks?) the girdle will be tulle, chiffon, or perhaps a silver rope. Beatrice wore the style of drapery, if artists are to be believed, when she charmed the melancholy

Dante. But his Beauteous Lady did not have her loose trailing garment cut short half-way up her legs,,' and— there's a world of difference an the weariri' o' the thing! It usually'fastens up the back, though one hears of chemise frocks that will just pull over the head like a new French nightgown. Though it suits a mannequin to > thus enter, head first, he* employer's latest Paris model, (if Paris nowadays has time for these freak ideas), Heaven . forbid that you or, I should thus juggle with our street attire. \,. ::: * * i '-•»'.':■■';■ ''• - Mr. H. E. Budden. our Comforts Fund Commissioner, has been welcomed ' home at various local meetings. When he got off the Melbourne express, Sydney's Lord Mayor and Aldermen were waiting in the Mayoral" Chamber of the Town Hall to surround him with speeches and fill him up with the usual glass of soda-water. At Killara, his ' own suburb, Mr. Budden had! to undergo similar courtesies on. the'evening of his arrival. He appears to have organised our Comforts Funds': distribution.' oh the other side, and will tell the Red Cross all about it in a, week ,■■'■■* .--"* ■ :■'.•. ■ :■' e At a recent wedding here,' two wellknown pastoral families were joined together by the Rev. Canon Bellingharn. . The bride was Miss Verlie Clift, a daughter of the late, Mr. W. GL 'Clift, of Breeza New South Wales. ' The lucky "man was "Mr.' Richard Tickers, of TJralla, another big pastoral cen-. tre. Instead of the usual pink blush to the bridal train, pale blue was the unexpected hint of colour. The exquisite .white satin gown was draped with ' Limerick lace, arid embroidered : with seed pearls. Another digression was the veil of Limerick lace' instead, of the more frequent tulle'or net. The bridesmaids, Miss Lilian Clift arid the Misses " Sylvia, and Myce Vickers, were, beauti- ""■'' fully frocked—the chief bridesmaid in cream tulle billowing over a satin slip. ■■ The other maidens wore all cream tulle also, with pink hats, and huge bunches : of pink roses. . Yours discursively.. -. '. ■ '■;■■■■ '. ■"•".:".-ifioKA.' 1 . \