SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18942, 13 February 1925, Page 14

SOCIAL NEWS.

Dr. and Mrs. Thacker, Christehurch are leaving on Saturday for a visit tc Auckland. Mrs. Claude Sawtell left for the Nort.l on Monday night, to spend a fortnight ii Auckland and itotorua. Mrs. Bertram Noakes and family, whc have been spending the holidays at Weymouth, have returned to town. Mrs. T. Devine, who has been in Auckland fat 1 the last year, has returned tc Wellington, where she will in future re side. Miss Enid Give, Auckland, is the guesl of her aunt, Mrs. Poekley, Widest own Wellington, while her mother, Mrs. Clive is visiting Sydney. Mrs. C. E. Bioomhnll, Mrs. K. A. Hoys pool, of Seaview Road, Remuera, and Mis; Kitty Mayson, Herne Bay, are leaving bj the Maheno, en route to England and th« Continent, via Suez. An interesting personality died at Mel bourne recently in the person of Mrs. Jeai Farquharson Carlton, who was within £ fortnight" of her 93rd birthday. Sirs, Farquharson was a cousin of Sir J. M. T* irrie/ the well-known writer, and latelj she received from him a characteristic letter in reply to one she sent, congratulating him on his appointment to tin rectorship •of St. Andrew's University, Mrs. Farquharson also traced her descent from the Durward family, famed by Sii Walter Scott. Queen Alexandra sent a message to tin annual meeting, at St. James' Palace ir December, of the Queen's Fund in con nection with Queen Victoria's Jubilee Institute for Nurses. Her Majesty ex pressed her continued interest and sym pathy .m the great work the institute i; carrying on, and hoped that efforts tc increase the funds would be successful The Duke of Portland said they had stil a deficit of £4OOO, find he hoped that th< present appeal would have a generous res ponse from the public. A curious difficulty has arisen regarding the disposal of the Lady Astor painting which still hangs enshrouded in the Hous< of Commons, writes a London correspon dent. Lord Astor stated that as the pic tare had been accepted by a previous First Commissioner of Works he could no take any action. The new Commissions of Works holds frhat he has no authority to dispose of it. Applications for thes pic tui-e have come from America and Ply mouth—Lady Astor's constituency in Par h'ament. The expectation is that it wil ultimately be presented to the Plymoutl Art Gallery. A London correspondent writes: Tin latest musical instrument is quite easy to play. It is the banjuke, a mixture between a banjo and a ukulele, and it can be easily learnt in a fortnight. Mr. Clifford Essex, of band fame, was the first to introduce banjukes into this country. Some people have managed tc learn without being taught. The Prince of Wales is among them. He heard oi the instrument, bought , one, and is now quite a good performer, although he intends having some lessons. So delighted was the Prince with the instrument 0 that ho ordered no fewer than four banjukes to give away to his friends. The Duke and Duchess of York both got one as a last-minute present before they set out for Africa. There are extremes in dog fashions as there are in feminine clothes. Just now the ultra smart dog in Paris is wearing a, coat, which matches the coat of his mistress in both material and trimming, says an exchange. Some coats are oi pla>d kasha which would make a Scotsman faint, and these are often fur-trimmed Plain cloth or velvet coats show em broidered devices of Mah Jongg pieces oi Eastern hieroglyphics. Dog collars arc jewelled or embroidered, while the most up-to-daie pet dogs carry their mascot on their collars. Little Buddha mascots are particularly popular. Handkerchiefs oi fine embroidered linen or lace, carefully perfumed, are provided for some pet dogs. To come down to earth, or rather to the pet dog, who does not go to fashion extremes, woollen " juniper coats " are finding great favour. A great many women now are buying these winter woolly pullovers for their small canine friends. Woman's latest plaything is the grotesque doll. The uglier a specimen is the higher its price. These' miniature monstrosities are now displayed in the showrooms of all the smartest drossmakers. In fact, there are often more dolls than dresses on show. The elaborate and expensive clothes they wear are more than balanced by their frightful expressions and hideous mops of " knitting silk " hair. It it no new thing for women to play with dolls, and. even men have been known to indulge in this somewhat childish hobby. In the sixteenth century the Emperor of Mexico—Montezuma—and* his Court possessed a large number of exquisitely made dolls. Among savage tribes many of the women carry dolls, while unmarried women of the Bechuanas take them everywhere as a sign that they are on the look-out for a husband. What the hitherto-pampered and highly-favoured Fido thinks .of this new fashion we do not know, but it is to ba suspected that he does not approve