FATE OF A PARTY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21165, 23 April 1932, Page 3 (Supplement)

FATE OF A PARTY.

BANNED AT OXFORD. PROMOTER TELLS THE STORY. A wealthy American art student, who landed in England last September, fresh from his studies in Newhaven, Connecticut, with the intention of continuing them at Oxford, was the man mainly responsible for arranging the under-gradu-ate party which was prohibited by the university authorities an hour before it was to start. The student is Mr. Francis Fay HallSmith. Three undergraduates, Mr. Edward Scott-Snell, Mr. Lan Greenlees, and Mr. Archibald Colquhoun, joined him in issuing invitations to a selected number of people to attend in the dress of the Court of George 111. Why did the proctors stop the party ? Here is Mr. Hill-Smith's story :— M I gave many parties in America while I was studying there. This was to be my first party in Oxford, and it was my idea to make it ' different.' It was not to be a ' petting ' party; I simply thought a little fancy dress would prove diverting. It is not the men were to wear women's clothes. " I had ordered a reasonable quantity of champagne, claret, and burgundy, and invited a good crowd of other students, together with friends from _ London, among whom were several distinguished people. . , . . "On the morning of the day of the party I heard that there were many more guests than I had invited, but I shrugged my shoulders: it is apparently fashionable to ' gate-crash.' I heard also that there were woment coming, but x invited no women. " Suddenly, while some of the gnests were actually leaving London, the proctors cancelled the arrangements without » word of explanation to me —and there has been no explanation since " Telegrams were sent everywhere immediately, and many guests were stopped. But many arrived, and they, together with a few undergraduates who came m spite of the proctors, enjoyed themselves at a party I gave at my house afterwards. I shall never give a party again if this is what happens."