TEA TABLE TOPICS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1197, 8 February 1895, Page 13

TEA TABLE TOPICS.

Wellington, February 4. I went to see “ The New Boy " the other night, and was very well amused all the time, and so sorry for the poor little new boy. I wonder if anyone else noticed the most expressive feature on “ Freddy or Archibald’s " face —his eyebrows ! He lias a way of wrinkling them up into piteous little puckers that is most fetching and effective.

Miss Edith Houseley’s two dresses were very well worth noting by any mother who has girls of fifteen or sixteen to dress. The first was a soft pink Indian muslin gown, made very simply with a full bodice on a tight-fitting lining, large soft-falling sleeeves, full plain skirt, and sash of the same muslin. Her white muslin dress was made in the same style, and had a deep collarette frill of fluted yellow silk with a pretty lace edge, and a yellow sash to match. The tight-fitting lining kept the dresses from looking “ baggy," and the soft folds of muslin were most becoming to an angular girlish figure. Miss J. Watt-Tanner in the same piece appeared in a remarkably tasteful grey cashmere gown, with a Byron collar, narrow V-shaped plastron, and full sleeves of olive green velvet. The sleeves were made in the new way, with an upper and under piece, the upper part gathered at the elbow to look like a double sleeve, and the under part plain; this is a refreshing change from the everlasting “ leg-of-mutton."

Mrs Ross’ euchre party at Tnverlochy on Thursday night was very jolly and successful. There were two innovations which met with my approval very much, the “ spot "cards, instead of being fastened on with knots of “ baby" ribbon,had wide cut across the top and bottom of the cards and a broad satin ribbon fringed at both ends was slipped through, and was most satisfactorily easy to pin on. The other new idea was to have first and second prizes, instead of the usual first and “ booby " prizes. This prevented any one being able to play for the booby prize, that is to lose games on purpose, possibly to the vexation of an unlucky partner who may have been pleasantly near the first prize. This, lam sorry to say, has often happened to my knowledge. I hope other hostesses will follow Mi’s Ross’ innovations, as it was a great success, and gave an extra interest to the games all the evening.

Mrs Ross received in a handsome crimson and black brocade gown, trained, and made with a deep basque to the bodice, and trimmed with lace and jet. Miss Ross looked very nice in a black velvet gown, with a silk zouave embroidered with gold and jet, with jet medallions and chains ornamenting the front. Miss Ethel Ross had a very pretty heliotrope silk and chiffon blouse, and a black velvet skirt. Miss Lloyd Williams wore a becoming black velvet dress, trimmed with cream lace, her sisters looked well, one in pale green liberty silk, and the other in white silk and lace. Miss P. Campbell looked pretty in a pink satin evening blouse, trimmed with green embroidered chiffon, and a black crepon skirt, and her sister wore grey cashmere trimmed with grey silk embroidered with steel, Miss Holmes wore a soft pink nun’s veiling dress with ribbons to match. Miss N. Rose, a pretty white silk gown with yellow natural flowers. Miss B. Gibson, handsome pink silk, trimmed with white lace and pink beb6 ribbon.

There were two Australian young ladies present, the Misses MacGilivray, who wore very pretty, stylish cream gowns, trimmed with lace and silver braid. Miss Luclcie looked well in a pretty cream silk gown, made high and with long sleeves, and handsomely trimmed with cream lace; Miss Seed wore black silk and net, and Miss Toxward black velvet, and her sister white silk and chiffon. There were many other pretty gowns, but it was a large party—there were eleven tables and I am afraid I was more interested in euchre than in gowns.

The prizes were exceedingly nice, the ladies’ first was a pretty standard work basket lined with pale blue, Miss Peggy Campbell was the lucky winner, and her sister was fortunate enough to gain the second prize, a long-shaped Russian leather purse. The men’s first prize was a hand-

some cigarette case, won by Mr J. Holmes, the second, an amber cigarette holder, was won by Mr Coates. A very pleasant evening was finished up by some music, songs being sung by Miss Ross, Miss E. Williams, Mr W. Reid, and Mr Hay.

I noticed the other day in an English paper some remarks on colour-blindness and other defects of sight. It certainly is a remarkable thing how differently colours appear to different people, not only colours of dresses, etc., but of eyes, and hair and complexion. The writer in the pare? I mention said she had seen the Czar Nicholas quite closely and he appeared to her to be a pale young man with a dark brown beard and hair—a blas£ likeness of the Duke of York —and she read with surprise that another person on the same occasion described him as ruddy, and with a golden-brown beard ! This suggests a good game for an evening party ; let each person try to describe some public man or some person well known to all present, and the different impressions gathered by each person would be found very amusing.

I have often thought that the only way of accounting for some people’s extraordinary taste in dress is that they must be unconsciously colour-blind; for instance, some little time ago I saw a lady with a bright mauve silk gown with apple-green ribbons. lam sure those colours could not have appeared to her as they did to me, or she would ha r ve felt quite ill —I did 1

Those who were fortunate enough to make acquaintance with Miss Shaw when she was in New Zealand will be pleased to hear of her success in lecturing at the Colonial Institute lately. It is said that she held a distinguished and highly critical audience spellbound by her eloquence and power of marshalling facts and figures of the most practical character, binding them together with the golden thread of a vivid and cultured imagination. Her theme was Colonial expansion, and the relations of the colonies with each other and with the Mother Country. Brilliant, stirring, and above all “ statesmanlike ” in the best sense of the term, Miss Shaw’s paper naturally excited the admiration of some of the most competent critics.

If political economy were only consistently taught by teachers of M’ss Shaw’s capacity it would soon emerge from the status of a poor <f dismal ” science to that of a study of most absorbing interest. I think that it would ba wiser of the women of New Zealand if they were to wait till they are a little better educated in political economy before trying to start and “ run " a newspaper entirely alone. Of course, we cannot expect to be Miss Shaws, —any of us—yet, she is a product of the education and opportunities of the Old Country that we shall not rival for some time, and I think an experienced journalist as well as a clever master (mistress ?) mind is necessary to make a success of a newspaper, and I shall be very sorry if the first woman’s journal in New Zealand is a failure—but I shall not be surprised, as I think it is begun too soon, we are not ready for it in any way yet. Wo are certainly advancing. 1 heard to-day of ten Wellington girls who are “ bachelorism" " in a cottage at Porirua, and having no end of a good time, bathing and basking in sunshine all day long. I think the plan of a number taking a cot tage togother is a very good one, then the expense does not fall heavily on any one, and the holiday is much more enjoyable i for that consideration. In the winter I ' heard of some girls who went to Sydney ' in the same way, they all went to (he I same lodging house, and were taken in cheaply as there were so many, and made expeditions in all directions, and had a “ real good time " together, though they did not know anyone at all in Sydney to start with. I believe they made many friends during their stay and had several invitations for visits before they returned. I should think that in this way many girls with small means might travel about, and enlarge their minds, now that the spectacle of girls travelling alone is so usual.

I hope to hear of some girls adopting the “ Island" scheme of the Bishop of Melanesia which I spoke of last week. I am sure they would find many willing “ islanders/' including lone.

Visiting cards tastefully printed at 5s per hundred, post free, at the New Zealand Mail office.