WELLINGTON TABLE TALK

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1536, 7 August 1901, Page 19

WELLINGTON TABLE TALK

(By ERIE.)

Measles as a disease is no respecter ♦f persons. It is carrying Radicalism to its logical conclusion for high and low to suffer alike. All the same it is extremely inconvenient for this trouble to have chosen the height of the Session to attack the Postmaster-General, Sir Joseph Ward-. Moral: Get over all the juvenile ailments if possible before the age of discretion, otherwise they are sure to tome in the way of important work. Fortunately, Sir Joseph’s is a mild kind of measles, and we hope they will pass without serious inconvenience. Both scarlet fever and measles are unwelcome visitors that came to us just after the Duke and Duch°ss left.

All ordinary topics of conversation / are having a rest, and the Musgrove Opera Company are having the whole attention of the Wellington public. Coming so soon after a big bazaar that has emptied out all cur pockets, it is a problem how we are to finance the opera' tickets. No mere woman can be expected to miss such bliss as “II Tro* vatore,” “Tannhauser” or “.Lohengrin’' will give us, when performed by this company of artists.

* The knotty question of “ways and means” is as anxiously discussed in the family circle, as the same subject is, “in another place.” It is said that the Belgravia of Wellington has emerged from the difficulty by agreeing to patronise the cheaper seats of the Family Circle. It will be distinctly comforting when one is enduring the upright backs (guiltless of any padding) and the foreshortened figures on the stage disappoint one, to realise that we are suffering in wealthy and aristocratic company.

At all events it will be a good situation for hearing if not seeing, Every• one is carefully saving their pennies for the Family Circle. What a good time the reckless ones will have in the Dress Circle. They should have plenty of room.

The wardrobes of the ladies of the company ar e variously estimated at very big figures. There seems no doubt, however, that the soberest truth allows that they are rich and artistic beyond anything we have had here. One lovely cloak worn in “Tannhauser” is said to have cost eighty guineas. Our country cousins may expect a real feast of tantalus when we relate all the glories of song and dresja which we shall describe for their benefit hereafter.

On Wednesday afternoon Mrs Stott gawjan “At Home” with a novel variation. Each guest was bidden to arrive with some curio or antique. These were balloted fi-or. and each person voted for the article they thought most deserved the prize.

Mrs Fitchett won the first prize (a jrery handsome silver topped bottle) with_ a needlebook made by Napoleon’s mother, the beautiful patrician lady Eetzia Ramolino.

Mrs Gilruth won th© second prize- (a pretty photo frame) with a very remarkable Kaffir musical instrument.

' It was an occasion when all manner of relics were produced, and it was a . most interesting way of spending an afternoon in examining them and hearing their histories. It became such a ▼enial sin as to be merely an amiable - weakness when one coveted some- of the beautiful old jewellery or lace. Some old seals, whose age “no fellah can tell," and a real “black letter*’ book, and a bit or two of choice china, all came into the

Commandment-breaking category

Under such provocation, we venture to Slope that “extenuating circumstances”

Mrs Stott wore a merv skirt and pretty black and white silk blouse with cerise velvet bands. **.**• The tea was a farewell to Mrs Greenwood, whose beautiful singing has given so much pleasure during her visit in Wellington. Th e tea table was fragrant with bowls of violets set on amber satin. * * * * » We are speculating how long it will be before the sterner, sex will find- out how much pains and care this season’s hostesses are at to provide no end of scrumptious goodies for their teas. Now we have let the cat out of the bag, we predict that quite casually and inadvertently we shall have a fair sprinkling of the lords of creation trickling in on these occasions which have hit herto been held in supreme contempt. One loves to find the superior sex have some weaknesses. * * * * *

Mrs Greenwood, Mrs Fitchett, Mrs Findlay and Mrs Quick played and sang at Mrs Stotts’ tea. Amongst / those present were Mrs O’Connor, Mrs A. Buchanan, Mrs Stafford, Mrs Ewing, Mrs T. Young, Miss Coates, Miss Williams and others. ,

Miss Nathan had a very pleasant girls’ afternoon tea on Thursday, and ping pong was played with great energy..

The Wellington College Footbail Club have issued invitations for a dance on August 6th on the occasion of the match with the Wanganui College team.

The Garrison Ball is to be held in the Sydney street room on August 20th. In consequence of the limited room, the invitations will have to be restricted this year, which is a pity, for it is one of the prettiest balls of the season when our officers bloom forth in tlieir most effective uniforms.

All the keen housewives of our city have their ideas restricted to one subject just now, and that is—Sales! If they arrive at any pronounced barg tins, how thoroughly they have earned them. To be nearly carried off your fe3t by the pushing throng, and landed in a perfect chaos of drapery, is a bewa lining experience, and one feels too feeble to exercise much sapience or ’ strength of mind, and it’s only by a fluke, or the extraordinary generosity of the salesman, if any bargains come our way. let this attendance of clearing sales is a favourite form of dissipation.

Mrs Sprott had a very bright, nice little telephone dance at the Vicarage, Bolton street, on Tuesday evening. This fashion of inviting by telephone has much to recommend it, as it saves sending or answering invitations by post. The rooms were all very nicely decorated and looked very pretty. Dancing was in the drawing and dining rooms, which have folding doors between them. A verv nice supper was served in the breakfast room.

j * * * • * Mrs Sprott received her guests in the library, and dancing was quickly : begun to the strains of King’s Band. ' Mr Coleridge had painted some exquisite programmes, which wer e fastened to the wall of®each room. Some very attractive Japanese ladies under bright umbrellas were the ornaments of these artistic programmes, with a deep Egyptian border in black and gold.

The hostess wore a handsome black dress with fichu of cream lace.

Miss Sprott had a pretty white'dress trimmed with laoe.

Miss Barron wore a bright pink dress. Miss Ella Barron had a very pretty white dress with ohiffon over skirt. The bodice trimmed with chiffon and bunches of cherries.

Miss A. Brandon wore a black satin dress handsomely trimmed with jet and pink ros*s.

Miss Beetham (Brancepeth) had a pale green satin gown with chiffon frills. Miss Higginson had a pretty black net dress. Miss Una Williams wore a black dress with bunches of violets, i Miss Kathleen had a beautiful white tucked silk dress. Miss Una Fitzgerald wore a soft white silk dress. I Miss Fitzherbert wore a pale blue silk.

Mr and Miss Harcourt had a very pleasant dance on Wednesday evening at their , residence, Hawkestone street. Minifie’s Band was stationed in a small marquee outside the long room where the dancing was. The ballroom was nicely decorated with wattle and spring

Miss Harcourt received in a handsome gown of blue brocaded silk trimmed with cream lace. | Miss A. Brandon wore a black satin dress with lovely pink roses on the bodice. |

Miss E. Richmond wore a beautiful grey dress brocaded with roses, and a large bow of turquoise velvet on one shoulder.

Miss Douglas hadi a very becoming pale blue silk dress with yoke and sleeves q£ cream lace. Miss Alice Johnston wore a ’ Pompadour satin with rose buds.

Miss Stowe had a very pretty black gown.

Mrs Brown (Professor) wore a handsome satin dress.

Miss F. Brandon had a lovely gown of amber satin*

Miss Harding wore a stylish white crepe dress. Miss Fraser had a white dress trimmed with pink roses. Miss Burnett (Hutt) wore a tea rose pink silk, trimmed with lovely embroidered chiffon frills.

Miss Fitzherbert had a pretty white dress. Miss Fitzherbert wore a pale blue silk gown. , Miss Coleridge had a soft white silk dr&ss. Miss Ida Coleridge wore a pale blue dress trimmed with velvet. Misses Hislop had extremely pretty white dresses.

Amongst the gentlemen present were Captain liolleston, of H.M.£>. Archer, and Captain Hughes, D.S.O.

Since it has proved such a pronounced success in every respect the Bazaar Cookery Book will, we hope, be followed by others. It was a very bold enter-* praise, and the spirited editress is to be congratulated upon her success. Ov e r £4O clear profit is a large sum for one venture to realise.

•* * •» * * The Home for Incurables is such a dire need here, that we hope the Hospital Trustees will hurry up and get it habitable as quickly as possible. The Rev. Mother Mary Aubert has enlarged her borders to the utmost for the pre> sent, and has a number of homeless sick people whose wants she lovingly ministers to. Yet there are still many others who would be so thankful for a home where they could patiently wait for the end to come. We only hope no lawyer will find out that there is some technical objection to the trustees building the Home at once. One has a horror of legal technicalities; they always spell indefinite delays.

It takes more than an influenza cold to subdue cur Premier. Though he had been in bed for several days, really very ill with his cold, he was in his place in the House on Tuesday, and remarkably alive and brisk too.

To the Gallery the ' Unearned Increment’’ lias always been a bit of a “jßoojum.” Great was our joy when Jtion. Captain Russell_ said in his place one evening he always considered it a Wiii o’-the-Wisp. Small wonder that we have had to own up to our ignorance when Sir George Grey’s favourite phrase oame up for discussion. “Unearned Increment” sounds as if it ought to be something nice and. good, but none of the wise women of the Gallery have ever been lucid about it. Now we have the high authority of our much-esi-teemed Captain for thinking it is chiefly name and not much besides, and not worth worrying over.

! Th e Member for Waihenio is a bit of a nut to crack. We all tided hard to find out what he was driving at one evening. Both his and Mr Allen’s eloquence, doubtless, had a most useful point, but if it was not in the nature of a "stonewall” we could not make out what it was. A disrespectful girl inquired if the next speaker would repeat j the jingle of ‘What, no soap ? So she j very imprudently married the barber.” The “ways that are dark” are not con* , fined to- the Heathen Chinee, and some of the ends and aims of the hon. members are what no Gallery can find out. ■! We are often distinctly annoyed. ! *• * * * * ] We imagined all the details of expenditure of the Royal visit were to be I brought down on Friday evening, and something equally thrilling, else why was our Gallery so overcrowded ? It , was a dismal drop to Government Ad-* { vances to Settlers, and there was a very cross and disappointed Gallery. Even the amusement of watching the wicked- , est piece of fancy work being labourI iouslv perpetrated was no salve to our vexation.

Miss Violet Mount, so well and favourably known in Wellington, is making progress in social circles in Auckland. At an “At Home” she gave in the Y.M.C.A. Lecture Hall she entertained some hundreds of women folks and just a sprinkling of men. Miss Mount sang three or four times and greatly pleased her audience, especially in her second song, “The Swallows.” She looked very nice, wearing a violet cloth costume and violet-trimmed hat, and was presented by an admirer with an exquisite bunch of her namesake flow.

and Messrs J. M. Clark and Wilfrid Manning. A correspondent, writing of the occasion, says that Mr Clark, who belongs to Wellington, gave some recitations which were new to the northern city, where they “badly want something new and unhackneyed in the reciting line. , However musical people are, recitations, if good, are more appreciated than the music.”