WELLINGTON CHILDRENS EVENINGS,

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1747, 30 August 1905, Page 25

WELLINGTON CHILDRENS EVENINGS,

(Contributed.)

To the imaginative child, Fairyland —in fancy dress —has lifted its enchanting portals during the past few weeks, and many an excited and delighted little mortal has been permitted to step in and take part in the revels. It is not quite the nursery book country of Hans Andersen, but a modern and progressive fairyland, that has departed from its oldfashioned and rather chilly habit of dancing by moonlight in dewy dells. Its little folk make merry nowadays in brilliantly lit flower-scented rooms, they prefer sandwiches and trifle to a rose-leaf-wafer diet, while a wonderful medley of colours and costumes adorn their ranks. In these magical fairy peepshows we have had presented to us lately, tiny sprites disport themselves with fantastic courtiers or rollicking Jack Tars, while elves, cricketers, flowergirls, and fisher-boys, Romeos, Juliets, and Pierrettes all frolic gloriously together. I heard of one somewhat substantial little maiden in gossamer and wings who was exhibiting Her gauzy charms to a sceptical small brother. “See me,” she said, proudly, “Pm a fairy. Ain’t I bea-u-tiful ?” The small brother snorted contemptuously, in the way brothers do, “Pooh!” he said, “I don’t see how you can be a fairy! You’re too* fat!”. “ ’Course you don’t see,” retorted the damsel, gravely, “naughty children never see fairies. Pm ’inwisible’ to you!”

At Mrs Seaton’s pleasant little fancy dress dance on Wednesday night, the occasion being her daughter's birthday, the young people had a festive time. Violin music, the most delightful l in the world for spx*ingy polkas and mazourkas, was played by Miss Ronayne, and the swing of the fiddle seemed to get into the children’s toes, so blithtely did they skip around the room. At the dainty supper which followed, Miss Ronayne secured the ring from the birthday cake, and it was admitted by every one to be a well earned reward. Amongst the children present were: —Miss Mary Seaton, powder and patches; Master Seaton, Eton schoolboy; Master J. Seaton, Clown; Miss Kathleen King, Pierrette; Miss Una King made a perfectly ideal little Juliet; Miss Margery King, a Vivandipre ; Miss Jamieson,. Holly ; Master Jamieson, Cricketer; Miss Bothamley. Maritana: Miss Betty Botliam-

ley, a Kate Greenaway costume; Mia Margaret Knox, Newhaven fisher-girl; Miss Maisie Gray, Red Cross Nurse; Miss Jessie Russell looked handsome as Monsieur Reaucaire; Miss Nita Russell, Mary and Her Little Lamb ; Master Guy Lucas, Cricketer; Master Smith. Neapolitan Fisher-boy, etc., etc. At the Masonic Hall on Friday evening Miss Dorothy Harbroe entertained about 120 children at a juvenile fancy dress ball. P Vet tv children of various sizes filled the hall, arrayed as fairies, gipsies, Pierrots, butterflies, naval officers, clowns, Japanese, and other characters too numerous to mention. The guests were received by Mrs Harbroe and her three daughters as they entered tho ballroom. Miss Dorothy Harbroe looked very nice as Little Bo Peep. Amongst the guests in fancy costume were iViiss Gladys Fauike, Old English Lady; Miss K. Doughty, Gipsy; Missesi Chappie (3) Folly, Ping Pong, and Geisha respectively; Master Harold Myers as Romeo, who with wig and sword complete locked very well; Masters Mill ward and D. Smith as Clowns; IViiss Ber Kernot, Pink Butterfly; Miss D. Hamer, Irish Washer Lady; little Miss Clayton, as a Housemaid was deiigntiuiiy quaint; Master lan Findlay, Bnepherd; Master L. iSouter, Pierrot, his brother a Naval officer; Misses K. and E. Smith as Milk Maid and Little Miss Muffit respectively; Rita Lane, Irish Colleen, her sister as a Sunflower Misses McEwan (3), Sweet Peas; Master H. Gilmer, Sailor Boy; Miss Lorna Moline, Cinderella; Master R. Muir, Blue Butterfly, and his tiny sister as a Fairy; Miss Joan Kendall, Japanese Lady, and her sister as a Fairy; Miss Gretchen Alio, French Clown ; little Miss Molly Hanlon, Blue Fairy; Master A. Millward, Baker; Miss Nonie Tabuteau, Juliet; L. Baskeville, French Milliner; Misses F. Souter and Madge Lyon, 17 Century Ladies; Rene Pearson, Baby; Miss Jessie Wright, Neapolitan Girl; Miss D. Levi, French Peasant; and numerous Amongst those in evening dress were : —Misses H. Anderson, T. Carroll, Q. White, Rita Roach, M. Sievwright Meadowcroft (2), R. Palmer, Shirtoliffe (2), Masters Ritchie, Wilberfoss, Fauike, Lloyd,' Clayton, Kendall. Twice during the evening all the children present took part in a Grand March, which was a very pleasant spectacle. Between the intervals some pretty fancy dances were nicely performed by the Misses Dorothy Hamer, Kathleen Muir, Lorna Donne, Nonie Tabuteau, Madge Lyon, R. Lane, and Master Phil Muir. The supper room was gaily decorated with lycopodium and spring flowers.