PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22830, 14 March 1936, Page 22

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

Mr and Mrs A. Burt, jun., have taken up their residence on the West Coast.

Miss Isobel Reid was hostess at an enjoyable 5 o'clock party at her home, Roslyn, vesterday afternoon in honour of Miss Winifred Cox and Mr John Edmond. * * *

MiBS E. Kennard, of Milton, who, with Miss Scott, of Dunedin, has been spending a holiday in Wellington, has visited friends in Hawera and Wanganui, and has now left for Christchurch for a fewdays. t'f * *

An enjoyable time was spent in Wilson Hall at a kitchen evening given by Miss Dot Findlay in honour of Miss Marion Davis, a bride-elect. Miss Davis was the recipient of many varied and useful gifts. There were about 50 friends present, and the evening was spent in games,

During her annual leave Nurse Craigie (of the Dunstan Hospital), along with her mother, Mrs W. F. Craigie, of Ratanui, spent a pleasant holiday with her friends at Seacliff as the guests of Mr and Mrs Casserley. The latter part of her leave was spent with her parents and friends in the Catlins district.

Mrs M. Clegg, who has been spending the past three months with her mother, Mrs E. Harland, of George street, Port Chalmers, will leave on Wednesday by the express to join the Monowai at Wellington on her way to Sydney. Mrs Clegg intends spending some weeks with her daughter in Sydney and her son in Newcastle before returning to her home in Melbourne.

Mrs Ben Ellis cave an enjoyable garden party at her home, Fife street, yesterday afternoon, in honour of Mjss Barbara Stevenson. The other guests present were Mesdamee Harris, Evans, N. Ellis, Melville, J. Black, Lees, Gilmjin, Lavender, Fish, F. M. Brown, Benzoni and Coxhead, and Misses Neill. Couston, Stevenson, Mason, Stokes, Jones, Scott and Kirkland. , . * # *

Mrs J. Larking, Bcgg street, Musselburgh, gave a charming afternoon party on Wednesday in honour of Mrs P. Ireland, who is Bhortly leaving on an extended trip abroad. During the afternoon Mrs J. M'Millan, jun., on behalf of those present, presented Mrs Ireland with useful gifts and wished her a pleasant holidav and safe return. Others present were Mesdames T. M'Millan, Bradley, Sterling, M'lntosh, G. Goodwin, Boag, Flinders, de Castro, C. Gooch (Purakanui) and Tolmie.

On Wednesday evening an enjoyable time was spent at the Vedic Cafe, when a "kitchen" party was given to Miss Margaret M'Farlane, a March bride-elect. The hostesses were Misses Barnett, Kinaston, and Struthers. Those present were: Mesdames Shaw (Wellington), Steveley, Struthers, Rowan, Mason, James M Farlane, J. M'Farlane, Bruce, Shenken, Ferens, Thomson, and Jelfery; and Misses Kinaston, Struthers, Kilgour, Dodds, Bell, Allan, M'Adam, Clatworthy, Irvine, Sunderland, M'Peak, Regan, Kay (2), Murray. Seaton, Lazarus, Kernahan, M'Niven, McDonald, and Watson.

At the opening meeting for the year of the Otago Women Teachers' Association, held on Friday last, a welcome was given by the president, Mira Whitehead, to members of outside women's organisations who had met along with them to hear Miss E. Andrews, of New Plymouth, address them on "Women's Place in Civic Life." Miss Andrews showed very convincingly that, although home building was the most important work in the world, it was not the whole duty of women. There were outside privileges the taking advantage of which amounted to a duty too. A history of the occupations of men and women was traced from primajVal times, when there were no social obligations and food seeking was the role occupation depending for its success upon muscular power, to the present day, when the button, the switch and the lever had supplanted that power and unemployment was rife. In transport departments of State and spreading of knowledge new paths had opened before the feet of modern many but the prejudice that had been against woman s entering with him was proving hard to break down. Just as Florence Nightingale broke away from convention and .showed what women could do in the nursing world the present-day women wanted the unrestricted opportunity of showing what they were capable of in matters educational, legal, political and economical. Miss Andrews made a very strong plea that woman be allowed to develop all her talents, saying that as a child took its heritage from its parents no child could progress unless both parents progressed. For the promotion of world ceace Miss Andrews was confident that women, knowing the cost and history ot human flesh, had it within their power to influence mankind towards this muchdesired goal. Miss Harris passed a hearty vote of thanks to the speaker.

A wedding of considerable interest ia Eastern Southland was solemnised in the Presbyterian Church, Mafeaura, on faatuiday morning, February 29, by the Rev. Uavid M'Neur, with Mr Poland Baker at the organ. The contracting parties were Florence May. second daughter ot Mr and Mrs Joseph Smyth, of Terrace road, and John Dawson, elder son ot Mr and Mrs Thomas Mawdsley, of Brydone. The bride, who was escorted by her father, entered the church (which had been tastefully decorated by friends) «o the strains of the "Wedding March. She was attired in a model frock of Ma,garet Rose satin-backed rnoss crepe made on fitting lines, and having a cowled yoke of angel skin lace and buttons down the back. The long, full sleeves featured insets of the lace', and were gathered into a tight cuff at the wrist. She wore u picture hat of beige straw, with shoes and gloves to tone, and carried a sheaf of gladioli, lilies, and maidenhair fern. Her sister, Miss Elsie Smyth, who attended 'as bridesmaid, was daintily attired in a floral frock of ribbed georgette in pastel shades, with a cascading frill which fell from shoulder to hem, short, frilled sleeves, and a sash of brown velvet. Her picture hat was of brown bankok straw, and she wore elbow-length eilkmesh gloves, brown suede shoes, and carried a sheaf composed of seasonable flowers. The bridegroom was supported by his only brother, Mr Hugh Mawdsley, MA best nian. After the ceremony the guests, among whom were Mr and Mrs M'Corkindalc, sen., and Mrs Mawdsley, sen., grandparents of the bridegroom, adjourned to the Oddfellows' Hall to a, repast, a feature of which was the iced three-tiered wedding cake, made by the bridegroom's mother and Mrs W. M'Doriaid, an aunt of the bridegroom. The guests were received by Mr and Mrs Smyth, the latter being attired in a frock of black elephant crepe, with a black velour hat and fox necklet, and a shoulder spray of red carnations and maidenhair fern. They were assisted by Mr and Mrs Mawdsley; the latter wearing n brown tailored costume Willi a shell pink blouse and brown velour bat, with a shoulder spray of pink carnations and maidenhair fern! The Rev. Mr M'Neur presided. During the breakfast items were given by Miss Elsie Irwin, of Duneclin, "mi Mr W. Pfingle, of Ettrick. When the happv couple left for the north amidst showers of confetti and multi-eolonre'J sti-eamers, the bride was wearing a brown tailored costume, with a maize crepe blouse finished with faggotting. a brown velour hat, and brown skin shoes and gloves. Prior to their marriage the happy couple were guests of honour at several evening*. The bride was entertained by the residents of Terrace road, and presented with a dinner set and oak tea wagon, and at a "gift" evening in the Brydone Hall. The bridegroom was entertained by his men friends, and presented with a sum of money. Mr and Mrs J. D. Mawdsley will reside in Brydone.

Mrs H. Neil, who is motoring with her husband in North Auckland, spent a few days in Whangurei.

Miss Brewin, of the staff of the Northcote District High School, has accepted a position at the Otago University.

Mrs Hunter Weston and Miss Hunter Weston, Mrs T. Fergus and Mrs 11. Fulton will leave on Monday on a trip to the West Coast.

Immediate attention to Telephone appointments, free consultations, and unbiased expert advice have secured for the D.S.A. Beauty Parlours the popularity which they rightly deserve.—l4/3/SG. * .-:- * In the Trinity College theoretical examination held in Balclutha in December Margaret Flew obtained 97 marks in the higher local section (pianoforte) and Gwenyth Cross 97 marks in the junior local section (pianoforte).

Dr Ruth Sneddon left during the week for Nelson, where she will spend a few days with her brother, S. M. Sneddon, A.0.5.M., prior to her departure to America and England, where she will be engaged in research work.

The air pageant ball which is to be held in the Town Hall Concert Chamber this evening promises to make a delightful and fitting conclusion to the national air display. Numbers of people who intend seeing " White Horse Inn " are going on to the ball afterwards, and members of the " White Horse Inn " company will also attend when the theatre closes. The ball will be the first of the season, and it is hoped that a high standard fdr the coming months will be set by it.

There are never any "clothes complexes" in the nursery at 145 Piccadilly, for the Duchess "of York wisely sees that her two little daughters are always served precisely alike in the important questions of dress. They have the same colours and styles as often as possible, and one never gets anything new without her sister also being adorned. For these cold nights the Princesses have new white woolly dressing gowns embroidered with rabbits and. flowers in gay colours and identical white pyjama suits with silk laces instead of buttons for quick laundering. Their fluffy white bedroom slippers were knitted by "Aunty May," otherwise the Princess Royal, who haa done a lot of needlework while resting at her Yorkshire home since her illness last summer. She has also fashioned her nieces some attractive cretonne overalls for play time, practical onepiece affairs with a tiny blue bird design on a beige ground.

The Opoho branch of the League of Mothers held the opening meeting for the year on Tuesday. Mrs Thomson presided, the meeting opening with the usual devotions. The president extended a welcome to newcomers, of whom there were a number present. There was present Mrs J. Reid, provincial president, who briefly addressed the meeting, mentioning that in April there would be in Dunedin . Mesdames White and Cornish, Dominion president" and _ treasurer respectively, and that a combined meeting would probably be arranged so that as many as possible would have the opportunity of getting in touch with them. Mrs Reid also made an appeal for literary contributions for the magazine. The speaker for the afternoon, the Rev. A. H. Wallace, was then introduced, his address, "The Sanctity of Marriage," being very helpful. Mrs Merrington endorsed the remarks of Mr Wallace, and moved a vote of thanks to the speaker. A vocal solo from Mrs W. 11. Carson was appreciated. Hostesses for the day were Mesdames Davies, Butler, and Anderson. The singing of the League hymn brought the meeting to a close.

Many members attended the Pioneer Club, Wellington, recently when a reception was held in honour- of Lady Ferguson, president of the Otago Women's Club, who is travelling north, accompanied by Miss Nicolson, the club secretary. Other Dunedin visitors included Mrs Gerald Ferguson, Mrs Gilkison and Miss Holland. They were received by the president and vice-presi-dents. Miss Kane expressed the pleasure all felt in having Lady Ferguson with them. In replying. Lady Ferguson told of some of the activities of the Dunedin Club, which are many and various, members doing quite a lot of welfare work. Songs were sung during the afternoon by Mrs Townlev and Miss Fair, accompanied by Mrs Doctor, and afternoon tea was a pleasant interlude. Lovely flowers decorated the rooms, the hydrangeas gaining much admiration from the visitors, also a basket of native berries which had been brought by Mrs Righton from her garden at York Bay.- Lady Ferguson and Miss Nicolson left on Tuesday for Wanganui. en route to Auckland, where they will attend the biennial conference of the Federation of Women's Clubs of New Zealand, in the Lyeeuni Club, Auckland, on March 25 and 26. Lady Ferguson is president of the federation, and Miss Nicolson is secretary.

The marriage of Alice Jiine, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs W. J. Lennon, of Edendale, and George Nicholson M'lntosh, of Ida Valley, Central Otago, was quietjv celebrated at the home of the bride's parents on the afternoon of Thursday, March 5. The Rev. R. D. M'Ewan officiated at the ceremony, in the presence of a family gathering and relations. The bride was'charmingly attired in a model gown of 'diagonally-striped suede crepe, in cinnamon and ivory tonings, and a beige straw hat. She was attended as bridesmaid by her sister. Miss Annie Lennon, who wore a floral marocain frock in autumn colourings, with brown straw hat. The bride and bridemaid carried bouquets of bronze chrysanthemums and bronze leaves. Mr Amos Lennon acted as best man. Mr and Mrs M'lntosli left later by car for the lakes district. Prior to her marriage, at the home of Mrs A. Monagan, Edendale, the bride was entertained at an afternoon by a large number of friends. Items were rendered by Mrs Monagan, Mrs M'Ewan, Mrs Bayles, Mrs Stirling, and Miss I. Cranstoun.. An amusing competition was won by Miss B. M'lntosh and Miss K. M'Lean. During the afternoon Miss H. Hall, in a happy little speech, asked Miss Lennon, on behalf of those present, to accept a handsome silver teapot, with the best ot wishes for her future happiness. Mrs M'Ewan and Miss Gordon also spoke in affectionate terms of the bride-to-be. Miss Lennon made a suitable reply.

The engagement is announced between Brenda, second daughter of Mr and Mrs B. Harris, of Broad Bay, and James Duncan, youngest son of Mr aud Mrs J. T. Gillan, of South Dunedin.

The North Taicri Hall was tastefully decorated in green and pink when Mr and Mrs James A. Williams, of "Bantaflkin," Wylie's Crossing, gave an evening in honour of the coming of age of their elder daughter, .Agnes ("Ncssie"). Mr and Mrs Williamson received the guests, the latter wearing bottle green silk marocain. Dancing occupied the better part of the evening, and songs were rendered by Messrs Sanson and Jones, and a duet by Messrs Bruce Johnston and Harold fiassie. Supper was dispensed, and Mr Henderson in a happy little speech m-o----posed the toast of the guest of honour, and Mr Williamson presented her with the goldeu key, after which Mies Williamson, who looked charming in a severely cut Margaret Rose pink suede crepe gown with a silk chiffon cape and shoes to match and a necklet of crystals, cut the cake with her christening knife. Dancin; followed and the 90 guests brought a memorable evening to a close by singing "Auld Lang Syne." The duties of M.C.'s were capably carried out by Messrs Harold and Jack Lcith and Arthur Johnstone.

St. Giles's Church, Kilbirnie, Wellington, was the scene of a picturesque double wedding on Monday, when two daughters of Mr and Mrs Alexander Bell, Ilataitai, were married —Miss Marjorie Bell to Mr Philip Edward Webb, son of Mr and Mrs A. E. Webb, of Wellington; and Miss Dorothy Bell to Mr Ralph Green, of Dunedin. The double ceremony was performed by the Rev. J. C. Orange, and the church had been artistically decorated for the occasion with lilies and hydrangeas. Mr Bell escorted both his daughters up the aisle, one in a classic silver gown and the other in gold made in the "Juliet" style. They wore long billowy tulle veils, arranged with little silver and gold "Juliet" caps to match their frocks. Two sisters of the brides, Misses Marion and Ruth Bell, attended them, dressed in frocks of similar style. one of 6oft green and the other in old rose. Mr J. Black was best man for Mr Webb, and Mr Truscott for Mr Green. Mr Rowland Webb and Mr Leslie Bell were ushers at the church. A reception was held at 14 Rodrigo road, the home of the bride's parents. Mrs Bell received the guests wearing a violet marocain frock with matching hat and a bouquet to tone. Mrs A. E. Webb, mother of one of the bridegrooms, wore a handsome frock of black panne velvet with touches of old lace and a black velvet picture hat, and carried a bouquet of cream roses. Her daughter, Miss Elaine Rosemary Webb, was dressed in pale green crepe de chine, with a big picture hat. Her bouquet was of roses shading from pink to red. When the two couples left later Mrs Green was wearing a smart suit of navy velvet, with a velvet hat finished with an eye-veil, and Mrs Webb also wore a suit of navy, of a tweed mixture flecked with red, worn with a navy hat. <

The initial performance of the season was given by members of the Playbox Club on Tuesday, when Ivor Novello's hilarious comedy, "Fresh Fields," was staged before a large audience. Mr Russell Wood welcomed members and their friends, and outlined the proposed activities for the year before introducing the cast of the play. "Fresh Fields concerns the arrival in London of some wealthy, good-natured, not-to-well-edu-cated Australians and their entry into fashionable society. The play abounds with excellent situations and amusing dialogue, and the audience was kept in a simmer of merriment. The casting, staging and dressing were good, and the play taken at a good tempo. Mrs Earle Johnson played the suave and charming yet mercenary Lady Mary Crabbe. Mrs Johnson's poise was excellent and she handled the part with restraint, exacting a great deal of humour from the lines. As Lady Lillian Bedworthy, an unrelenting patrician, Miss Elizabeth Briton gave a highly diverting performance, her diction being very good. As the goodnatured Mrs Pigeon (from Australia), Mrs J. N. Anderson did some good work and appeared to enjoy herself in a broad comedy role. Outstanding among several splendid performances was Mr Jim Tannock's conception of Tom Larcomb. The character was well sustained and Mr Tannock's intonation, movement and make-up were very good. Miss Luck Faulkner did some effective work as Una Pigeon, especially in act 111, where she affected a remarkable metamorphosis. As Timothy Crabbe, Mr D. Hancock was quite convincing, and Miss M. Morris contributed a suitably unobtrusive study as Miss Swayne, the secretary. As Lady Strawholnie, Miss Greeba Allen was successful and Mr James Walker lent appropriate dignity to the part of Ludlow, the butler. As the conclusion of the reading Mr Russell-Wood was assisted by Misses M. G. Hughes, Dorothy Wylie and Edith Clare as hostesses.

A remit was discussed at the conference of the National Council of Women held in Dunedin last September, dealing with the effect on young children of taking part in the competitions of the Competitions Society, and it was decided that the council should make every possible effort to persuade parents and teachers not to enter children under seven years of age for any public competitions. It was further decided that a deputation from the council should approach the committee of the Competitions Society to place before it the views of the National Council and to ask if lit could see its way to refusing entry to children under seven years of age. A deputation, consisting of Dr M'Kinnon, Mrs Chatfield (Wellington), and Miss Sullivan, interviewed the committee in November last. Dr M'Kinnoii, in leading the deputation, said it was on behalf of the young children under seven years of age that they were approaching the committee. She said no doubt _it would consider expenses, the publicity that teachers get, and it might consider it was a parent's own business to look after their children's welfare. Against this, she considered that gate money and teachers' advertisements were not so important as the future well-being of the children. Parents were not aware of the intricacy and delicate structure of the nervous system, and it was frequently pride in a child's achievement that induced parents to send their children into competitions. Unfortunately, it was the alert, bright children, with sensitive, nervous organisations, who reacted detrimentally to nervous excitement and emotional disturbance. Their sleep became broken and disturbed, there was loss of appetite, headaches, fretfulness, and hysterical symptoms, all indications of an excited mind. Undue excitement and strain on the nervous system in childhood did not necessarily show any effect's until the severer stresses of adult life came to be faced; then the hysterical outbursts, wayward impulses, and the nervous breakdown developed, too late for cause and effect to be placed side by side. The tragedy was seen only by the doctor and the intimate relatives. The world went on unheeding. She would, therefore, like to make her appeal not only to the Competitions Society but to all mothers. She would have them realise that a stable and placid nervous system was a gift beyond the nrice of rubies.