TABLE TALK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3333, 30 January 1918, Page 49

TABLE TALK.

Monday Evening. A moat interesting afternoon ™ s °P e £* °£ Tuesday, when the members of the Otago Women's Club entertained some- gf™*guished visitors at their rooms in Stuart street. Delicious tea having been served in tho adjoining tea. room, the party returned to the club room, where the president (Mrs Lindo Ferguson) made a happy little fpeecn of welcome to Lady Stout (Wellington), Mrs Margaret Kineton Fr.rkes (London), Miss Oollison (New South Wales), and Miss Macdonald (Auckland). Lady Stout introduced Mrs Parkes, whose wonderful work tor women's suffrage and later in connection with war work and the Women's Emergency Corps, is well known. Mrs Parkes's delightfully interesting address was listened to with rapt attention, and warmly applauded by all present. Miss Colhson made an excellent and impressive speech, and Miss Ida White contributed a pianoforte solo most acceptably. Miss Rule's singing of "Slow horses, slow" was most artistic and enjoyable. Among those present were Lady Allen, hrfuiy Sinclair, Mesdarnes Theomin, Ross, Cameron, Ewen (Wellington), George Roberts, ActonAdams, P. Marshall (Wanganai), 1. -K. Fisher, Nisbst, Crouch (Brisbane), Lwsk, Hewitson, Hutchison, Palgrave (Gisborne), Brooke (Auckland), Isaacs, W. M'Lean (InvercargilT), Clayton, Edmond, Doorly, Menlove, Aiken, Johnson, Chilton (Christchurch), and the Mises Gether, Nicolson, Fenwick, Macassey, Neill, Ross (2), Mackerrow, Barron, Siedeberg. On Tuesday afternoon Mrs Butterworth entertained a few friends at a tennis tea, the lovely weather allowing her pretty garden to be seen to the best advantage. Among the guests were Mesdames H. Driver, Nevill, Cbamptaloup, P. Marshall (Wanganui), Oldham, and the Misses Fynes-Clinton (Invercargill), Sise, Mill (2), C. Williams, and F. Denniston. An enjoyable tea was given on Wednesday by Mrs" Alfred Isaacs at her residence, St. Clair. Mrs Isaacs received her guests in the drawing room, and delicious tea was served in the dining room, where the table was charmingly arranged with carnations and sweet peas. During the afternoon Mrs Ernest Denny and Miss Stevens contributed several songs, which delighted their audience. Miss Barron gave a pianoforte solo in finished style. Mrs Doorly's clever recitations met with much laughter and applause, andMrs Parkes gave an interesting account of the New Zealand hospitals which she visited in England before leaving for the Dominion. Among those present were Lady Stout, Mesdames H. Tennent, T. R. Fisher Stewart, Nicholls (Christchurch), Allan, Macbeth, Adam, Wratt (Christchurch), Clayton, Clark (Greymouth), Large (Auckland), Brent, Doorly, Palgrave, Ibbotson, Dunolp, Dick, Bothune, Aiken, Hutchison, Sister Chalmer, and the Misses Macdonald (Auckland) and Chalmer. Mrs Ernest Denny entertained some friends at tea on Thursday afternoon at her residence, St. Clair. Mrs Denny received her guests in the drawing room, and a dainty tea' was served in the dining room, where the table -was prettily' arranged with carnations. Among those present were Mesdames A. Isaacs, Fitzclarence, Roberts T. Chalmer, M'Bride, Greenfield, Dodgshun (Napier), H. Dbdgshun, Nicholls, Knapp (Sydney). K. Ross, H. L. Tapley, Clayton, Martin, Macbeth, Power, and the Misses Macassey and Stevens. On Thursday evening a delightful little party was given by Mrs Edmond at Mount Lodge, several of the guests being invited to high tea, and others coming later on, when a pleasant evening was spent with bridge, music, and dancing, and a dainty supper was served in the • dining room. Among (hose present were Mesdames Finch, Ellis, Oldham, R. Dawson, Burnes, and the Misses Kemnthorne, Hartley, Lewin, Galloway, E. Haggitt, Edmond, Lieutenantcolonel Hunter, Captain O'Brien, Dr Stanley Batcbelor, Dr Allen, Messrs C. W. Rattray, H. Parker, E. Wilson. J. Brooke, W. Edmond, and J. Edmond. Miss Una Buddie (Wellington) is the guest of Mi-s W. A. Moore (Yenard, Mornington). Miss Ruby Neill, who has been staying with Mrs Sargood (Wanaka), has returned to town. Miss Richardson left for Wellington on Thursday. Mrs Ellis has returned from Tnvercargill, and is staying at Onslow House. Mrs A. Cllr3-stn.il, who has been spending the holidays at Waikouaiti, returned to town last week. Miss Shand (Timaru) is the guest of Mrs George Mac Lean (Pitt street). Professor Trueblood. Professor of Oratory at tho University of Michigan, U.S.A., who has been staying with the Rev. Professor Hewitson at Knox College, and attending the meeting of the University Senate, left on Tuesday to visit tlie southern lakes, returning to lecture at the Burns Hall on Friday evening on Mark Twain, and onv Saturday on " Hamlet." in aid of the Wounded Soldiers' Fund. Drs Marshall (Wanganui), Benham, and Professor Sesrar (Christohurch) spent the .week-end at Kurow. Dr G. E. Morrison (China), who was staying at the Grand Hotel during his visit to Dunedin, left on Tuesdav for Christchurch. _ Miss Euliilio Roberts returned from Wellington on Saturday, Miss G. Webster spent a few days last week in Dunedin, leaving on Monday for Invercargill. Mrs W. G. Duff and Miss Ruby Duff, of Claromont, Sumner road, left by the Monowai to visit friends in Dunedin.

INVERCARGILL, January 27. Dr and Mrs D. Hansen have returned from a very enjoyable trip to Stewart Island. Archdeacon Packe (Giaborne), who has been down for a few weeks, returned homo this week. Mrs Simpson (Lawrence) has also returned home. Mrs Copeland is spending a holiday at the Bluff just now. Mr and Mrs W. Hodges are down at Riverton for the holidays. Mies Fynes-Clinton has returned from a visit to Dunedin. Mrs W. Ellis is the guest of Mrs T. O. Ellis just now. Mrs Rodgers is up visiting Mrs M'Gregor (Mount Linton). Miss .Shepherd has returned from a trip to Dunedin. OAMARTJ, January 27. There was a veiy large audience at the pictures on Wednesday night, when "The Battle of the Ancre" was given in aid of patriptic funds. Mrs and the Misses Whitton are visiting Christohurch. Mr and Mrs Darling and family have returned from visiting Dunedin. Mies Haines has gone to the North Island to visit friends. Miss E. Fenwick (Maraeweka) is the guest of Mrs Buckley (Redoastle). Mrs Buckley and family have returned from camping. Miss E. Robinson, who was the guest of Mrs Fenwick (Maraeweka), has returned home. Mrs B. Sumpter (Waimate) has been visiting the Misses Sumpter.

The Misses Stronach are staying down at their cottage at Hampden. Miss Hart (Timoru) is the guest of Mrs Elcoate. Mr and Mrs Burry have returned from Christehurch. Mr and Mrs Dunlop have returned from a motor trip to Dunedin. Miss M. M. Robertson, of Ben Ledi, Tokarahi, and Miss N. Wescombe, of Springside, Tokarahi, have returned homo after spending a month touring the North Island. TIMARI7, January 26. Mrs and Miss Raymond (Christehurch) spent a night in Tirnaru on their return from a visit to Mount Oook. Misses F. and E. Shand (Craighead) went to Christohurch last Monday, returning on Thursday. Miss A. Shand left the same day for a fortnight's visit to Dunedin. Mts Gv Mac Lean (Dunedin) and her two children, who have been staying at Craighead, returned home last week. The engagement of Mr Jack Guinness (Ealing), youngest son of Mar v amd Mrs E. R. Guinness, to Miss Freda Jones, daughter of Mr and Mrs Edgar Jones, is announced. ■ Mrs Maitland (Chalmers street) is- back from a visit to Mrs Egerton Reid, who is up at her station in the Mackenzie country. Miss Culverwell and Miss Bramwell have returned from a fortnight's visit to Aka-roa and Christehurch. Miss Bra.mwell is on a short visit to Timaru before returning to Gieborne. Lieutenant and Mrs M'lntyre (Hastings) are the guests of Mr and Mrs E. R. Guinness. Lieutenant M'lntyre has just returned from England on duty, and will take back Reinforcements later on. Mise Trail (Sydney) is visiting her sister, Mrs Tom "VVigley. Miss Sylvia Day is staying with her sister, Mrs Maffroy. Mrs Nantes (Napier) is the guest of Mrs Aspinall (Tenvuka). Miss Hodges is the guest of Miss_ Culverwell on her way to take up a position on the "Wellington College staff. CHRISTCHURCH, January 26. The Marie Teaipest season has been a tremendous success in Christehurch. " Mrs Dot" and " Good Gracious, Annabell" were played to crowded houses one each occasion, and now " A Fair of Silk Stockings" is having a good run. Many people have gone twice over to see the same piece played, and come away charmed each time. Amongst the audiences have been their Excellencies the Governor-general and suite, Mr and Mrs Rich, Mrs Vernon, Mr and Mrs Blanch, Mr and Mrs Boyle, Mr and Mrs J. Vernon, Colonel Chaffey, Miss Chaffey, Miss Webster (Dunedin), Mr and Mrs Wigram, Mr and Mrs H. Cotterill, Mrs Stead, Mrs Edgar Stead, Mrs Gower Burns, Mrs Loughnan, aend the Misses Reeves (2), He.lmore, E. Helmore, Humphreys, Ogle. Harley, Western's, Cotterill, and Elworthy. There have been several small tennis parties during the week. Amongst the hos-. tesses have been Mesdanies Cotterill, Moore, Boswick, Helmore", Palmer, and playing have been Mesdames "Wigram, Godby, Cowlishaw, Beswick, Harper, Blunt, and the Misses Lee, Harley, Humphreys, Westenra, Johnson, Rich, E. Helmore, and Moore. A small tennis party was given by Mrs Stevensen on Tuesday for Miss W. Miles (Wellington). Amongst the guests were Mrs Acland, Mrs J. Hall. Mrs Scott, and the Misses Sutter (Australia), Humphreys, Prins. Mrs Stead, who has been visiting Mrs Wilfrid Stead (Flaxmere), has. returned to her new home on Park terrace. Mrs and Miss Elworthy have returned from South Canterbury. Mrs Thursby Pelham (England) has gone fishing in South Canterbury. Mr and Mrs B. Tripp have been in town.

WELLINGTON, January 26. Contrary to the dictates of the war and the ethics of self-denial, the races .attracted (Trowels from all parts of the country, as far as Napier on one side and Taranoki on the other, and, of course, even Auckland contributed ; but as the people under this head were all of the order of racing—marked, quoted, and signed,—it is hardly necessary from the fashion point of view to mention them in detail—in fact, detail is the very thing that is impossible all round, for the multitude of amusement-seekers and race patrons was immense. Everybody understood that except the railway management. The pelican of the "wilderness who sits at the receipt of railway custom with his head buried in the sand of officialdom seemed to think that the race crowd consisted of two men and a boy, and, perhaps, a spaniel. The consequence can be left to the imagination. The consequences include language of the hottest to torn garments of the most expensive, and discomfort of the most intolerable. In the morning there were crowds waiting for tickets that never were issued, and in the evening there were crowds scrambling over the Trentham fences, tearing their clothes in the barbed wire—not reduced by preliminary bombardment, —and those who failed to scramble over—well, it is not quite certain to this day, and the current idea is: What has become of them ? This was the scene on the Tuesday of the midsummer meeting—a day to make you glad with sunshine and gentle breezes, clear sky, and the joy of life. On the Saturday the flood-gates were touched by Jupiter Pluvius, and the devoted band of Hippie votaries faced the elements in the drab of waterproof garments under the spread of sombre umbrellas. But when the rain ceased for a few seconds there peeped out smart costumes and gay coloursshy and coy and altogether too reserved for that study of effects and forms and lines and combinations which is the joy of the well-dressed. Still, it is wonderful that these smart things were there at all. It is an instance to add to the- many proofs of the strength of the hope that never fades in the human breast. On Tuesday the thing that tried to spoil the effects was the backward train service as above hinted. But the spirit of joy is hard to kill,, and on the course between arrival of exhaustion and dire departure over the barbed wire it really reminded one of the "cow* with the crumpled horn that tossed the maiden all forlorn." On the course, let us repeat, there was no sign of the untoward. A big phalanx had arrived in motor cars gloriously unconscious of railway troubles, and big contingents had found their way out in buses and vehicles, of which a big class has sprung up to catch the suburban traffic given up by the railway policy of retrenchment. As one looked at the crowds one realised the übiquitous and the universal among the Wards, Bidwills, Harcourts, Johnstonos, Gillies, Nathans, Cliffords, Steads, Puitherfords, Cohens, Abrahams, Gilions, Duncans, Baldwins, Lowrys, and so forth and so on. It was Anniversary Day—the city is 78 yeans old, —and the nor'-wester which usually pimishea the city on its birthday, for the crime 01 coming into this world of care, took a raro holiday, and there was nothing to mar the perfection of sun and sky and champagne air and varied beauty of choice costuming. As to the latter, there it was

all over tho place, filling the lawns with moving masses of colour and the stands "with masses that talked incessantly. This was the result of "all the lightest summer frocks," as an appreciative and comprehensive writer put it. Simplicity was tho ruling order; but such simplicity I—an expensive simplicity of rich material and masterly design, involving embroideries and fairy touches and cunning borders, and henrmings galore of a design wondrous really when looked into. This richness and elaborateness of simplicity was tho prevailing note of the dressing. The colours, being infinite, were backed by a form almost unvarying—narrow skirt and short, if the fashion were set by imperious flappera and followed by servile grown-ups, and the high, crowned hat something after the modern fashion of the male stove-pipe, which is no longer a stove-pipe at all, rathoar prevailed over other styles. These, however, were numerous and sometimes bizarre in the many fashions of tho period, from dreams of fancy to nightmares of terror. Lady Russell, the widow of Sir William, is expected any day in Napier, and Lady Russell, the wife of Sir Andrew, the popular and capable brigadier, arrived in Auckland the other day. ' A letter received in town from Dr Agnes Bennett, written in Sydney, tells of the heroism and practical cleverness of the nursea of her unit of tho Scottish Women's Hospital working under the Red Cross in the dreadful Serbian campaign. It was not only their good nursing that came to the frontj but everything that they found to do and did with astonishing adaptability. For example, when the way was stopped by broken roads, and the danger of captivity by the enemy's relentless pursuit became imminent, the nurses took ehoveils and picks and made a new road by which they drove away their ambulances—yes, drove, for they did all chaufiVuring as well as everything else for their unit. Which reminds me of the em* pha-tic statement made by Lord Knutsford recently at the London Hospital to the effect that the present system ought to be changed which places tec much on the shoulders of tho nurses, expecting them to, do all the cleaning, cooking, and chores incidental, as well as to nurse. The result, he said, is that nurses have no time* to nurse. True, of course; but nurses ought to bo ready to cope with emergencies, and oi that this Serbian story of Dr Agnes Bennett ia a ease in point. Again, take the nurses aa nowadays supplying in maternity cases. The poor into whose houses thev come to do the maternity work expect them to do all the housework, including the incidental tending and fending for the children of the household—perhaps very numerous, —and if they give the preference to the maternity duties they are pronounced stuck up and totally unfit for the work of their lives, and no account to bo allowed to come near the houses of poor folk who have to work hard. Lord Knuteford, of course, is quite right. But this is a working world. Lord Knuts u ford, well aware of these things, declares, nevertheless, that the business of nursing must be put on a better footing. "Look at the rich!" ho says. "When they are ill they have two or three nurses to wait on ■them, and thus they get little necessary niceties of attention which are wholly absent from ■•he cases of-.the sick poor." He ended by declaring that he wanted the rich and poor treated alike. It is much like the chicken and champagne and sea trip or stay in the Riviera which doctors are fond of prescribing for all patients rich and poor—a source of biting ridicule everywhere. But the argument is met to some extent by the hospital system, which gives medical comforts which poor patients never could get for themselves. It is a case of finding the money. And the money can be found for supplying attendance as well as nursing for the maternity business of the poor. The best means, of course, is to improve the statue of the poor workers. Here we get a glimpse of Lloyd George's new earth after the war, and hurry- away to —well, think about ii>

AUCKLAND, January 24. Tha weather having cleared and fine daya being now a certainty, there has been quite a number of tennis parties, amongst the hostesses being Miss Phyllis Macfarlane (Gillies avenue), Miss Mamie Bnckleton (Re~ muera), Miss Enid Reed (Reinuera), and Miss Freda Wake (Remuera), so you will see that the week has been fairly well taken up with tennis. Mrs .Archie Clark and her daughter (Mrs S. Thorn© George) have returned from an enjoyable trip to Mount Egmont. Mr and Mrs C. Burgess, who spent several days in Auckland on their return from Rotorua, have left again for their home in Now Plymouth. . • -.-■ Mr J. C. Handyside and Miss- Handyside, who have been making a short stay in Auckland and Whangarei, have returned to Napier. Miss Ada Pree.ce, who has been for the past two years in Auckland, is-spending a few weeks with her patents, Captain and Mrs Preoce (Palmerston North). The marriage of Miss Spedding (the eldest daughter of the late Mr William Spedding) took place_ last week, the bridegroom being Mr Ludovic Blackwood, of Vancouver. The ceremony took place at Otanga, the residence of the bride's brother, who pave her away, the Rev. Knowles Kempton officiating at the service. The bride wore a silk bengalirie frock in an uncommon shade of grey, finished with pale pink veiled with grey ninon, and smart hat en suite, and she carried a—bouquet of shaded pink carnations. Miss Ida. Spedding (sister) was the only bridesmaid, and she wore a pretty frock of pink georgette and large hat of black' tulle; her bouquet was also composed of carnations. The we'oV ding breakfast was served in two large rooms, the floral decorations being exceptionallybeautiful. _ The hostess (Mrs J". C. Spedding) wore a daintily-made dress of white crepe ce chine and smart hat in a pretty shade of pale blue. The future home of Mr and Mrs Blackwood will be in Canada. Mrs Blackwood'3 friends in Auckland run into large numbers. Her work as hon. secretary for some two years of the Auckland Women's Patriotic Society brought her great praise from all sections of the public. Stone fruits are very plentiful with us this year, and most folks have already started jam-making. There' is quite a mania for fruit-drying this season, and the hot eun of the north seems to lend itself to this manner of preserving fruit.