People and Parties

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19624, 7 May 1938, Page 12

People and Parties

News Itema intended for publication in this column cannot be accepted' unless accompanied by the signature and address of the sender. Notices of engagements require the signatures of both parties, and a charge of 5s will be made for such announcement.

Miss Nancy Chrisp, who returned last week after a holiday in Sydney and Melbourne, is now a guest at “Almadale," Fitzhei'bert street, after spending the past week with her brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. A. -Chrisp, Harris street. Mrs. F. ;A. McFadyen, Whitaker street, left yesterday by plane for Nelson on a holiday visit. Mrs. H. Brittain. Waipukurau, arrived by ’plane on Thursday and is visiting her mother, Mrs. J. A. Harding, Hirßii street. Miss M. Loiisley, who has been visiting her sister, Mrs. H. McLernon, Hurahura road, for the past few weeks while spending a holiday in Gisborne, intends leaving by 'plane on Monday en route to her home in Invercargill. Miss Ruth Tully, of the nursing staff at the Cook Hospital, left yesterday by 'plane on a holiday visit to Hawke’s Bay, Miss Zoe Williams, Napier, is visiting her brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Denys Williams, Tokomaru Bay. , .. Mr. and Mrs. F. Downey and small son, Robert, Broadwood, Hokianga, are the guests of Mrs. Downey’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dempsey, Aberdeen road.

Mrs. W. A. Jennings, Waihau Bay, is the guest of Mrs. J. K. Popple, Albion Club Hotel. Miss A. E. Brewer, who is the guest of Mrs. H. P. Hamilton, Stout street, is going to stay with Mrs. J. deV. Blathwayt, Fox street, on Tuesday next for a few days. Miss Clare Foster has booked her passage for England by the Arawa leaving the Dominion on. May 20. She will spend a short holiday in the Old Country and will visit Europe before returning via Australia by the Ormonde in about four months. Miss Grace Austin intends leaving shortly for Napier and Pahiatua on a short holiday trip. Mrs T. Russell and Miss Meg Russell, who have -been visiting the former’s daughter, Mrs. R. C. Tuke, Riverside road, since before Easter, are returning to Auckland on Monday. Miss Mona Blair, Iranui road, returned on Thursday after a brief visit to Auckland. Mrs. J. O. Musgrave, Beach road, :s returning during the week-end after a short visit to Auckland. ' Miss Jocelyn Blair, Iranui road, is visiting Wellington. Mrs. W. R. Fee and Mrs. Watkins, who have been visiting the former’s daughter, Mrs. A. Bright, "Strathallan,” left this morning on their return to Auckland.

Mrs. Rawnsley, Ra'wiri street, is visiting Napier. *, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Bull, Iranui road, returned on Wednesday from Wellington, via Opotiki. Mrs. Bull had been spending a holiday with her sister, Mrs. A. N. Slater, in Island Bay, Wellington, and in Paraparamu, while Mr. Bull went to Sydney with the New Zealand R.S.A. contingent. During his visit to Australia Mr. Bull took the opportunity of visiting Canberra, which he described as very interesting and beautiful the Australian capital with its wealth of lovely trees Rooking its best at this time of the year with the foliage rich in autumn tints. Mrs. A. Bright, “Strathallan,”, is spending - the week-end with Mrs. H. E. Bright, Haronga road. Miss Yolande Pettit, Hastings, is arriving by ’plane to-day to visit Mrs. P A. Pettit, Haronga road. Mrs. F. G. Hunt, Rawiri street, is visiting her daughter, Mrs. Piers Powell, Hunterville, to whom a daughter was born last Thursday.

"Madame Winnie Fraser, well-known Dunedin, singer, who recently went to London after a stay on the Continent, is to be presented at Court on May 25. She.intends to enjoy the London season, to see something of the British Empire Exhibition in Glasgow, and to return to New Zealand in Octobei after an absence of three years travelling abroad.

Miss Augusta Mackenzie, Taihape, has left for Wairoa, .where she has been appointed to the staff of the general hospital.

Miss Margaret Stevenson left Gisborne on Thursday, via Rotorua, for Wellington, whence she will leave for England by the Rangitane on Wednesday next, intending to reside in the Old Country for two years. Miss Stevenson has been a member of the Gisborne Nursing Division of the St. John Ambulance , Brigade since 1933, and prior to her departure from Gisborne was presented with a silver pencil by her fellow-members of the division, as a token of the esteem in which she is held, receiving with the gif. the good wishes of the donors for a pleasant voyage and a happy time in England. Miss Elizabeth Gunson, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. E. B. Gunson, Auckland, has gone to Budapest to take up a secretarial position there. Mrs. G. W. Dick, Suva, who has been spending a holiday in Gisborne and Auckland, has left on her return to Fiji.

A sum of £IOSO has been received so far as a result of the Marsden Labour Party’s queen carnival in Whangarei, which concludes this week. Miss Thelma Adams, Hikurangi, the northern candidate, is the queen-elect, while the southern' candidate, Miss Gwen Boyd, was second. The valuable service given to the Victoria League in Auckland- by Miss J. A. Mowbray during the 27 years she has been president was fittingly recognised at this week’s meeting when she was elected life-president.

Dr. W. R. B. Oliver and Mr. B. C. Aston have been reappointed by the Government as members of the Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Farewell Party at Puha Mr. anad Mrs. R. D. Dymock invited a number of friends to their home al Puha on Tuesday evening to wish “bon voyage’’ to Miss Veronica Holdsworth and Mr. Michael Holdsworth on the eve of their departure for England. Bridge tables were set out in the draw-ing-room, which looked vefy attractive with its decorations of beautiful chrysanthemums in bronze and yellowtones.

. At supper-time the guests adjourned to the dining-room, where chrysanthemums in white and soft shades of pink were effectively arranged. Mrs. Dymnock wore a graceful -frock of beige lace over matching georgette. Miss V. Holdsworth’s frock of ru?.‘ taffetas was worn with a coatee in a contrasting shade.

Among those present were Mrs. J. B Gordon, Colonel and Mrs. C. C. Dowding, Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Holdsworth, Mr.’ and'Mrs. J. G. Appleton: Misses V. Holdsworth, H. Willison, V. Seamons, J. and J. Scott; the Rev. A. R. K. Morris, -Messrs. L. H. Maclean, M. and J. Holdsworth, J. Dymock, W. Scott and A. Maclean.

Guiders' Camp in Auckland Miss Winifred Lysnar, Girl Guide camp adviser for Poverty Bay, has returned after attending a Guiders’ camp for camp training at Baxter’s Bush Henderson, near Auckland. The camp commenced on April 21, and finished on Tuesday, April 26, and was taken by Miss Knight, Yorkshire, who is in New Zealand for several months to help with training for Guiders. She was the Great Brown Owl for England, and now holds the chief diplopia, whicr is awarded by the -Chief Guide, Lady Baden-Powell, to outstanding trainers who are holders of either the red cord or eagle owl diplomas. MiSs Knight was assisted by Miss Burgin, Auckland, who is a holder of the red cord diploma.

Although the weather was not altogether favourable, the camp was mosi enjoyable as well as being extremly instructive. All present learned r great deal, and appreciated the unique opportunity of receiving instruction from such a highly qualified and experienced Guider as Miss Knight.

At the conclusion of the camp, Mis: Lysnar spent several days in Auckland as the guest of Mrs. Usher, the Guido district commissioner for Ponsonby. and on her return to Gisborne biokfher journey at Hamilton for a day to be the guest of Mrs. Grevis Winter, formerly, of Gisborne.

Informal Farewell Party

Miss Dorothy Duncan, who is leaving Gisborne at the end of next week to take up her residence in Wellington, was the guest of honour at a -very, enjoyable informal. m,ah-jong and bridge party on Wednesday evening given by Misses N. Kay and C. Baty at the former’s home in Ballance street, the guests being intimate friends of Miss Duncan.

Zinnias, dahlias and hydrangeas in pink tonings were tastefully arranged for the decoration of the drawingroom, where the guests were entertained. Miss Duncan has been a member of. the teaching staff at the Mangapapa School, but is returning to her home in Wellington to take up a teaching appointment at Brooklyn. Farewell Mah-jong Party

An enjoyable mah-jong party was given on Thursday evening by Miss J. Bird at her flat in Derby street in honour of Miss Dorothy Duncan, who has just completed her last term on the teaching staff o|„ the Mangapapa School prior to taking up a similar appointment at Brooklyn, Wellington. Mah-jong was played in the sittingroom, which was attractively decorated with French marigolds. A dainty supper was served during the evening, while gbod wishes were extended to Miss Duncan for a happy future in the capital city. The hostess was wearing a smart frock of sky blue cloque trimmed with touches of scarlet. A becoming frock of figured marocain in twilight blue and white was worn by the guest of honour. The guests included Misses B. Cox and Dunfoy; Messrs. P. Dow, P. Warner, S. Clayton and W. Davidson. Dance For Young People

On Thursday night Miss Mildred Hamilton entertained her dancing-class pupils and some of their friends at a jolly dance in the Selvyn Hall, the guests being invited by the pupils, each of whom was permitted to bring one or two friends. The dance music wa® played by Mrs. W. Thomson, at the piano, with a saxophone accompaniment.

Two dance contests proved popularitems, a statue dance being won by Miss Marjorie Young and Master Dick Willock, and a Monte -Carlo waltz by Miss Ailsa Slight and Mr. Robin Sinclair.

A dainty home-made supper was served informally during an interval between dances.

Miss Hamilton welcomed her guest.wearing a dainty frock of cream ac-cordion-pleated georgette with flora! trimmings. She was assisted in entertaining the young people by hei mother Mrs. H. B. Hamilton, who wore a becoming black panne velvet frock.

A Missionary in an Inland

Chinese Province

To live and work among the Chinese in Wuwei, a walled city in the inland province of Kansu, China, for nearly seven years, has been the experience of Mrs. 4. S. Muir, who, with her husband and two young children, is now visiting Gisborne. Going from her home in Saskatchewan, Canada, to join the China Inland Mission, before her marriage, Mrs. Muir spent six months on the Chinese coast studying the language of the country. From there she went inland to Wuwei, where she learned the difficult provincial dialect with the help of an elderly Chinese lady through reading the Bible. Her instructress was the daughter of the first Chinese woman to be converted to Christianity in the mission station and who suffered terrible persecution from her husband, and neighbours for denying their religion. Despite this antagonism the lady gradually won her husband and family over to the Christian faith. Fire-heated Mud Beds After three months at the mission station and when conversant with the language, the young Canadian missionary took her first trip to the country, in company with some older Chinese women. The poor people in the country of Kansu province have no bedding for their big brick beds which are covered with a straw mat, but warmed by a fire underneath the hollow bed, and in some cases by a felt mat also, which is used as a quilt at night.

Hospitality is shown to visitors by an invitation to sit on the large bed, followed by tea served from a small square table, and offers of unappetising dark, steamed bread.

On these country visits the missionaries take food for themselves, such as spiced meat, milk, bread and butter. The floors in these homes are made of mud, and the beds of mud bricks. These beds are a feature of the majority of the homes in the province owing to the cold climate, the warmth of the refuse fires below being necessary, but they are >not used in the southern provinces of China. The people give a warm welcome to their visitors, and do not resent the missionaries” teaching. There has ’ been a Christian church in Wuwei for nearly 40 years with a immebership of 100. It ,was started by the Inland Mission, but is now independent and practically self-sup-porting, with its own elder, who speaks every day in a little shop in one of the city streets. The church is conducted on evangelist- lines, but invites the services of the missionaries as advisers.

Mrs. Muir is one of the three lady members of the misison in Wuwei, and her chief duties are visiting the sick and preaching in the homes in the city. The men of the mission frequently erect a tent in the country three or four miles from the city, where they hold meetings and obtain very good results, people walking several miles to attend, a difficult and painful journey for the women with their bound feet. Mrs. Muir, when describing a missionary’s life, said it

was wonderful to see people realise there' was a living God,’and the great change for the better Christianity made in their lives. Kitchen Gods of Paper

The majo|ity of the Chinese in Kansu province worship a kitchen god, an effigy of paper which is renewed every year and kept in the kitchen of each home. The people believe that this paper idol is endowed with a spirit of great power and they burn incense to it and place food before it as an offering, being very superstitious'. "One of the greatest tests of faith in Christianity in China,” Mrs. Muir said, "is to see a- converted Chinese pull down the kitchen god. This cannot be done in all cases, for when a woman becomes a Christian and her husband does not she dare not interfere with the household god. ’ An invitation from an educated Christian Chinese official appointed from the south to preach Christianity to women interned in the prison at Wuwei was welcomed by Mrs. Muir, whose visits to the prison were greatly appreciated by the prisoners. These evangelistic meetings were allowed in the prison once a month. Living Conditions in Wuwei When asked to describe the living conditions in the wailed Chinese city of Wuwei,,.in the north-west oi China, Mrs. Muir said that on the whole they were good. She and her husband had a comfortable home equipped with European beds and other furniture, although some of the lat<sr was makeshift owing to the difficulty of transport from the coast. Water was obtained from a well in their own grounds, as in the homes of most of the wealthier citizens, the poorer' people drawing water from wells in the streets. Excellent meat—.beef, mutton and pork —and plentiful ’supplies of fresh vegetables and . eggs were obtainable. For flour a resident had to send a servant to buy wheat and take it to be ground in a primitive mill worked by an animal, these tasks being considered too lowly t.a be done by people in good positions.

The. flour was coarse and dark, and as yeast could not be procured breadmaking was a problem for Europeans, Mrs. Muir solving it by making her own yeast. Sultanas and dried apricots from Turkestan were cheap, and other goods were procured from the south. Before 1936 it took five or sixmonths to get'supplies from the coast, but since then the time of transport has been shortened by half. However, the Japanese invasion of China and the continual warfare prevented the transport of goods from the coast. Mr. and Mrs. Muir had just enough necessities to last until their departure for New Zealand.

Although the city was lighted—very poorly—with electricity, petrol lamps and coal heaters were used in the home. For domestic help, Mrs. Muir employed a cook, and a woman for laundering and cleaning, labour being very cheap.

The City of YVuwci Built on flat, stony ground within high stone walls, Wuwei is a large city with fine wide streets, unlike the narrow alleys of most Chinese cities, and with roomy buildings. It has no cemeteries, graves not being allowed within the-walls, with the result that graves abound in the environs of the city. Wuwei boasts a hospital and two Chinese doctors who have no degrees but claim the title owing to their training as nurses at a European hospital in the capital of the province. These men are very capable, however, and one was helpful during the recent severe illness suffered by Mr. Muir, which necessitated his present furlough. Only one or two motor cars are seen on the Wuwei streets, these being considered great luxuries and curiosities by the inhabitants until last year when hundreds of Russian motor trucks passed through the city. Flights from Communists Owing to the itinerant Communists’ custom of capturing missionaries for ransom, Mr. and Mrs. Muir had to leave Wuwei in haste on two occasions when Communist bands raided the city and district for loot. The first flight was across desert land where water was scarce, in the autumn, a 10-day journey, with a baby six months old, in a springless cart, to Chungwei. At that time all missionaries had to evacute the capital city, Kaolan. They returned in September, mid-winter in the province.

The second flight necessitated a trying, hurried journey to Kaolan, where they remained for several months. The Moslems in Wuwei fought the Communists, who were finally conquered, captured and sent back, the returning missionaries meeting some of the defeated plunderers making their way, with sore feet, across the province.' On these occasions the Chinese protected the Christians and gave them assistance and kindness. The People of Kansu “The Chinese in Kansu province are most intelligent with quick brains and very good memories,” said Mrs. Muir. “They learn readily and memorise rapidly, and are excellent character readers. It is necessary for foreigners to be very careful and tactful in the presence of these quickwitted people. They were very fond of children, whom they valued far more highly than wealth. Mr. and Mrs. Muir's two little children, James, who will be three years old next month, and baby Jean, aged 14 months, have been of great interest since their birth to the pepole of' Wuwei, where there have been no white children for 1C years. In the streets much notice is taken of these little Europeans by friendly and inquisitive strangers whose interest has been helpful to the children’s parents in their evangelistic work, bringing them into touch with numerous Chinese.

Chinese Women’s Dress The majority of the women in Kansu wear short, loose tunics and trousers in dark blue and black, and sometimes of art silk, but the better class women wear long slim-fitting waistless gowns with a high collar and long sleeves, made of all manner of materials, including rich silks. In autumn and spring these frocks are lined, and in. winter they are made very warm with' an interlining of sheepskin. The women missionaries have adopted the Chinese mode of dress, as it is inconspicuous, and wear the flat black Chinese shoes, generally of velvet, while in Wuwei. More Freedom for Women

Since China became a republic the people have enjoyed more freedom, especially the women. In contrast to former years, girls are now seen in the streets, but are always accompanied by their mothers or an older woman relative, and schools have been opened in Wuwei.

A long trip in an open car with snow falling took Mr. and Mrs. Muir and their family from Wuwei to the railway on their way to Hongkong and their ship to New Zealand. Mrs. Muir had her children dressed in Chinese wadded clothes, the cosy garments being lined with cotton wool, and comprising long trousers and leggings combined, covering the feet, and tunic jackets to match.

Despite the experiences and hardships of a missionary’s life in North China, Mrs. Muir enjoys the great interest of her work for the Christian faith, an,d although appreciating greatly the 1 comforts and pleasures of her holiday, she will gladly resume her mission among the Chinese when the time comes for her to return. She and her husband and family are now staying with Mr. Muir’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Muir, Clifford street, and will remain in New Zealand for six months. They will go to Canada then to spend the remainder of their furlough with Mrs. Muir’s people. Kindergarten Break-up

Yesterday morning Miss Ivy Hunt and her kindergarten pupils entertained the latters’ mothers with a delightful programme as a breaking-up ceremony prior to the term holidays in the schoolroom in Wainui road. The room was prettily decorated with African marigolds, chrysanthemums, and ornamental autumn berries.

The.programme opened with action songs and rhythmical exercises entitled: “The Ti'ain”; “Lie face downvards”; “The Bridge” “The Wind blows through my Window”; “Tailor Man”; “Low is the Grass”; “Riding Horses,” and "Family Funny Feet.” These were done by all the pupils, only one of whom had reached the age of five years. Charming recitations followed, the first being “The Man in the Moon” by Pamela Marley and Judy Parker. The others were: “The Wind,” by Gillian File; “Mr. Snail’s House,” by Sandy Bull and Philip Chrisp; “The Weather Rhyme," by Pamela Marley. While these were in progres the other small pupils caused much amusement by their eager desire to give similar items. „ A dance, “Off We Go To Market,” an action song, “I’d Like to be a Sailor, ’ and a percussion band item, in all of which the whole school took part, completed the programme, which was brought to a close with the singing of the National Anthem.

As the guests were departing the children sang their school good-bye hymn. Among those present were Mesdames R. K. Marley, T. File, L. C. Parker, N. H. Bull, D. E. Chrisp, T. J. Caesar, and D. W. lies.