THE SOCIAL ROUND

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 69, 28 April 1914, Page 4

THE SOCIAL ROUND

NOTES AND NEWS. Dr and Mrs R. W. Anderson are, on May 8, entertaining their young friends at a dance to be held*at "Te Whare," Hereford Street West. St. Margaret's College Club dance has "been fixed for Saturday next, May 2. The Girls' Realm Guild (Christchureh • Centre) held a jumble sale'that turned out very successfully on Saturday afternoon. The sale was held in the Montreal Street Hall, and a clearance of all the "jumbles" was speedily effected. The girls were assisted by friends in various ways. Mr E. R. Black and Miss Black, of Gisborne, who "have been staying at 1 Warner's, .left on their return home yesterday. Mr and Mrs M'Callum (Blenheim), who have been staying at the Clarendon since Saturday, left on their return to the north yesterday. The Wellington Girls' Branch of the "Victoria League held its fortnightly, meeting last night, when Mrs Chatfield read a paper on French literature, written by/Miss Cox. On Thursday afternoon last, at St. Andrew's Church, Wellington, the wedding took place of Mr Frank B. Barton,. of the Wairarapa Farmers' Cooperative Association, and Miss Margaret Mann, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs William Mann, of Granity, West Coast. Another Wellington wedding that took place on Thursday afternoon last was celebrated at St. Andrew's Church, Wellington Terrace, the contracting parities being Mr William Harris, of Ngakawau, and Miss Katherine Mann, second daughter of Mr and Mrs William Mann, of Granity, West Coast.

"Rings on her fingers and rings on her toes" is going to be the lay of the smart Parisienne, since Mile. Jeanne Provost, a pretty actress, set the fashion of wearing sandals instead of boots. No stockings, of course, are worn, and the sandals are fastened by ribbon crisscrossed around the feet and ankles in the old Greek style. The jewellers in Paris are going to make hay out of the new fashion, and are already making toe rings for the faithful followers of fashion. "I have a little thing for thee," murmurs the devout lover, "a ring for thy adorable toe." Somehow it doesn't sound romantic. But what's the odds? Romance died a more or less natural death with' the advent of steamboats and electricity and X-ray dresses, didn't it? This is the way tlffe Melbourne Pressivoman( of the "Bulletin" sizes up Harry Lauder and Mrs L.: —Harry Lauder settled, himseif in a chair and said "Umph-umph!'' Therefore you knew he was either Scotch or a camel. He was wearing a short kilt over very fat, short legs. The kilt pattern showed only one tartan, but he told that he has three —the Macleod, the M'Lennan, and the Urquhart. (When he says Urquhart he is so deeply Scotch that you have to guess. Perhaps after all he said M'Flanagan.) He was also wearing tango shoes of the newest fashion —the sort that have four peaks on either side for the lace-holes. He explained that they are the real Highland footwear and not a copy. Mrs Lauder is a. dimpled little body named Nancy, "who is just an admiring echo of Lauder, i In 10 years or so she has not had time to get used to the terrific height of her husband's popularity and the noise of his press agents. About that time ago Lauder was siHging two sentimental Scotch songs a night at a London vaudeville show. Then he added a comic song, and the management soon had to cut out the sentimental items. Mrs Lauder found American manners bewildering. She said: "You know in London Harry had an audience with the King'' (here a pretty little bridling : : '/$£ pride) j "and when he appeared first • ill New York the Americans yelled out,

'Hi, Harry! What sort of a guy is King George?' It was no' a prupper ! way to speak of a king!" Then Harry |said "Umph-umph! " again, like another camel. They suggest a pair of Barrie characters —very domesticated and deliberate in all their doings. They would prefer '"lodgin's" snug and quiet instead of the hotels, if it were not for the adver-r-r-tisement. He loves soda scones, and whenever his wife gets a chance on tour she bakes a batch. Then they find a quiet corner for a happy supper-time. The star adds to his stolid, deliberate look off duty by wearing glasses. He doesn't smile (he has enough of that in "busines/," ye ken), buf sucks thoughtfully at his pipe and occasionally makes a dry speech. But mostly he says "Umph-umph!" Middle-aged and elderly people are venting their wrath on the modern girl (says an English Whenever did they not 1 ? But there is much to be said for her, and especially, I think, for the London shopgirl whom one of our leadings artists a week or two ago voted the prettiest creature in Christendom. She is not only nice-looking, as a rule, but extraordinarily quick and to the,point. Whether it is that she lias been trained by using the telephone to say the right thing in not more than a dozen words I cannot say. I only know that personally I find her very expeditious, and I notice that with elderly women she is both helpful and sympathetic —although, of course, there may be exceptions. The number could not be counted now of girls of the upper classes who go through a three months' course of hospital training before or soon after they make their debut in the world. Nor is the work lightly undertaken/ The girls, for the most part, •study earnestly enough. Another hobby

of these girls is to study at tlie art schools, where once only Bohemians were known to congregate; and a few learn to embroider at the School of Art Needlework. Many more give themselves over to plain needlework of the exquisite sort, and the fashion that obtained last year in New York of girls contributing some beautiful garment of her own stitching to a friend's trousseau is becoming popular here. For the rest, the modern girl reads Schopenhauer and the very latest poets, designs her own frocks, rides to hounds, and plays golf, tennis, and loops the loop. Altogether, she is a remarkable creation" and there is only one thing she cannot do—that is to spell correctly. „ ' Exactly how much of the Melbourne girls' beautiful physique is due to swimming, I wonder? Quite recently Mr Weed, the American producer of the mvue " Come over Here," advertised for attractive young ladies who could swim (says the " Age "). Longbefore the hour appointed the vicinity of the stage door was crowded; they overflowed on to the roadway, streamed into the various entrances of the theatres, and so effectively held up the business of the managerial offices, that three constables were requisitioned. Altogether there were 400 applicants, all excellent mermaids, " and," said Mr Weed, " for all-round physical perfection I have never seen more splendid girls." Annette Kellerman, now the possessor of. one of the most perfectly proportioned forms in the world, gives swimming the credit of her development from a weeding into robust womanhood.