THE SOCIAL ROUND

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 187, 12 September 1914, Page 7

THE SOCIAL ROUND

exciting. Miss Bell set out from Damascus in the middle of December, and plunged south-east into wildest Arabia. She reached the ruin of Burqa, never before visited, and found it to be a Roman fortress, with early Mahommedan additions, and she then proceeded to "plan" and identify various palaces and ruins in the desert east of the Hejaz railway. The great sand desert of Nefud was next penetrated, and this intrepid lady made her way in a country fiercely at internal war to the capital of Shammar country, Hayil. The young Amir, a.boy of 16, was away on a distant raid when she arrived, and negotiations for visiting the palace, seeing the ladies of the family, and photographing the town had to be carried on with Fatima, the lad's grandmother, who obstinately refused to see the famous English .traveller. Miss Bell, despite all difficulties, finally succeeded in her purpose, and after staying 11 days in the town, made her way back to Bagdad, breaking new ground on the way through the Syrian desert. The Parisian journal "Femina" recently submitted to French women the question, "If you were not a woman, what man would you prefer to have been!" Says the New York "Nation":—"Of over -10,000 women who voted, nearly every one gave first preference to Napoleon! Next in order came Pasteur, v Victor Hugo, Edison, Poincare, Rostand, Bleriot, Wagner, Beethoven, and De Musset. Here is an apparently shattering rebuttal for Olive Schreiner and .other fem-inist-pacifists who have argued that the emancipation of women would bring about the cessation of war because the" mothers of men would refuse to be partners in the wastage of lives. It is rather disconcerting," adds the *' Nation,'' after so much has been written about the peculiar sensibility of the feminine soul to poetry and music, to find only one poet among the first five men, and more women who would rather havo been a merely respectable politic--%a like Poincare" than Wagner or Beethoven."

Why have we caged birds? This is the general idea, but a quite unnecessary—cruelty, and utterly' useless. Birds, as with all of us, like to spend their lives in the open, and are most beautiful to see in this happier and healthier state than in closer confinement. Then, again, is it not the true way of appreciating .birds to see them enjoying themselves on the flowerbeds and lawn, fluttering in the branches of trees, or perching on the bushes, etc. How to own birds in this way, and in large variety, is easily accomplished by food and water. Every garden tap should have beneath it a large flowerpot saucer, filled with water, that should be replenished as soon as it becomes empty. Birds will then come to drink and bathe themselves, and will begin to know their water-troughs so well that they will be regular and punctual callers. Here and there in the garden place grain, bird-seed, and soaked bread. Any of this fare will soon attract.

NOTES AND NEWS.

Mrs Still was „a passenger to tha north last night. Mrs S. Campbell (Wellington) is visiting Dunedin. Mr and Mrs H. Antill Adley (Christchurch) are at present in Wellington. Miss Chaytor has returned to Blenheim after a short visit to Wellington.

The Misses Scott have returned to their home at Timaru after a short visit, to Christchurch.

Mr and Mrs Sutherland (Timaru) arrived in town yesterday, and are staying at the Clarendon. Mrs Hislop, of Geraldirie, is visiting Christchurch, her son being in the Expeditionary Force encamped here. Miss Margaret Lund and her sister, Miss Katherine Lund (Christchurch) are spending -a holiday in Wellington. Miss Gibson, Principal: of the Christchurch Girls' High School, is spending the latter part of her holidays in the north.

Miss Daisy Jerome and her mother, who returned from the South this week, were passengers to Wellington last night, from whence they proceed to Melbourne.

Miss F. A. Livingstone, M.A., of the New Plymouth Girls', High School, arrived in Wellington on Thursday from the south, where she spent the vacation. Mrs Lindo Ferguson (Dunedin), who has been staying in Auckland, arrived in Wellington on Thursday, where she will spend a few days before, returning south.

Mr H. Chadwiek, late manager of the Opera. House, and Mrs Chadwiek, left for Wellington last night, en route for Australia, where they will remain until the Opera House is re-opened.

... Mrs Blunt took a concert party, consisting of the Misses Parsons, A 'Court, and Phillips, Messrs T. Charters and Monteith, to Lyttelton on Thursday night, where they gave the usual weekly, entertainment in connection with the King George V. Institute. Thcro was a large-attendance oi seamen and frtenda, by whom tho entertainment was mucb appreciated..

When the New Zealand Expoditisma«ry Force,, on its way to Samoa, called at Suva, it discovered there several New Zealandero awaiting tne incoming q£ Rome chance steamer to take' them back io their own country. Among them were Mr and Mrs Joseph Studholme, Mic3 Boyle, and Miss Grigg, of Canterbury; Mr and Mis 3 Caldwell, of Auckland; Nurse Willis, of Wellington; and Mrs Morris, wifo of the Secretary of toe General Post Office, Wellington.

Miss Gertrude Lowthian Bell has published a most interesting account of a journey she mado a short time ago through the desert lands of Arabia. Miss B<*M, vho has gained renown in her wen* of exploration and identification of ane'ent temples and cities, is also the of some remarkable books relating to her travels, of which the journey thrt»agh Arabia proved one of the most

, WEDDINGS.

A wedding of interest to a wide circle was celebrated -at St.~~ John's Church, Waiau, on Thursday afternoon, when Mr Peter E. Dunbar, second son of Mr P. Dunbar, of Mount Highfield, was married to Miss Helena Myrtle Derrett, third daughter of Mr Thomas Derrett, Waiau. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. T. Smith, Miss Marr presiding at the, organ. The church was beautifully decorated with flowers and ferns by some of the lady friends of the bride. The bride, who was given away by her father, wore a dainty dress of crepe de chine, trimmed with silk lace and pearls, and completed with a beautiful veil of embroidered tulle and crown of orange blossoms. The bridesmaids were Miss Mona Douglas, niece of the bride, and Miss Annie Webster, niece of the bridegroom. They were dressed alike, in white silk crdpe dresses, trimmed with lace and pale blue silk sashes, and mob caps to match, with forget-me-nots. The flower-girls were Misses Alice Douglas and Freda Derrett, nieces of the bride. They wore pale blue crepe, and cream snoods with bunches.of violets, instead of bouquets. The bridegroom was accompanied by his brother, Mr A. Dunbar, as best man. After the ceremony, which was witnesesd by a large number of friends (the capacity of the church proving totally inadequate), an adjournment was made to the Coronation Library, where a party of guests, numbering about seventy, was entertained at a wedding .test; in honour of the occasion. The follbwmg toasts were proposed:— "The Bride and Bridegroom" by Rev. T. Smith, responded to by Mr P. Dunbar. /'The Bridesmaids," by Mr H. Crampton, responded to by Mr A. Dunbar. "Parents of the Bride and Bridegroom,' ' by Rev. J. Nixon, responded to by Mr T. Derrett, jun., and

Mr.A. Dunbar. Mr C. Derrett proposed '' The Guests,'' which was responded to by Mr K. Pettigrew. v Mrs T. Derrett, mother of the bride, wore black brocaded satin and black plumed hat, while Mrs P. Dunbar, mother of the bridegroom, wore a grey costume, with black tulle scarf, and black hat with tangerine mount. Among the guests present were: Mrs and Miss Mason, Mrs and Miss Lyford, Rev. and Mrs Smith, Rev. and Misses Nixon, Misses Rutherford, Mesdames- Bland, Webster, and Watt, and. Miss Watt. The bride, on leaving for the wedding tour, wore a stylish navy blue costume and Tuscan straw hat. The bride received many handsome presents, including several cheques, also a handsome dinner service and eiderdown quilt from the Anglican Church congregation, a tea service and inscribed silver tray from the Presbyterian congregation, and a nice clock from. the' Sunday school children. In the evening a dance was held in the Coronation Hall, and about 150 were prese'rtt. A very popular wedding was solemnised at the Methodist Church, Oh oka, on Thursday, when Mr Arthur T. Giles was married to Miss Ethelwyn Ann Skevington. Both the families represented, it. may be >.! mentioned, were amongst the earliest settlers in-North Canterbury. The \ bride was gbwned in a beautiful white duchesse satin dress, with '■• embroidered''"tulle veil and wreath of orange, blossoms. She carried an exquisite bouquet of choice white flowers and was attended by two bridesmaids and twd flower girls. The two former were. Miss H. Giles and Miss Merrin, who were tastefully dressed in lilac silk. They carried floral crooks instead of bouquets. Miss Joy Skevington and Miss Ina McLelland were the flower girls. The wedding was fully choral, the bride having been for years organist of the church. Rev. J. T. Martin officiated. About 250 guests were subsequently entertained at a reception at "Woodlea, " the residence of the bride's parents, and speeches appropriate to the occasion were made by several of the guests. Mr and Mrs Giles left by motor car for their honeymoon trip afterwards, the bride travelling in a smart navy serge costume.

WORKING FOR THE OVERSEAS POOR.

WHAT CANTERBURY WOMEN ARE DOING. Specially written for THE SUN. The depot for the Women's Committee that working for the relief of the poor of Great Britain, Ireland, and Belgium is- now properly established in Gloucester Street, and the members are getting well into the swing of work. The writer paid a visit there yesterday, and found it a very busy place, indeed. A mountain of parcels and " packages banked itself up against the wall outside the door, and the two rooms which comprise the depot were stacked with more parcels. In the inner room a couple of committee members were doing their heroic best to cope with the tide of wearing apparel that flowed in; they were opening and sorting and classing the different articles in a thorough and systematic manner. In the outer office was Mrs Pratt, the secretary, who seemed to be doing about half-a-dozen things at once, and doing them remarkably well. The work that the committee have undertaken is a gigantic one, and the demands it is making on their strength and energy and resourcefulness are by no means light. Their plan is to purchase materials and make clothing, which will be sent to England, to the Prince of Wales Fund, for distribution amongst the poor of Great Britain, Ireland, and Belgium. They are also receiving donations of clothing, hats, etc., for the same object, and as the things come in they are sorted and classed, and packed ready for shipment. The next move is to store them in Pyne and Co.'s rooms until there is a chance to send them across the water. The committee have spent the £SOO donation from the "Violet Day" Fund on blankets, and a similar amount from the men's relief fund for

the same purpose, so that they will be able .to send no less than a thousand pounds' worth of blankets to England: It is hoped that they will be dispatched by the first troopship that sails, so that they will reach the Home Land as a Christmas gift from Canterbury. Quantities of articles of wearing apparel have been received, but great quantities are still needed. Great Britain, and Ireland, and Belgium—its, a big area to cover, and grim winter stands at the doorways of each land. A battalion of sewing bees are getting under way, and every stitch that they are able to put in will be needed. However, it is good to see how nobly they are rising to the occasion, and how eager everyone is to help in this big work that the women of Canterbury have so bravely undertaken. During the short time the writer was at the depot Mrs Pratt interviewed a big number of callers, all eager to help. One woman wanted a large quantity of material to make up; another brought a gift of ■ slightly-worn clothes;. another wanted some wool with which to knit stockings. '' I want it for several qld ladies that I know," she said. "They are past sewing and stitching, but they can sit by the fire and knit, and'it gives them pleasure to think that they are doing something for the relief of the suffering at Home."

To sit by the fire and knit! 'Tis the share of women all the world over—;

"Two plain, purl two. It's little else a woman can do, ' But bear sons> and Watch them grow, Till marching out of her life they go. Turn, slip, then the heel, Out of sorrow comes haply weelj But fair times are far. away, And there 's many, that weep for their men to-day!" Many a .little bit of human history comes to light as the bundles are opened and their contents sorted.

"Come and have a look at this," of the committee said softly, as the string of a package and rerealed'lti contents. Folded in a warm, whifejjj woolly shawl was a set of tiny tniifi| garments, so beautifully worked, ,|si pathetically unworns The' dainty fcfti ribbons that laced the little jacket well fresh and crisp, and a faint odouriJl camphor clung round the parcel. Paxfj of the outfit, evidently of some bar|jj who had never lived long enough wear it, and so the mother had parted with her treasures so that soml other woman's baby should go clad. The committee workers refolded the garments with tender hands, foil human hearts are full of warmth an|[ sympathy still, for all that we. may pre| tend to the contrary, and respond to tfil one touch of Nature that makes thS '■ - *al whole world kin as readily to-day' an ever they did, thanks be! '.*"% So the work of the depot goes on. if; is open for the reception of parcels ~aw% for other business daily from 2 until 5| and on Saturdays from 10 until 12;3p| The greatest credit is due to" th|l women of Canterbury for the splendtlf effort they are making in this conne'tp tion in the name of suffering humanitjr' overseas. S.I.R. l\