THE SOCIAL ROUND

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 228, 30 October 1914, Page 4

THE SOCIAL ROUND

- • The Misses Tripp (2) are staying at Mrs W, Stead arrived in Christchurch from the north yesterday. Mrs P. Holmes and family have been •pending some time at Sumner. Miss Russell has returned to Wellington from a visit to relatives in Christchurch. Mr and Mrs C. H. Elisor have returned /to* White Rock after a short visit to Christchurch. Mrs Russell (Christchurch) is at pre- ' sent the guest of her daughter, Mrs G. R. M'Rae, Island Hills. Mrs Townsend has returned to her house on Park Terrace after a prolonged visit to Hanmer Spings. • Miss Macfarlane and Miss Stubbs have returned to Kaiwara after spending a few days in Christchurch. Mr and Mrs A. E. G. Rhodes, who have been in AVellington for a few days/ returned to Christchurch yesterday. A social under the auspices of the Theosophieal Sdciety was held last svening, and an enjoyable programme of musical items was submitted. Mrs A. Boyle, whose husband is president of the Riccarton Tennis Club, will "be hostess at a tea to-morrow-afternoon, on the occasion of the Ric-earton-St. Albans match. A Sydney exchange reports that Miss Pember Reeves, the pretty daughter of Maoriland 's ex-High Commissioner in London, has been mentioned in dispatches, so, to speak, for a fine book j entitled "A Lady and Her Husband." This is her. second effort. Miss Reeves ■was born in the Dominion, but was educated principally at' Kensington' High School, and Newnhanu ,

Miss Tritton, daughter of the world's president of the Y.'W.CA., has actually been engaged in England enlisting men as soldiers, and Miss Heard (national president) remarked, as.she said goodbye to Miss Barnes (Australasian secretary for,the association): "I suppose next time you hear from - me you will learn that I have been patrolling the bridges." Miss Heard was staying at Undercliffe with her brother, Dr Heard, who has gone to the war. , So many of the men of England are at the-war that Miss Barnes thinks it will be necessary

fvr the women to take on patrol work. Already some English-women doctors are attending. to the. wounded in France. A woman's hospital unit, .organised and equipped -by the leading medical women in Great Britain, was ' acceptcl by the French Bed Cross Socieity, and asked to start for France at i -ce to take charge of a hospital. The unit consists of women surgeons, anaesthetists, dressers; trained nurses, and A

few male orderlies. . All the members of ** this unit are giving their services voluntarily, J «o that the -whole -sum collected by the women doetors may be spent upon the sick and wounded. Those New. Zealanders. who have known and loved the wonderful Louvre ib Paris Yi ill be interested to hear that its priceless treasures are being well- . guarded in anticipation of aerial bombs. At the time of the Franco-Prussian war the Venus of Milo was walled up in a subterranean niche, and she is now enclosed in a steel room.. The famous Winged Victory js sheltered behind Leavy iron plates, and the recovered La Gioeonda smiles in obscurity. The Grecian Hall, which contains the masterpieces of Phidras, is protected by sacks filled with earth against any aerial at- ' tack. The upper storeys of the Louvre, with their glass roofs, have been turned oito hospitals, and the flag of the Red Jross protects the works which.remain . there. \ To cope with.'the distress which must veeuroin London in the coming winter, working girls have .been provided with a new dining centre, vhere from a penny to fivepence they ian get an excellent meal, as far removed from the dangerous "meat and tea" affair of cheap restaurants as possible. For a penny those' who - have eokl meat over from Sunday, can add to it, pudding, sheese, and jam, together with a drink. Sir Victor Horsley remarked at the annual meeting of the Society for the State Registration of' Nurses, -held recently in Londonj that it was not for the selfish aggrandisement of nurses, , Wt for the good of the, people, that the registration of nurses was demanded. When he said people he referred to the moderately poor people, who would be especially benefited by the provision- of » large army of registered nurses, for the rieh would always be in a position 'to secure the best attendance, and the very poor were provided for by the hospitals with their trained nurses. Writing of stories arising from the casualty lists, the '' Australasian'' tells the following relating to the young Lieutenant Xavier de Castelnau:—The - lad was the youngest of the six sons of General de Castelnau. He and all his brothers served in the French Army During the fighting at Charleroi, General Castelnau was dictating orders

when an officer hurried in. "What is it?" asked the General, turning round. '' Sir,'' said the. officer, '' your son Xavier has been killed by a bullet hi the forehead while attacking the enemy, who were repulsed." General Castelnau remained silent for a few moments, then, turning to his staff, he said, '' Gentlemen, let us continue.' r And he resumed the dictation of his orders. This was the action of a noble man. But what of the mother? Madame de Castelnau had retired to a house in the south. When the news of Xavier's death reached the chateau, it was decided to entrust the parish priest with the task of breaking the news. Madame was in the habit of attending mass every morning. When she approached she noticed the priest's distress and shaking hand. Thinking always of her husband and her six sons, she asked the simple question, "Which?" Mrs Newmarch, an Englishwoman, has done a great deal to popularise and interpret Russian music to her own countrymen. She has lately published a remarkable book, "The .Russian Opera." As Mrs Newmarch is intimately acquainted with the main critics and composers of the Russian musical renaissance, she is well qualified to do justice to a subject of which the outer world knows very little. Tlie war has already affected fashions in" London. 1 One shop is showing women's golf jackets made o*f khaki, and trimmed with "tricolour" edging. Khaki scarves of both silk and "wool are also to be trimmed in this way.' A veil has just one figuration in the centre of each cheek —a tiny aeroplane. Then for men there are khaki and triedloured ties and khaki shirts.