"HUNTLY DAY."

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 253, 28 November 1914, Page 11

"HUNTLY DAY."

THE REIGN OF THE ROSES.

A DAY OF BEAUTY AND COLOUR. From an early hour of this grey and sombre-toned morning the children have been selling flowers in the street for the 'relief of the Huntly sufferers. All yesterday afternoon a fragrant stream of flowers flowed into the Chamber of Commerce, in answer to the jappeal of those who inaugurated the ' ' Huntly Day'' idea, and all the aftcr•noon and until a late hour at night [willing workers sorted and bunched and arranged them into button-holes and sprays and bouquets. As fast as they could be made up—much faster, in fact —the tidal wave continued to flow in, and this morning it took a fresh lease of life, and simply rained flowers. Before eight the workers were on the seene again, and the Chamber of Commerce at this hour was a picture of beauty that must have gladdened the heart of [everyone who saw it.

Great bunches of roses—the queen of flowers —lay in a riot of colour on the benches and in bowls on the floor. Great damask-hearted beauties, velvetpetalled and sweet (like the red, red roses of Monsieur Beaucaire), golden roses deepening to orange in the closely-folded hearts, pure, waxen-white blooms, so fragile that one hesitated to touch them, tiny buds of cream and scarlet and faintest pink. Sweet peas, delicately-tinted and faintly-sweet, pale mauve, and rose, flame-red, and amethyst, carnations with their spicy fragrance, great flaunting peonies, snowy lilies with their hearts of gold —they were all tlrfcre- in glorious confusion, waiting to give themselves to the first purchaser for sweet charity 7 s sake. At about half-past eight a little army of boys and girls issued forth, laden with flower-trays and baskets, to weave a ribbon of colour and fragrance through the heart of the grey town. They were all voide? the supervision of teachers of the various schools, who directed their movements, and,kept;- each .child strictly on his or her own The girls nearly all wore' simple,white, dresses, and, in many eases, 'iincovered heads, and many of the boys Jwere in white suits. Their manners;were perfect, and while,not one, ; as far as the writer could see, allowed an opportunity of selling a bouquet or a buttonhole to' escape, there was an absence of forwardness or boldness that was a very refreshing thing to see. The demeanour of every child was natural ' and unconscious—just, in short, what the demeanour of a child should be, and they proved irresistible to everyone. One of the teachers declared that little/ if any, difficulty was experienced in selling the flowers. "In fact," she said/ "we can never get from the depot to our stand without having half of our flowers sold as we cross the Square." Which just shows, after all, what a love of beauty lies in every oue of us, and what an excellent idea is a flower day in aid of a charitable scheme. The children, in little groups, were distributed all over the town, and were allowed to go, under supervision, into offices and places of business with their flowers. In every place they i found a welcome, and retired from each with diminished stocks and heavier collecting boxes, much to their own satis* faction.

Meantime, in the Chamber of Commerce, donations of flowers continued to come in, and the ladies of the Huutly Committee, the secretaries (Messrs Gilby and Woodham, Miss Hill, members of the Teachers' Association, and many other helpers) were kept hard at work making them up and replenishing the trays ami baskets. There was a fine unity about their efforts that was good to witness, and the result of the flower carnival generally should be a most satisfactory one. Although the weather looked threatening, the rain kept off during the forenoon, and seems disposed to do so for the rest of the day. The conditions otherwise, keeping in mind the preservation of the flowers, could not be better, there being no, wind, dust, or hot sun to wither them/untimely. The following schools contributed helpers::—Addington, Belfast, Christchurch East, Christchureh West, Elmwpod, Somerfield, Sydenham, Wharenui, Sumner, New Brighton, and Marist Bros.

The children will continue to sell all day, and to-night a number of adult workers will make a street collection in aid of the funds.