THE SOCIAL ROUND

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 584, 23 December 1915, Page 4

THE SOCIAL ROUND

'Mr and Mrs A. T. Chapman and Miss M. Chapman have gone to Governor's Bay for the holidays. The ladies responsible for the euchre party in aid of the Catholic Red Cross, on December 8, announce the substantial sum of £32 13/9 as the net proceeds. This is an excellent result. The gross takings were oyer £36, and the only deduction made was the hall hire. Re- ~ freshments,. music, etc., were provided free of cost. ■Miss Ruby Roberts, the Australasian lady billiardist, who visited Christchurch not long ago, is at present in England, where she has.been giving exhibitions .of her skill. During a match with an j 'English amateur, Mr W. G. Williams, it is recorded that an ill-bred mouse made its appearance in the room. Miss Robert 's trained nerve enabled her to laugh at it, upon which, the reporter gravely chronicles, "the marker was so upset that he gave the red ball to Mr Williams to strike and put the white

ball on the spot." The marker, evi- •• dently, could do with, a little nervetraining too-. Yesterday afternoon the Sydenham Free Kindergarten broke-up for the summer holidays. There was a large attendance of pupils, parents, and friends, and the main portion of the afternoon was occupied with a bright little con-

cert by the children, after which Santa IClaus came and presented the gifts with Which a Christmas tree was laden. Refreshments were then served to the little ones and afterwards to the mothers and visitors. An exceedingly enjoyable afternoon, was spent by both adults and children.

'Mrs Hayhurst, "Green Hayes," Temuka, has gone north to spend Christmas with her youngest son in the Waikato. Mrs J. F. Hayhurst and her children arrive in Christchurch to-day to spend the holidays with" their relatives.

Miss Sampson (Wanganui) has come to Christchurch for several weeks' holiday.

Mrs Trevor and Miss Jennings re turned to Ashburton to-day.

Miss Florence Scapens (Scapini), the talented young New Zealand violiniste, who is expected to achieve great things in the world of music some day, has just arrived back in Christchurch from Melbourne. Miss Scapens, although quite a young girl of 17, has achieved considerable success already, and her Press notices are exceptionally glowing. The Sydney "Bulletin" speaks of her as " a young violiniste who has temperament to add to a streak of genius, and who some day should make a big flare in .the world." The "Theatre" also gave her a very good notice after her appearance at Dr W. G. Price's August teoncert. This is an important fixture in the Melboiirne musical world, and yet 'the "Theatre" spoke of Miss Scapens's playing as quite the star item. She toured with a company headed by, Mr Eobert Parker, and was exceedingly successful. Madame Melba, who was present at one of the concerts in "Melbourne, became most enthusiastic about her play-j ing.- She went round to Miss Scapens's dressing room afterwards, and was presented to the young player, and before she left she gave her the roses, she was wearing, and predicted great things for her musical career. Miss Scapens is very .charming to look upon, and the "flashing spark of genius," as the "Theatre" musical critic puts it, gives individuality to all she says and does. Her manner is natural and unspoiled. She only arrived here yesterday from Melbourne, and plans to'; remain in Christchurch for some little time. She will give a concert very shortly, and Christchurch will be glad of the opportunity to judge of her genius for itself. Miss Scapens studied her art in London, where she had the benefit of tuition from the best English and Continental masters.

When this year'ends it will not be regretted, for it will be* numbered amongst the very darkest of the world 'a history. A new year is coming. To the majority the fact means new hope, new life, new chances of happiness. Anticipation is the most powerful of all joys; more keen by far than realisation. And of all seasons this is the only one when only the dull of soul are not moved to anticipate something. All the year we rush through the days, thinking of the future seldom. It is a very good thing to think of it sometimes; not, perhaps, in,terms of high endeavour and limitless ambition, but in the way of making some simple resolution to be something which experience has proved you would be the better for. Aspire to be, by the way; it is far more useful than aspiring to do or to possess. You may fail, but failure is »ever disgraceful, and when the year 1915 is over, and the year 1916 dawns, don't brood over the future, but aspire again.

In some countries, New Year's Day is considered a far more important festival than Christmas. But, after all, why take the deatlr of the old year and the birth of the new so seriously. Both are fictions of the imagination. Only in

imagination does time pass in years. The dawn of the New Year is practicaly like any other dawn, except that we are a little more irritable than usual, after the Christmas holidays. Why grow sentimental over the passing of another year. Every day is an anniversary of a lost year, when you come to think about it. Yet, even to the most callous person, the strike of midnight on the last day of the passing year has a solemn sound, and when one has forgotten one's birthday or refuses to keep it any longer, we feel it impossible to ignore New Year's Day, which may be called the common birthday of all the world. Without being sentimentalists, most of us feel that these symbolic breaks in time are of the greatest value, just as Sundays are of value in break-ing-up the week. Imagine an endless week; worse, imagine, an endless year.

In a number of the "Ladies' Field" which has just arrived there is an interesting article dealing with English woman silversmiths, and reproductions are given of silverware made by woman workers of old times. Woman silversmiths were the makers of a pair of handsome candlesticks, a part of the silver of St. John's College, Cambridge, and of two ewers which are shown, and which form part of a magnificent service of plate made in England for the Empress Elizabeth of Russia, the daughter of Peter the Great. These ewers bear the stamp of Ann Tanqueray, a prosperous goldsmith of the early Hanoverian period. Various pieces of ecclesiastical silver are in existence which act as memorials to the work of women. Often, indeed, these women were the widows of silversmiths, whose business they carried on with the help of skilful workmen and apprentices, but there was frequently collaboration of husband and wife in this, as in other parts, and the work of such collaborators was formed by joining the initials of husband and wife. But in many instances the women were the sole workers and entirely responsible. The specimens of modern art silver work which have been designed and executed by women, pupils of the technical and art schools of England, constitute an excellnet testimony to women's ability in this direction, and as silversmiths and jewellers there is scope for woman artists with the neeessary technical training. The secretary of the Launderers' Association in England has furnished a statement that with :3,0Q0,000 men in the army there are 12,000,000 fewer collars to be dressed each week, and hereby a loss of some £50,000 weekly occurs in the trade. Mere trifles as these linen collars are, yet because they no longer need washing and starching and ironing there is very considerable disorganisation of just those workers who are seldom ,in a position to withstand discontinuity of employment.