SOCIETY.

Observer, Volume 9, Issue 532, 2 March 1889, Page 8

SOCIETY.

[Society items of all kinds will be welcome for insertion in this column. All eoruinnnications should be addressed, " Society Rditor, Observer anu Free Lance," and should reich this office not later than Monday mornin in each weei. J

.—Extraordinary run on orange blossoms. Another engagement is announced between a young Eemuera lady and a gentleman resident of ihe Grafton district.

— One of the most enjoyable moonlight excursions ever made at the Thames came off the ■other evening, when about 75 ladies and gentlemen visited Kauaeranga in five small boats. Fruit and light refreshments were dispensed, and the whole party thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

— Surprise parties are gaining ground in Auckland, and will soon be the rage. On Monday night the residence of Miss Kilpatriek, one of the members of the Tabernacle Church choir, was invaded by a merry host; of unexpected guests, whose object was the presentation of a dinner service to their impromptu hostess on the occasion of her approaching marriage. The souvenir was presented by Mr Blakey, the conductor, on fo ehalf of the members of the choir. — An Upakongaro correspondent writes : — The Upakongaro Mutual Imps disported themselves in a dancing bout on Friday last. The music, which was rendered by Messrs Gower and Armstrong, was all that could bo desired, and the floor was in perfect order. The refreshments were excellent. Some neat and very pretty dresses were worn by the ladies present. ' Mrs Thursfcow looked very pretty in a handsome pink satin and cream lace ; the Misses Brown looked very handsome in cardinal with white trimmings ; Miss Gilmour looked charming in white and pale blue ; Miss Cronin looked very graceful in white. So much for an enjoyable dance. —A grand social took place in the Mt. Hobaon Hall on Friday the Bth, writes a correspondent, under the auspices of the newly-formed Parnell and Remuera Union, and was a decided success. The music was supplied by the McComish Family (3) and was splendid. Mr G. H. Nixon, the energetic secretary, fulfilled the office' of M.C., and opened the evening's fun with a Grand March, which was accomplished in Al style ; 18 danoes and games at intervals were indulged in and a grand night's fun, for which the Committee deserve credit, was concluded shortly after 2 a.m. They intend holding 1 a grand fancy dress ball shortly, and I wish them every success. At the above 28 couples were present. — .Several members of St. Andrew's choir on melody bent gave a capital concert at Gladstone Hall, Northcote, on Wednesday evening, in aid of the building fund of the Presbyterian church shortly to rise its domes in the marine districts, already famous for its sweet resourses. There was a liberal attendance. Mr J. Earhcr filled the chair, and Mr H. Culpan acted as conductor. The programme teemed with good things, which were done more than justice to by the several performers. The intervals were filled by the distribution of peaches, bananas, etc., amongst the audience. Altogether the choir are to be congratulated on the success of their musical venture. — The ordinary social at the Burns Ciub, held on Thursday evening, was a most enjoyable one. The event of the entertainment was a lecture by Mr John Blackmail on Robert Niccol, Scotland's second Burns. The lecturer was listened to with interest, and loudly applauded. .During the evening Sandy's reputation as a musical genius was upheld by the following ladies and gentlemen : Mrs Angus opened the ball with a pianoforte solo, her selection being highly approved of by the audience. Mr Lankham followed with ' Scotland Yet,' going through his vocal evolutions with great skill and artistic taste, Mies Glover discoursed on 'Ye Banks and Bio.es ' vocally in a manner which elicited loud applause. Mrs Clark sang ' There's a Secret ' with great sweetness. Mrs Lyel was very happy in 'Kelvin Grove.' The gem of the programme was ' Flora McDonald's Lament,' by Miss lVLoncur. The remaining items were contributed with good effect by Mr Lankham, who pathetically described the agonies of ' Courtin' Time,' and recited two poems by Robert Niccoi. A Coromandel correspondent writes : — A very successful concert and dance took place in the Caledonian Hall.on Monday, 18th., under the auspices of the C.R.V. Band, to raise funds for Sergt, Legge, who was recently injured in the Kapanga mine. The room was fairly filled by an appreciative audience. Capt. Gatland was in his usual place as chairman. A lengthy programme was gone through, the following ladies and gentlemen taking part:— Misses MoCormiek, Gibbs, Ring, Marshall, and Mrs McGuire, Messrs Atterbury, Montgomery, Simpson, Wattling and Captain Gatland. The Band, under Bandmaster French, played the opening pieces. The Glee Club deserve credit for two selections. Miss Gibbs also deserves special mention for her rendering of Massa's m The Cold, Cold Ground.' As soon as the musical part of the programme was over the hall was cleared and dancing begun, Mr R C Campbell officiating as M.C. The music was supplied by the band, Messrs T. Warner (accordian) T Moore (flute) and Dr Atterbury (piano). A goodly number of the fair sex stayed to enjoy •themselves^ dancing, mashing, or otherwise. About 3 o'clock the people began to disperse after having spent an enjoyable time. ' — The concert given in the Ponsonby Baptist Church in aid of the organ fund was a success musically and vocally. The honours of the evening were scored by Mr Taylor, the popular basso, whose rendering of 'Anchored' was without doubt the gem of the programme. An -enthusiastic encore was accorded _ to this vocal treat, the favourite amateur retiring blushing under the weight of public applause. The Misses Withy made a decided hit in the vocal duet, ' I Heard a Voice.' The voices blende-i ir charming harmony. Both ladies are gifted with sweet, rich voices, and artistic power of expression. Tlu> number was also honoured with an undeniable •encore, the same mark of favour being likewise bestowed on a violin selection, ' Cuckoo Solo,'

played in splendid style by a pupil of one of the public schools. Miss Phillips gave ' "When You and I Were Young ' with good effect. Mr Taylor's second song, ' True till Death,' brought down the house. (Destruction policy settled with ready promptitude by cheque within an hour by the great ' Plausible Office.) The rest of the melodious banquet comprised delightful entrees served by Mr H. Wells, overture ' Tancredi ' ; solo. l Life'is a River,' Mr Blakey ; solo, 'To the Woods,' Miss Withy ; recitation, ' Edinburgh after Modden,' Mr Howard Hatkvn ; solo, ' Where is Heaven ' (the sob of the Benedict), Mrs Learning (a charming number) ; duet, 1 The Sea of Glass,' Misses Withy ; Chorus, under the conduotorehip of Mr W. H. Newton, With Fair Ceres ' (Bellini) ; ' Here in 000 l Giot and ' Little Boy Blue,' cboir. The Misses Stewart, A. Dewar, B. Withy. Messrs H. Wells and Newton filled the role of accompanists with marked efficiency.

—•There was a sound of revelry by day. A gorgeous equipage, drawn by gallant chargers, and surmounted by gilt horns and ' a banner with a strange device,' and having as its occupants Hunter's band in all the glory of black, red, and silver, wended its way through the uncrowded thoroughfares, to the accompaniment of inspiriting music, heralding to all whom it might concern the advent of the annual jollification of the butcher brotherhood. At 9 o'clock the noble p.s. Victoria left the wharf with a crew of five hundred jovial souls, bent on making the most of their holiday. An hour afterwards the magnificent ferryboat Osprey followed, fairly packed with Knights of the Order of the Beef, with their wives, daughters, and sweethearts. Both steamers were bound for Tamaki, at which place they disgorged their living freight, who ere long, under the shadow of the trees, refreshed the inner man by partaking of lunch. A huge marquee graced the ground, presided over by Mr Thos. McEwan, under whose wing were gathered a host of toothsome delicacies, of which those who would might freely partake. During the afternoon yet another load were conveyed to the scene of picnicing to witness the sports, which were immensely successful. Great interest was manifested in the race for single ladies, won by Miss Richardson ;_ Miss Smith, 2nd. Mrs Taylor came off victorious in the married ladies' iace, Mrs Fergusson coming in a good second. The return trip was made under most auspicious circumstances. The committee, to whose indefatigable zeal the success of the outing was due, included Messrs Ti. Hellaby, Hume, Fentcn, Briggs, Lincoln, Fisher, Lumpkin, Sandall, Bond, Robertson, Avenal, R. S. Briggs, Collings, Langley, Neilson, Garrett, and Hopkins.

— The farewell concert to Miss Otic Chew, an event which has been looked forward to with interest in Auckland musical circles, eventuated on Thursday evening in the Choral Hall. Sometime before the hour fixed for opening a large crowd assembled intent on availing themselves of the opportunity of bidding the talented child violinist farewell. The building was crowded,sitting accommodation being unattainable by many even the ante-room hsld a good audience. The concert, which was under the patronage of Mrs Fairfax, opened with Francke's overture ' Die Ballet an Tcrhnien,' by the ladies' orchestra. The fair instrumentalists were hardly so successful as on their first appearance, manifest unsteadiness and want of harmony marring the beauty of the theme. Mr Hoskins then sang ' Come Into the Garden Maud,' with success seldom attending an amateur. Tins number was followed by a pianoforte duat by the Misses C. Wright and Otic Chew. In this effort the young he act' ciare proved herself lacking somewhat in talent. The gem of the concert was undoubtedly the vocal dunt, ' II Trovatore ' (Verdi), by Mrs .Bahnson and Mr S. Jackson, Mrs Bahnson's .share of the music being especially well rendered ; tho voices blended 'exquisitely. Loud applause greeted this. The audience, ignoring the bows of the duettists, insisted on an encore. Next came Miss Chew's 'cello solo. lLa Traviata,' which was played with masterly skill ami tenderness of expression, showing the yonv.g musician to be possessed of thorough command over her instrument. Mr B. S. Abel's rich voice filled the building with melody m Pinsnti's ' Oueen of Earth.' The popular amateur was never lieard to greater advantage. A vake, ' Vergiss Meinnicht' (Francke), by the ladies' orchestra, brought the first part of the programme to a close. The second part opened with a gavotte of Eehfield, by the orchestra. The instrumentalists showed in its performance a marked want of practice. The instruments did not keep well together, and were very much out of tune. Mr T. Jackson followed with ' The death of Nelson, 'which he sang exquisitely, paying attention to the expression jand attacking the pathetic passages with great feeling. With a pure rich tenor voice such as this gentleman possesses, he shoulcl make a mark for himself in the musical world. Next came the event of tho evening, the appearance of the child violinist. As she was led on to the stage a storm of applause greeted her. After bowing right and left without an iota of embarrassment, Miss Otic Chew followed an unsuccessful attempt to arrange her music on tho stand by playing the selection from memory. Her attitude, her marvellous memory, the beautiful timbre produced from her instrument bespeak a grand future for ' the infant TTrso.' At the conclusion she was showered with bouquets and unbounded applause, whereupon the little violinist returned and played ' Home, Sweet Home,' with such thrilling tenderness that the large audience sat spell-bound. Mrs Lahnson then sang a serenade of Wekerlin, in French, her rendering of the solo showing her splendid voice to the greatest advantage. It was encored, and the fair cantatrice responded by singing part of the ' Last Rose ol Summer.' Miss Seeve, conductor of the orchestra, followed with a pianoforte solo (Chopin), in which the young lady proved herself possessed of great musical talent. The brilliancy of her execution and the sensitiveness of her touch showed her true artistic feeling. In the march ' Heavenward ' the ladies orchestra scored their best effort, the inorceau being played in excellent style. The concert, one of the most successful of its kind held in Auckland, concluded with the National Anthem by the orchestra. Professor Sohmitt was musical director, Miss Harding accompanist ; Miss Eeeve conductor of orchestra, Miss Otic Chew leader. Mrs Chew and Miss Otic Chew leave by the Mararoa on Thursday en route for Lyttleton, at which place they join the S S. Doric.

— Paddy Lane, a witness at the Parnell Commission, made two genuine bulls. He said ' he would rather be a coward for five minutes than be a dead man all the rest of his life,' and speaking of his assailant Kavangah, he said, ' I won't say anything hard of him. If he has done wrong, I leave it to his own conscience and God to play the divil with him.'