VANITY FAIR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 306, 27 December 1937, Page 2

VANITY FAIR

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL Miss Stanford, Wicksteed Street Craves to-day on a visit to Hamilton' | Miss Galloway, of McGruer's staff, ' is spending the holidays at Gisborne. : Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Cuthbertson , will leave to-day for Rotorua. ’ Mrs. and Miss Preshaw, of Welling- ■ ton, are staying in Wanganui. * * * * , Mrs. A. Haworth is a Wanganui ■ visitor to Auckland. ' Mrs. A. F. Woollams, Durie Hill, is | holidaying at Taupo. I Miss D. Turner, Wanganui, is spend- ' ing the holidays at Auckland. - Mr. and Mrs. R. Boyd, Wanganui. ; are spending the holidays in the Main ■■ Trunk district. • • • ♦ J Mr. and Mrs. O. Wilson and family, of Wanganui, are holidaying at Auckland. Miss C. Stanford, Wicksteed Street, leaves to-day for Wellington. The Misses D. and I. Soeburg, Gonville, are motoring to Auckland this week. Mrs. C. R. Morton, Victoria Avenue, is staying with her daughter, Mrs. R. S. Lilburn, Mangamahu. Miss Z. Boyd is visiting Palmerston North. Mrs. A. Jones, of Brunswick, is holidaying at Castlecliff. Mrs. N. Lyth, Wanganui, has taken a house at Opunake for the holidays. | Mrs. Sydney Collier, Wanganui, is I visiting New Plymouth for the ChristI mas holidays. Mr. and Mrs. Claud Green and family, Taranaki, are the guests of Mrs. E. B. Cooke, the Avenue, Wanganui. Miss Betty Franklyn, of Inglewood, I arrived in Wanganui on Christmas I Eve to spend the Christmas holidays. Miss Phyllis Taylor, leaves to-mor-row for Waverley, to spend a week’s holiday as the guest of Miss N. Lupton at the Waverley beach. Miss Ngaire King, Wellington, is spending the Christmas and New Year holidays at Wanganui.

■ Mr. and Mrs. Barnard Wingfield, ■ Miramar, arrived in Wanganui ’on ■ Friday evening to spend a fortnight’s ■ holiday. I i Mr. and Mrs. R. G. Taiboys and ■ family, Wicksteed Street, leave to-day g to spend several weeks at the seaside B ; residence at Kai Iwi. I Mr and Mrs Reg. F. Boxland and ] their little daughter Anne, left on I Christmas Day for Auckland, where [ they will be the guests of Mr and Mrs 1 J. Lorigan, Mount Eden. £? Miss J. Taiboys, of the nursing staff | of the Wanganui Public Hospital, is & spending her annual leave with her ;f parents at Paeroa and later at The d Mount, Tauranga. s. • • « • d Lady Cherry was a passenger on d the Ormond as far as Sydney, where ° she broke her journey. She will visit “ I New Zealand next year. J i Miss Audrey Rowe, of Auckland, is I spending the Christmas holidays in r Wanganui as the guest of Miss Joan n ; Willis, College Street. j _ * a i Miss Madge Svenson, Gonville, N ! leaves to-day for Gisborne to spend t ! a holiday with her sister, Mrs Cur- | tayn*. WEDDING MAKS HA LL—-G OULD A wedding of interest to residents of Taihape was celebrated at St. Stephen’s Church, Marton, recently, 1 when Marjoiie Josephine, second daughter of Mr A. J. Gould and the late Mrs Gould, Marton, was married, - i to William Frederick, son of Mr and | Mrs H. J. Marshall, of Masterton, and ■ j formerly of Mataroa. Rev. W. Raine I officiated at the ceremony, and Miss ' L. Deighton at the organ. j Entering the church with her i father, the bride looked charming in i a gown of ivory lace redingote over | satin. Her flowing tulle veil, which j was worn over the face, was held to I the head with a coronet of orange i blossoms. A shower bouquet of I Christmas lilies, white stock and as- ■ paragus fern completed a charming

■ ensemble. i The bridesmaid was Miss Vyvienne Wilkinson, who was wearing an attractive American frock of white chiffon patterned with held flowers of colourful design. Her white picture hat was trimmed to tone and she carried a bouquet of roses and carnations. Mr J. Hastie was best man. I The reception was held at the resij dence of Mr and Kirs F. P. Gould, [ Miss M. Gould receiving the guests attired in a smart frock of bronze georgette redingote over honey-gold flat crepc. She held a posy of goldcoloured roses. The bridegroom’s mother chose a brown georgette ensemble and she held a dainty posy of autumn-tinted flower’. When Mr and Mrs Marshall left on a motor tour of the Lakes District, the bride was wearing a neat bottlegreen ensemble with accessories to tone..

f Mr and Mrs W. Meikle and their | son, Mr Roy Meikle, leave to-day to > spend a holiday in Auckland. i • . . . i Miss Avril Cool<e is spending tile Christmas holidays with her parents Mr and Mrs E. B. Cooke, the Avenue, Wanganui. * * ♦ * Mr and Mrs Roy Walker, Remuera, Auckland, and Mr Fred Walker, of Hamilton, arrived in Wanganui last week-end to spend the Christmas holidays with Mrs E. Sheppard, No. 3 Line. I .... Visitors Io Wanganui to-day for the Carde Hoar wedding will include Mrs J. Sutherland, of Napier; Mr and Mrs B. Giblin, Lower Hutt; Mr and Mrs J. D. Fife, Wellington; Mr and Mrs W. Brown, Pahiatua; Mr and Mrs F. Carter, New Plymouth; Miss B. Louis, Khandallah. Miss Anne Renshaw, grand-daugh-ter of Sir Harold Beauchamp, who is visiting New Zealand with Mr and Mrs J. R. Rooper and their daughter, Shirley, is due in Wellington on January 3. During their stay in Wellington the Misses Renshaw and Rooper will stay with Sir Harold and Lady 1 Beauchamp. Miss Joyce Lamont, formerly of the Southland High School, has been appointed sports mistress at the Wanganui Girls’ College in place of Miss J. Patterson, who has resigned to be married. Miss Lamont is a tennis enthusiast and is well-known in the south as a champion on the tennis courts. Miss Patterson, before leaving for Auckland, was farewelled by staff and pupils of the college and was the recipient of a gift. Quite unique in her methods of presentation of ideas is Miss Gwen Hughes, of Melbourne, a passenger on board the Ormond, which arrived last week. Five years ago Miss Hughes left Australia for England and Central Europe, to study her favourite topic—diet, and the methods of presenting information to people who are often more interested in spending their money on pleasures than on good food. By a series of little domestic plays, each with a serious gastronomic moral. Miss Hughes has instructed the poorer people of Melbourne in right food values. While in England she carried on the good work. Resting each year by studying different subjects, Miss Hughes spent four months of every summer in Europe studying music and folk-lore.

Birthday Party. Celebrating her eighteenth birthday a number of friends of Miss Jean Penberthy gathered at the residence of her parents, Mr and Mrs A. Penberthy, at Gonville, on Wednesday evening. A programme of games and competitions made the time pass quickly, and a most enjoyable time was spent by all. The M.C. was Mr A. J. Penberthy. With Miss Z. Bustard at the piano daacing was enjoyed by the guests. Following a delicious supper a toast to Miss Penberthy was proposed by her father, and she replied in suitable fashion. With the singing of “Auld Lang Syne” the happy function drew to a close. Among those present were: Mrs A. Penberthy; Misses T. Ball, N. Ball, Z. Bustard, H. Smith, N. Penberthy, J. Penberthy, I. Penberthy, B. Winkler, P. Mulholland; Messrs A. H. Penberthy, D. Ball. A. J. Penberthy, R. Gilbertson, N. Brown, M. Scott, C. Harper, R. Orr, L. Corby, and E. Gilbert.

HITHER AND THITHER Druids’ Hall To-night (Boxing Night), Monday, a grand carnival dance will be held in the Druids’ Hall from 8 till ? Special Christmas hampers are to be won and Monte Carlos, streamers, balloons and novelties, together with an excellent dance programme of oldtime and modern dances, will assure all patrons of an enjoyable night’s entertainment. Relic Returned A wonderful relic has gone back to England after having been in Germany for over 200 years—a jewel casket that was formerly the property of Queen Mary the wife of William 11. The casket is thought to have passed into the possession of the Prussian royal house during the life-time of Sophia Dorothea, wife of George I. and it has recently been housed in the famous Schloss Museum in Berlin. Measuring 18in. long and 9iin. high, the casket is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington. Origin of an Old Custom How many of us know when we are busy picking out Christmas cards for our friends that the origin of this custom began in England many years ago, from the habit on Christmas morning of calling “A Merry Christmas” from the window to one’s neighbours and friends? Later it became the fashion for the people to write to one another congratulatory letters on religious and festival days. This practice led to the Christmas card piroper, which was started by Joseph Cundall, a London artist, in 1846, who issued a card printed in lithography and coloured by hand. It was not until 1862 that the custom began to gain any foothold with the public. Experiments were made with cards of the size of an ordinary visiting card, inscribed simply with “A Merry Christmas” and “A Happy New Year.” A few' years later, robins, holly branches, embossed figures, and landscapes were added.

Pioneer of Women’s Movement Louise Popelin, who has just died in

Belgium in her eighty-sixth year, was a sister of Marie Popelin, the wellknown pioneer of the women’s movement in Belgium and the first Belgian woman who passed her examinations for the Bar. She herself graduated in pharmaceutics at a time when no woman student was to be found at a Belgian university, and she opened a chemist's shop right in the heart of old Brussels. Rue Notre-Dame-au-Bois. A feminist, with heart and soul. Louise Popelin took an active share in the work of her eminent sister, who became the first President of the young Belgian National Council of Women in 1905. Together with her and in the company of other prominent Council workers such as Madame Soyer, a member of the board for many years, and Mdlle Leonie La Fontaine, the ardent and militant, pacifist who was to preside over the work of the Council's Peace Committee for more than three decades, she attended the quinquennial meeting of the International Council of Women in Toronto in 1909. With her one of the foreground figures of the “heroic” times of Belgian feminism has passed away.

HOLIDAYS

WHEN THEY WERE KAKE Holidays are taken as a matter of course in these modern days, and while millions of people all over the world have the right and the means to take a holiday every year, it was not always so. One writer tells us that theffe were holidays in the Middle Ages called pilgrimages. But omy the wealthy few went on them, two or three times in their lives. A 'holiday” of this kind in Palestine cost the western traveller £l5O to £2OO. A pilgrims’ guide-book to the sights ot Rome was issued as early as 625. But modern seaside holidays began about 1750, when a doctor of that time treated his patients for various diseases by dipping them in the sea. The only people who had ever bathed in the sea up to that time were those suffering Irom hydrophobia. Many of the first bathers were offered sympathy by onlookers, who thought they had been bitten by mad dogs. Just about this time Western Europe had a remarkable back-to-naturc movement. Something like our openair movements.

In England the movement took the form ot sea bathing. The gently crowded into small dark lodgings. They stumbled over fishing nets on the shore. They waited lor hours and hours for the use of one of the few bathing machines. The first sea bathers did not swim. An old fishwife took them in her sturdy arms and ducked them. Nevertheless, they were courageous. The bathing was at first said to be most beneficial m winter, and many a high-born damsel was ducked in the icy seas.

Some famous seaside places were founded in the period 1780-182 U.

We read that Weymouth’s fame dated from when the town band played “God Save the King,” as shivering George 111. was ducked beneath the waves. The now famous town of Blackpool then had an ultra-respect-able youth. It is stated that a bell was rung by the town crier at the women’s bathing hour and men in the place were supposed to go indoors and pull down the blinds. As a matter ol fact, some lingered on the shore with telescopes. When housese were first built by the sea they were erected with theii backs to the sea, since no one at that time thought the sea beautiful—only healthful.

The poor people had no holidays at all. Once they had all the Saints days on which to make merry, but these were abolished and the only two holidays left were Christmas Day and Good Friday. It was not until 1871 that a Bill was passed by Parliament establishing the bank holidays we now have. It was a banker who took the first step in this direction, and about twenty years later the official, professional and literary classes took holidays. But after this, and onlyafter this, the middle classes and even some of the working classes were ventured to take holidays of a week or so at the rapidly expanding seaside resorts. Office employees began to get paid holidays at this period and this helped. Such people were the pioneers of a fuller and more varied life. It is slated that in IS9O, London was a city of millions, the majority of whom had never seen the sea; any more than the millions of Chinese have seen the sea to-day. In those days you saw women bathing but never swimming. The day when thousands of brown young bodies should cleave the waves skilfully and not encumbered by garments that resembled nightgowns, was still far off. It was not until post-war days, the days most of us remember, that holidays were taken on the scale and in the way they are now. AVIATOR'S WEDDING FLIGHT TO NEW ZEALAND. LONDON, Dec. 4. The wedding took place very quietly early this morning of FlyingOlliccr A. E. Clouston, Motuc%_, and Miss Elsie Turner, Farnborough. Hants, at the Old Parish Church, Farnborough. Only a few most intimate friends were present. The service was conducted by the Rev. Alan S. Watson. Mr. William Brewer. R.A.F., was best man.

The bride wore a brown mink coat (the gift of the bridegroom) and a cyclamen-coloured frock, with hat, shoes, and gloves of brown. For going away she wore a blue and white speckled tweed costume and a blue hat. Pinned on one of her lapels was a blue and gold R.A.F. badge. Flying-Ollicer and Mrs. Clouston leave to-morrow by car for St. Moritz., Switzerland. They will motor through France, and after staying tor a week or two skiing, intend to drive through Italy. Austria and Germany, and possibly Spain. They expect to be away for a month. In addition to the gift of a mink coat, the bridegroom also presented the bride with a four-seater touring car, which they will use on their travels. The bride's gift was a silvfr model of the Comet in which FlyingOfficer Clouston and Mrs. Betty Kirby-Green made their record flight to and from the Cape.

Future plans are indelinite at the moment, but Flying-Officer Clouston is contemplating flying to New Zealand wilh his wife next year in the Comet in the hope of establishing a new record. His wife has accompanied Flying-Officer Clouston on many of his flights, and in future he has announced that, she is to accompany him on all his record-breaking attempts.