THE WEEK IN WELLINGTON

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXV, Issue 11787, 25 September 1913, Page 2

THE WEEK IN WELLINGTON

(By Mrs Malcolm Ross)

September $2nd

About People. . Mrs Henry Blundell left on Friday, en route for Colombo, to visit her daughter. Miss Sim lias gone to Dunedin. She is to be a bridesmaid there next month to Miss Sinclair, daughter of the Hon. J. A. Sinclair, M.L.C. Mrs Jonas, of Taranakt, is visiting her daughter, Mrs Hine, wife of Mr Hine, M.P., who is occupying Mr Henry's house in Wellington for the session. Mrs Malcolm, wire of the Chairman of Committees, has returned to ' Tapanui. Mrs Stead, of Christchurch, was in Wellington, arriving from Napier last week. Miss Daisy Logan, who went to South Africa with her father, has returned, and is staying with her sister, Mrs Henry Hall. Mrs Oldacre, who has been visiting her sister, Mrs Triggs, has returned to Wanganui. Mrs W. D. S. Maedonald, wife of Mr W. D. S. Macdonald, M.P., is at the Hotel Cecil. Mrs J. U. Burns, of Auckland, was staying last week with her mother, Mrs Jameson. The engagement is announced of Miss N. D. Swinburne, youngest daughter of Mr , and Mrs Swinburne, the Terrace, to Mr B. Carter, of the Valuation Department. Another engagement is that of Miss Jessie Ross, only daughter of Mrs Ross, of Wellington, to Mr J. A. McQueen, of the accountants' office, Wellington. Mrs J. D. Gray has gone to Timaru, to stay with the Misses Cocks. Mr and Mrs John Duncan have returned to Picton. Misß Mary Proctor is a guest of Mrs C. G. Adams at the Hutt. Miss Mar chant, daughter of Mr J. W. A. Marchant, has come back after a two years' trip to Great Britain and the Holy Land. Mrs T. G. Macarthy leaves for England in February. Mrs G. Tully, of Waikanae, is in town. Visiting Wellington this past week were Mrs and Miss Palmer, Featherston, Mr and Mrs Nelson, of Napier, Mr and Mrs Ford, Masterton, Dr and Mrs Thacker, Christchurch, Dr and Mrs Williams, Gisborne, Mr and Mrs Norman Matthews, Featherston, Mr and Mrs J. Strang and Miss' Strang, Mr and Mrs Paterson, Gisboriie, and Mr and Mrs Basil Jones, Hastings. * * * * Notes from the Gallery. Parliament has resumed its steady jog-trot again, and there is no more talk of a stonewall. Indeed, the Defence Estimates got through with wonderfully little criticism, except the usual extraordinary statements from Mr Payne, who spoke so strongly about our soldier men as to bring down on himself a very scathing rebuke from Mr Isitt. The Labour Estimates incident was extremely funny, although not from the view point of the Labour members. The very large class of Internal Affairs had been finished, and Defence came next, and very quickly the two leaders agreed to skip that for a more convenient time, and take Labour. The Labour members were all out, getting pabulum for criticism on Defence, and the class was passed in two minutes without one word of criticism. The faces of the representatives for Labour, when they came in and discovered what had taken place, was a study. They felt very sore that the Liberals —wJiom they had helped with their stonewall —should not have leapt into the breach, and kept the debate going for a few minutes until they arrived. I was told exactly the same thing occurred last session. * * * * Crush and Discomfort. There was a very earnest discussion on the inconvenience and unhealthiness of the House last week. One wav complained of furious draughts, another of want of ventilation, a member in the back seat said the woman sitting behind could see what he was writing, and men. got up and practically demonstrated the complaint for themselves. It all comes back to the fact that there is overcrowding, and Parliament is proving too popular an entertainment, though often, when there is a turgid flow of debate on some utterly incomprehensible subject—which may be not understood even by the members on the whole, one wonders why women (lock to the galleries. It is decided to try and limit the attendance, but how that is to be done is a question. There are a great number of sessional tickets issued —outside those given to members' women-folk —and these of course admit to a seat every night. Summer is approaching, and what the Chamber will be like in the hot weather— for the Prime Minister declares that - the middle of November is the earliest date, and even then the House may be not < finished with its work, is dreadful to think of. A suggestion was made by some of the members to throw into the Chamber —which is low-ceiled for such a purpose as it is needed —the upper rooms, but it was generally agreed that enough money had been spent in a make-shift building. Sir Joseph Ward astonished many by declaring it was a more sanitary hall than that in the old building, and that less sickness among memjbers had been experienced since Parliament took up its temporary quarters in old Government House. i

I The Rivals. This delightful play was performed by amateurs last week for the Richmond Free Kindergarteii scheme, and ambitious as the choice was, proved an i undoubted success. The cast and pro- ' duction was in very clever and artistic hands, Miss Richmond and Mrs Fell designing the costumes and doing much ;of the elaborate embroideries. The gold i braidiug on Sir Anthony Absolute's ' waistcoat alone took fourteen hours! J Then Mr Wickham, who has had much I practice, was stage manager, and took as well, very cleverly, the part of Fag, j the valet. Miss Betty ■ Blake, Miss Richmond's niece, who has been here on a visit from England, made a delightful ■ Lydia Languish, and Miss Fell a very piquant waiting maid, while Mrs Leonard Tripp, who has acted much in past years, when she was Miss Henry, was ; very stately "and effective as Julia. The I delicious part of Mrs Malaprop was ta- ' en by Mrs Fell, who made it irresistible. jMr Russell Bently was Jack Absolute, and Mr Nicholls scored tremendously (Continued on Pace ;>.)

as the irascible Sir Anthony. His was a very -fine 'performance, quite above the amateur standpoint. A feature of the , costumes was the richness of the materials, as well as the exquisite minutiae with which each was carried out, the old paste ornaments, the lovely old lace, tho quizzing-glass, and the fob. The Sydney Street Hall was crowded both nights. " \ ■ #■.-■# * * An Artistic At Home. Mrs Stanton Harcourt's house in Hobson street is one of the most artistic in Wellington, and last week she gave acharming At Home in it. All sorts of art treasures it contains, old silver, brasses, china, and colour prints, gathered ou Mr and Mrs .Harcourt's travels. So carefully thought out were the details that in the three refreshment rooms, china was used to match the dominant note of colour, Spode, Bockingham, and in the blue dining room old blue Worcester, the tea-table there decorated with masses of line primroses and blue grape hyacinth. In a flame and bronze and ivory room, the golden-brown polyanthus Avas used in profusion, aud in the third, vivid anemones, red, purple, cream and pink. The music, by professionals, was enjoyed, Miss Driscoll and Messrs Allwright and Fletcher singing, and Miss Watkins playing. It was altogether a most charming reception. * * * * Mrs Gladding. Beautiful to look at, and delightful to listen to, Mrs Gladding, the American wlio is, with her husband, visiting Now Zealand, and interesting herself here in the V.M.C.A., of which in New York she is a leading spirit, is quite a fascinating personality. She spoke first at the annual meeting of the Y.W.C.A., and later even to more advantage at a very delightful At Home given in her honour by Mrs Shirtcliffe. At the l°tter she told us about the wonderful influence of the Association in America, where it possesses very fine buildings, and is a power in the land. In every college and university it lias got a firm hold, and in New York its ofliees are splendid, including restrooms and a roof garden. Mrs Gladding told us some touching little stories of how the hand of the Association helped girls in distress and perplexity, and brought out unsuspected talents and qualities. Her audience listened absorbed to the address, which was not high-llown oratory, but just simple, heart-felt talk, with keen touches of pathos ami humour. She was a picture, too, against a dull green screen and a row of clusters of white spiraea, her fine vivid face, soft grey hair, and winered velvet and lace gown in strong relief. We have here, as secretary, another charming personality, Miss Birch, pretty, petite, and blonde, witi* a wonderful capacity for work, and a gift of oratory. The Association has nearly doubled its members since she came.