THE WEEK IN WELLINGTON

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 11879, 15 January 1914, Page 2

THE WEEK IN WELLINGTON

(By Mrs Malcolm Rosb). January 14. About People. Mr and Mrs Kernot and their two daughters, are motoring to Taupo. Mr and Mrs 0. Bendall —the latter has just returned from a delightful trip to France and England—are at Mrs Morton's. Mrs Fred Nathan and her children have come from Palmerston North to welcome Mrs and Miss Joseph, who arrived from England last week. General and Mrs Godley returned from England, via Sydney and Auckland, hut Wednesday, and tho former has goneSouth to see the Hon James Alien. Mr and Mrs A. Brown havo returned from their wedding trip, and have settled into their house at the Hutt. Major and Mrs Maidluw are back from the North. Mr and Mrs Mummery, of Gisborue, left lor England m tho Arawa. Mr J. 0. Vernon and Mrs 'Vernon aro back from a year's trip to America and Great Britain. Mr and Mrs W. Hood, of MaHierton, aro al, the Windsor. Mr mid Mrs WiU'ord, and Miss Wilford, are back from Taupo. Mrs W. A. Kennedy—with whom is staying Miss Lowe —has returned from Wanganui. Minr* Richmond's house in Uobson street has beon taken by Mr Jliley, the new .Kailway Commissioner. Mr and Mrs Levin, i'almerHton North, and Mr and Mrs Collier, of Wairarapa, have been visaing Wellington lust week. Miss L. JJ. Clapnhaw, who has been staying with her sister, Mrs G. E. Keith, East Coast., has returned to town. Miss K. J'enney and MiHH J. Butler havo gone back to Gisborno. The marriage of Miss Grace J\leArdlo, (laughter of the late Mr Owen McArdle, to Mr Donovan Riddiford, of Rangitikei, was celebrated very quietly on Friday at the Boulcott Street Oatitolic Church. The Hon. J. A. Millar and jWrs Mili.ii havo gout.; to AucKi.tnd. Air and Mrs J. B.'Eastham are staying in Napier. Mrs and Miss Clark, of Masterton, are at Paikakariki. Mr and Mrs Seifert, and Mr and Mrs it. H. Jen kins, of Palmerston North, returned by the Moana. Dr and Mrs Johnston, and Aliss Johnston, who have been to England, returned on Wednesday. Mrs J. L. Blundell and tho Misses Cormack, of Carterton, are visiting Wellington. Archdeacon and Mrs Gossett arrived by tho Rotorua, and have gone to Christchurch. The Key. J. Patersou and Miss Fatcrson are back from Hastings, where they were guests of Mrs McLean. Mrs Scddon has been visiting the Wciit Coast. Miss F. K. Warren, daughter of Mrs W. H. Warren, left by the Moana on route for England, where she will stay with her sister, Mrs P. G. Braithwaite, in London. Mrs F. M. B. Fisher has gone to Rotorua to join her husband. Mrs C. F. VaUance and Miss Baird, of Alasterton, Miss King, Napier, Miss Dalton, Palmerston North, Miss Batt, Palmerston North, and Miss Groves, Masterton, havo been in Wellington this last week. Mr and Mrs Lavington —Mrs Lavingtou was Miss Ailcen Blundell—left by the Tahiti, en loute for England. Mr and Mrs Edward Newman and Miss Newman leave for England in February by the Rotorua. Mr and Mrs J. A. Pike are also passengers Home by the Rotorua. Miss Fanthorpc has been staying in the Wairarapa with her sister, Mrs'Nevins. « • * Two Marriages. On Tuesday last there were two weddings of well-known Wellington girls, Miss Margaret Stewart, daughter of Mr C Stewart, Alajoribands Street, to Mr 11. H. Miller, youngest son of the late Rev. H. W. Miller, of Napier; and Miss Ada Lockie, eoventh daughter of Mrs James Lockie, to Mr Roy H. Inder, of Hawkesbury College, Richmond, Australia. The Rev. James Patersou, who had christened the bride, performed the wedding ceremony in the second instance, and the reception was held in the house where Miss Ada Lockie was born. She made a very handsomo and stately bride, more than common tall, in her white crepe de chine gown with its exquisite lace panels. The bridesmaids were Miss Cissie Kirker, of Auckland, —whose brother, Mr Hugh Kirker, was best man, and is engaged to Miss Margaret Knox —and Miss Gwynncth Lockie, the bride's sister. They wore white ninou and apricot tulle—a charming combination. Ono of the bride's

sisters —Mrs Gray—has come all the way from China to be present at the wedding. Miss Stewart, who was married at the Congregational Church, wore ivory charrneuse and rose point lace, and her bridesmaid, Miss Veitch, was in white net over-silk, and a hat of saxoblue tulle with pink roses and an osprey. The reception was held at the Hotel Windsor. * * * * Mr John McCormack. Rarely has a Wellington audience been raised to such a pitch of enthusiesm as was evinced at the concerts on Friday and Saturday. The Opera House was packed, and many stood all the time rather than forego the treat. It must have been terribly hot, too, in the crowded family circle, and in the afternoon the queue had formed for entrance to early seats. Among those in the dress circle I saw Archbishop Redwood, and Father Hickson revelling in the music. Truth to tell, as probably you have noticed, Mr McCormack stands head and shoulders above tho other members of his company. We have had many finer violinists, and Miss Alay Huxley, though an artist in the use of her voice, is not in the first rank or even in the second. But she has great charm of maimer, and chooses quaint songs. Two littlo childish ballards, one about a small girl who grieved because her daddy, whom she resolved to marry, had been selfishly snapped up by her mother beforehand, and another giving the aspirations of a small child when she got to heaven, wero piquant and novel, and sung with much delicate expression. Her frocks, too, were beautiful. On the first night she wore a harmony of mauves and blues and lace, wonderfully draped and arranged, and at the second concert rose pink charrneuse, with one of the new (Continued on Face ».)

Telephono 2_.

PROPRIBTOM.

Ninon tunics of the tango mode that stand out from the skirt in folds. Mr McCormack sung magnificently —though a few critics declared his voice wanted the space of the Town Hall—and we all roared and cheered and at tho end, refused to go home until he had given a second encore. There have been various comparisons between him and Dufault —the delightful Canadian tenor. But the two singers are entirely different, and each capable of doing what the other would find difficult. No one would interpret with more subtle humour tho old Irish ballard than did Mr McCormack, and Molly Branigan will be long remembered. He has a smile and a twinkle in the eye, too, that is quite irresistible. » • « • After the Interval. At each of the concerts, as is the customs of the country, though why, it is not easy to comprehend, the men trooped out, perhaps to view* the stars through the smoke of a cigarette. Apparently the interval was unusually short, and the next part began bcfoi'2 their return. Mr McCormack was first cv the second part of the programme, and had to wait patiently till the long procession filed in. But ho greeted them with a charming sympathetic smile, and even encouraged them to tako their seats, thereby covering them with confusion, and drawing shouts of laughter from the audience. The tailend of the men looked very shamefaced as they slunk in amid the mirth to face tho smiling singer, waiting patiently, while the accompanist struck desultory chords. * * » • A Quiet Week. Town is full, but not with residents. Strangers, with many children, are invading the streets, the shops and tho picture shows, and it is gratifying the weather has proved so line. Of social junctions thcro have been none. Indeed many houses are in charge of care- ! takers, and it will be not till the beginning of March that folk will settle dowif-nnd begin to entertain. Next month there will be another exodus of well-known people for England. Mr and Mrs Albert Abbott and their children go by tho Otway, leaving in February, and Mrs T. G. Macarthy is a a passenger by the same steamer. Mr and Mrs C. Richardson and their little girl are also bound for England at the same date, and Mr and Mrs J. A. Pike go by the Rotorua in February. So do Mr Edward Newman, M.P., and Mrs and Miss Newman. There will be many gaps in society next season. * * • • The Crochet Craze. There seems no lessening of the popularity of crochet: "Everybody's doing it," and it is being applied to all sorts of uses. The filet crochet, where the pattern, in blocks of trebles evolves on a background of spaces, is much in vogue, and either in coarse or fine —intermediate cotton is not so much in favour. Some of the newest net blouses have tiny borders and insets of fine Irish crochet upon them, and of course for this one has to pay much money. But the clever worker can, ii. odd minutes, continue the decoration of a blouse that will look as if it came straight from Paris —with no other outlay besides the linen or veil 3, the thread, time and labour. The prettiest and naturally the most costly of the collars nowadays have insertions, in strips, or edgings of bibe Irish crochet. Some people are using silk, but the effect gained is not to be compared with linen and cotton thread.