CATHOLIC BAZAAR AT BLENHEIM.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 29, 13 November 1885, Page 16

CATHOLIC BAZAAR AT BLENHEIM.

(Marlborough Express Oct. 28 and 29.)

Thr All Nations Bazaar, for which the Catholics and their friends have been making preparations for a long time past, opened at 2 o'clock this afternoon, and bids fair to be a brilliant success. We cannot, of course, enter into a detailed description of the whole of the Bazaarto-day. The following is a Hat of the stall-holders :

Spain.— Mre.T. Redwood, assisted by Mrs. Dillon, Mrs. Gudgeon, Mrs. Waddy Mrs. A. P. Green (Signoritas), Mrs Terry (Fortuneteller), Miss Lowe, Miss Redwood (flsmerald), Miss M. Redwood Mies Redwood (Git-mas). '

Scotland and Italy.— Mrs. T. O'Sullivan, Mrs. Houldsworth, Mia, Mormon, Mrs. Arnold, Mrs. Canning, Miss Augustus, Miss Burton Miss Leaby.

Switzerland (Flower Stall).— Miss Weidman, assisted by Misg" Bassett, Miss Walshe, Miss Fitzgerald, Miss Hickey, and Miss Edith Craig.

Ireland and France.— Mrs. J. Redwood, assisted by Mrs. Murphy Mrs. Duncan Sinclair, Mrs. Paul, the Misses Murphy, and Miss Graham.

India (Refreshment Stall).— Mrs. Charles Redwood, assisted by Mrs. Hutchins, Mrs. J. Sullivan, Mrs. Fraser, Miss Cullen, Miss Broughan, Mißß Brennan, the Misse9 O'Sullivan.

England and Turk >y.— Mrs. Ward and Mrs. Goulter, assisted by Mrs. Jos. Ward, Mrs. Austin Ward, Mrs. Felix Ward, Mrs. Charles Goulter, Miss Ward, Miss Goulter.

Soon after 2 o'clock His Worship the Mayor, accompanied by the Rev. Father Lewis, Dr. Muller, and Messrs. Joseph Ward and Thomas Redwood, took their places on the stage. The Mayor said that it gave him great pleasure to inaugurate such an exhibition of taste, skill, and labour as the present Bazaar which, like the Eastern Bazaars, he hoped would be well patronised' in the sale of useful and beautiful wares. After alluding to the appropriate costumes and handsome faces of the ladies around him His Worship remarked that the Bazaar was the result of a number of good ladies, the Sisters of Mercy, coming here to impart that instruction which they all knew, especially for the case of young ladies, was of the highest and best description. Through conscientious scruples, their Catholic friends were unable to avail themselves of the State system of education, and the present Bazaar would give non-Catholics an opportunity to partially redress the grievance by liberally making purchases at the stalls. In the East it was the custom to sell slaves in Bazaars ; but here although, there would be no slaves for sale, he thought, as he looked at the bright and handsome faces in the stalls, that the young men were v^ry likely to be enslaved — willingly no doubt — and he hoped to tha mutual advantage of all parties. His Worship then declared the Bazaar open.

Mr. Joseph Ward said be was deputed to thank the Mayor for coming there to inaugurate tbe Bazaar. He bad also, although not deputed to do so, to express his own feelings of thankfulness to the non-Catholic friends, who have given so much help, and who, he was sure, were not actuated by any desire to please particular pecple. but by a wish to show that they approved of the efforts the Catholics of Blenheim were making to educ-ite their girls. It had been said by some people that in order to make people wise it was merely necessary to give every man and every noodle a vote. But they did not think so, and he believed that if their wise editors would only study the matter they would find that the happiness of humanity depended more upon a sound religious training for their girla than upon cramming them with alg 'bra and eveiythin<* else between earth and heaven. Mr. Ward concluded by again expressing his thanks for the assistancs rendered.

The National Anthem was played on the piano by Mr. M. Cheek, and the visitors, of whom a large crowd was by this time assembled, proceeded to inspect the bezaar. Each stall ia presid d over by ladies tastefully attired in national costumes, and the stalls themselves are decorated and hung with drapery to indicate the nations they represent. " Bonnie t-cotland," for instance, i 9 hung in tartan and surmounted by the emblematic thistle. India is represented in a refreshment room, which has been specially erected between the ball and the Club Hotel, and here Mra. Charles Redwood and a bevy of ladies — whose attractions more than equtl the fascinations of tbe viands — will ensuare the public, who, to do them justice, are never so happy as when they fall victims to the wiles of a charitable bazaar. It will be impossible to give any detailed description of the articles in the stalls ; but, from a cursorj glance, we should say there is plenty to satisfy everyone's taste and drain everyone's purse. It is many a long year siuce we saw a finer, more varied, or more beautiful collectiou of goods, a large number of which have been imported fiom London and New York, and a great number presented and worked by friends in Marlborough and other parts of New Zealand Tbe first nigbt of the Bazaar must be pronounced a great success. The Hall was densely packed with visitors, the stalls were liberally patronised, raffles and art-unions filled up with astonishing rapidity, fair eyes beamed with killing glances, brilliant costumes shone forth with money-extracting fascinations, refreshments were served so charmingly as to add a sweetness to the most delicate dainties, and flower-girls laid young and tender-hearted visitors under perpetual tribute. All was sentiment, pleasure — and bard cash. . . .

The list of ladies at the stall?, wbiuh has already been published, has to be supplemented by the names of Mi h3h 3 Keardon at ttie Swiss, and Mi-8 Ryan at the Italian stall. The last-namtd young lady and Miss Aueustug wer* 1 the only two in full Italian costume, which became them admirably. Master Bernard Redwood officiated as a Monri-h page boy, his ebon visage being a btnking feature in the ball.

Although we have not heard the total takings mentioned, the turn mult have been large. They reached close upon £46 at Mr. T. Bed wood's and within 4s as much at Mrs. C. Redwood's, and tha

other stalls were not far behind. The laßt Catholic Bazaar realised £600, when Blenheim was comparatively a small place. Oar readers can amuse themselves by speculating on what the takings of this one will be*