Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1890 A FAUX PAS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2320, 4 January 1890, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1890 A FAUX PAS.

A rather amusing story of good «nd kindly intentions frustrated comes from Danedin. It appears that during the recent visit off the squadron to that port in connection with the New Zealand and South fcieas Exhibition, their Excellencies the Governor and Lady Onslow conceived the idea of inviting the seamen of the fleet to a dance at Government House, and with a view to providing partners for the gallant tars, despatched invitations to the heads of the Duuedin factories asking them to invite a number of the girls in their employ to attend the proposed ball. The girls, however, stood upon their dignity and decided that they ought to have been invited by name,and invited direct, declining to be arranged for by or through their employers." The result (so goes the story) was the despatch of the following note courteous to Government House :—" The Dunedra factory girls present their compliments to Lady Onslow, and regret that previous engagements preclude them from accepting her kind invitation to a ball to meet theJJ seamen and marines of H.M. men-of-war now in harbor." And so the kindly intentions of His Excellency and the Countess failed of their object, and the gallant tars were entertained at a smoke concert in lieu of footing it merrily to the strains of violin, i cornet and piano with the fair maids of Danedin. We by bo means condemn the course taken by the girls, for perhaps they felt that they could scarcely go without chaperones to dance with total strangers, but for all that it must ; hare been not little mortifying to the ■ Governor and his lady to find that, in the opinion of the factory girls, they had ' for once failed in a matter of etiquette.