SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 52, 25 November 1907, Page 3

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

Hor Excellency Lady Plunket, accompanied by her children and tho Hon; Kathleon Plunket,, leavos this morning for Hrtwora, whoro she will stay for a week for' tho fishing His Excellency -the -Governor follows on.Tuesday i After a week in Hawora they proceed to Auckland, whore they wdl remain for somo months.

Tho tonnis courts on Saturday wore mainly occupied by those ongagod in and thero was little less serious play, ino players wero in very. summery attires, as bofittbd tho heat and windlessnoss ;of the day, and white frocks and linen - hats wero much in evidence. Mis. Herbert left last week on a visit to Christchurch. Sho will romain thcro for a fortnight. ■ .'....,,■' Mrs. Balcombe Brown, of Tinakori Rqad, returned from a long visit to. England by the Toii"ariro yjsterday. By tho same boat Mr., Mrs., and Miss Lo Cren, of Timaru, havo returned. , - ' Mr. Dalzicl has taken the house on the Terrace just vacated by Professor Maejlaurin, and ho has also taken Mr. Arthur:'Pearces house atTrontham during Mrs. Pearce s absence in England. ~ • • Tho attractions of Trentham arc 'gradually leading townsfolk to build out there.', Mr. Tolhursfc's now house is just finished; and tho family will shortly bo going out to take'possession. Mr. Wm. Yoijng has a heViise near by, and no eloilbt several other houses will soon be erected. • t ■ ;.".,' .. ; . At St. Peter's Church, on Saturday .-afternoon, ' Miss Jessie Evans, daughter .of •. Mr. George Evans, of Maraama Crescent, was married to Mr. Bear, of Palmcrston North. The Rev. G; P..Davys officiated.. •

One of those pleasant innovation's, the "knick-knack" tea, was given by'Mrfk' W. Dinnio, Kelburne, on Saturday -•■■afternoon, in honour of Miss. Mary M'Coll, whose marriage to Mr. Gordon takes place on Wednesday. The, bride-elect received-a-great number of dainty ornaments. During the afternoon Mrs. Harry Eoso ■'-contributed music, while out in the garden, where'-after-noon tea was served; a. gramaphone did its sharo towards tho. entertainment 'of tho guests. Mrs. Dinnie received in ■■' a black chiffon frock and cream-Legfiorn , hat. Miss Mary M'Coll wore navy bluo linen, white hat. Amongst those present• were: —Mrs. -Sievirright, in a black chiffon taffeta dress/ green hat. Mrs. M'Eldowney, navy blue Sicilian dress, white hat. Mrs. If. Rose,' black voile, black hat. Mrs. M'Coll, Mrs. J. C. Williamson, Mrs .R. Tait, jun., Miss M. Sievwright, Miss Winnie Gibson-Smith, and -the members or-St. Andrew's Young Women's Sewing Guild, of which Miss M'Coll was a member.

On Tuesday last, at St: Paul's Pro-Cathe-dral, Miss Mary L. Bogg, of Wellington, .was married to Mr. Charles Harton, of the , accountant branch of the General Post Office), who is well known in connectipn with volunteering (Post and Telegraph Rifles), and with other clu|)S and institutions, including the Wellington Bowling ,Club. The Rev./I'.ll. Sprott was the officiating clergyman. Among the numerous presents was one. from Mr. Hhrton's' fellow-officers in* the Accountant's Oflicc of tho G.P.O. The honeymoon.is being spent at the Pelorus Sounds. *

A kitchen and pantry tea, given by Mrs. Rowntree and Misses Duff and Howe, in aid of tho Worser Bay school-sale of work, was held on Saturday afternoon at Mrs. Rowntree's. The tea-table was decorated with arum lilies and nasturtiums, tea being served by six girls in white. Musical, items were rendered by Mesdames Bobinson' and Rowe, and Misses Duggan and Geyger, and recitations by Misses M. Flux and L. Rowntree. Planchetto and a competition filled up tho afternoon. About ninety invitations'.were issued, and the result, was a very generous contribution to the sale. In the evening a small dance for young people was held in aid of the same object. At St. John's Church, Feilding, on November 20, Mr. Edward Laidloy Mason, of the Foilding staff of tho Bank of Australasia, second son of the late Archdeacon Mason, of Tasmania, was married to Miss Frances Wood, daughter of Mr. R. F. M. Wood, of Hall, Shrewsbury, England. The Rov. Innes-Jones officiated. , Tho brjdo was givon away by Mr. Herbert'Pryce','of Rangitawa, and Miss Pryce attended as bridesmaid., The groom was accompanied by Mr. H. B. L. Smith, as best man. There w.ere .many wedding presents, including a handsome salad bowl, presented to .the groom from the members of the Feilding Cricket Club.

NEW ZEALAND GIRLS CRITICISED In the "Empire -Review," Mrs. Edith Soarlo Grossman contributes an article on "The Women of New Zealand." The Maorilandcr, she finds, is far. closer to Nature than her English sister is. Much of her life is spent in the open air. In her holidays she goes mountaineering;. campingout, and exploring in virgin forests and . by lonely shores. Quite unconsciously she loadstho really simple life, and her own mind becomes more simple and primitive. Her impulses and emotions are as spontaneous and unpremeditated as winds and waves. She rosponds to the sentiment of the moment, and expresses her feelings as they come. Natureworship is an unaffected passion with her. She is more economical than , the Englishwoman, and less patient. She has j"thq indignant spirit of the north"; there is a .spark of fire in her, and it burns up against personal or public wrong. Yet though she resents, she is not'petty or spiteful'in her rosontrnent. A dash of Celtic romance and fancy displays itself in her imperfect literary efforts; her sadness and her lightness of heart aro not altogether native, but partly Celtic, and her desire for education and her interest in theories aro partly derived from Scotch ancestry. At any age, after her 21st- year she will travel alone all over tho world, and bachelorise in risky neighbourhoods of London and Paris without tho least intentional bravado, merely because she is unsuspicious, fearless, and interested in everything. But, unlike the American girl, sho does not care about the most innocent flirtations; it is not homage and flattery that she wants from men, but kindness and friendship; sho likes being treated on equal terms, not as if sho were a man, but as a person of another sex equal in worth to a man, not identic.il in nature. She lias sorious viows about lovo and marriage; she enjoys the society of men, but "without nonsense," to borrow her own phrase. English people may sometimes miss-in her the roservo of feeling and expression found in thnir own countrywomen; many topics forbidden in England aro frankly discussed in tho Dominion, although not at inappropriate places' nor in public.

But after enthusing about tlio manv merits and good qualities of New Zealand girls and woman, Mrs. Grossman feels constrained sorrowfully to.admit that "there is a dark side to this picture. If the fault of tho Englishwoman is becoming harrow and one-sidod, that of tho New Zcalander is attempting the impossible., and overstraining herself. Not content with superficiality, she overworks and oviirstudies. Sometimes girls who have , given extraordinary promise of talent collapse early, and live on as more wrecks of themselves, accomplishing little or nothing. When she is in the mood she works well, but when it suits her she leaves work entjroly to her mfither or mistress, and she indignantly' resents- any claims that intorfero with her own pleasure or career. She can riso heroically to a. groat occasion; she. will sometimes make voluntary sacrifices, but they are favours done .on impulse, not from a sense of duty. She is overindulged and spoiled. "Youth is the season for pleasure" is tho common view, of her elders, and this is interpreted to mean that the amusements of yoiini? people must enmo before every other consideration. It is often more to.hor daughter than to her husband that tho mother is sacrificed—indeed, tho father himself is frequently offered up on tho same altsd of all-conquering youth. Yet when tho girl marries, even if she lias beon leading a life of mere gaiety or of study beforehand, she settles down to her

own turn of sacrifice),. and makes a capablo manager and a devoted and unselfish-mother. The fault has boon rather with the theory of indulgence) than with the) young girl herself.''