SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 956, 25 October 1910, Page 9

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

The levin Home. ■ : This afternoon :the "gift tea," for the benefit, of-the ' inmates liof tho Levin . Homo, takes plnce in the Homo in Britomart, Street. Very, quietly and un- '. ostentatiously an excellent .work is being performed, girls of from very tender years and upwards being taken in upon .' the' payment of a, small,;., sum weekly, • according to'the means of the surviving ■' parent7(if"she'happens."tohave "one,; or those in: charge : of her); and cared for till she reaches'the'age of fifteen or sixteen years, when she usually goes out to service'.. Sometimes' there',is no to pay anything towards her upkeep,, but if there happens to : . be.' ; a; vacancy, she usually, if application ,is:, made, finds a home: there." ■ .-■ '•.... ; : v.V V., . . , \ ;It is quite a large family that, is at the present time in residence there, com- ■ prising twenty-six: children.. Of. these :■ fully eighteen go to; the ischool near by. : Some are-as yet .too tiny'for, lessons, so , they stay at-home and..play about all ■ day long,;arid look as happy as children, can, brown, and chubby, and healthy, .'speaking well for the care.they receive at 'the home;' The"elder children are trained "• -in-all domestic work, and'there is never . any. difficulty-in obtaining, situations for ■ them.'"'- '■'■'..:■.■• ■" .-. : ' •" '.'.':':■ The Home is delightfully situated-on the top Of a'slight rise,.; with the hills in the background, and, a -wide sweep-of : green'; country' :stre.tching'6ut. -to •■lsland •Bay; There is"ariy. amount of ground all • ab'out ; for. the,children;,t(i;; play.: inland : a garden as well;'.;hiid'.so : ;quiet;and.fresh is evervthing-that.'it:,would be easy to. forget, that town, with ; all- its bustle and. noise, is not far away. . The building itsolf 'is two-storied, with .'large airy rooms,■''■spotlessly, clean -and simply furnished.' There ; ,are. three'dormitories, i'a dining-room; :auda .'playroom : for the children, a ..closed-in verandah being a. valuable: adjunct to the latter on wet clays, There are, of .course; various other roomsi.but; it is. the part: •..belonging; to tho children that Js;more 'particularly of-, interest. A" great boon 'to ;the .Home hasbeen the- recent- erection of; a' laundry,. -large ; up-to-date. ,'Miss Jolly, as matron, and her assistant, Mrs:: Ma'cdoriald.'fiir.very.resp'oiisiblo and very' busy posts,'and. ones"in: which it is easy: to-imagine a great i amount of tact and ■ wisdom 'is'.needed.- .' "■.'■ \ : . ..'jPractically-.' all-.-;-the -,: sewing.,- for:-;;, the; twenty-six children is done by Miss' Jolly; and .tfovery thought of what that -meansis- enougn;.to.:niake.imos_t. -.women,,-faint,-with' horror. -Children havV'siicli'a'habit' of outgrowing their; clothes, of tearing them, and of wearing, them out, -and ■when it is realised .that ■ rioii four- or-.fiye children, but twenty-Hxr-aro'- to, be; sewn for, imagination' somewhat at 'the prospect. " .'. .. ,'■-. "The -Levin-.Homo^asks little from the public. ■ It. is maintained .'by a.subsidy, by payments from the inmates,' by subscriptions, .and by gifts thai people choose to send in, and it ; is quite likely/ so quietly does it go on its way, that there are numbers of; people in Wellington, who do not know of its existence. At. the "gift..; tea,", which: (takes .place ;i this ■ after'•no6ni!" there". is ia - wide, field;for ■> people to choose from'as to the form :which-,'their present 'shall take. Groceries are always most.wejeome, 'so;are prints and dress materials, of 'as plain, durable nature, household articles, and, in'fact, anything which experience tells them will be of uso: where ..there are a number. of children .to ''care'" for and'an establishment to keep m.existence. ,;.,....;;■■.- ;, -.). A Complimentary Concert. v r ■■•■ It 'was a. most, successful complimentary concert that was given for Mrs. Sutcliffe .in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall last evening,' and the' committee -who' liaye had the arrangements l ; in ' handAinust have 'felt' delighted with' the .way.' in 'which everything went' off. The-chamber iWas.filled to the doors with ia- most -appreciative audience,' .but it: had been ' sternly decreed that no en-cores-were .to be. permitted. :The stage' had been draped and-artistically decorated with, large bowls of arum lilies, broom, and pot plants, and looked very pretty indeed, while. the sides of the room were ; also given finishing touches that redeemed; them, from their severe whiteness.- '.Little tables with flowers had been set about here and there, proving, very, useful. when, supper,-was ; being served. 'Songs, recitals, • dances, cello solos; 'violin: solos, and: musical -monologues comprised a varied programme. No 'matter how good thoxmusical or -, elo- [ cutioriaiT portion of a,'programme, may; be, a. particularly kcen ; pleasure is that' given by dancing, arid.'Miss Campbell's two dances performed last night were delightful. The Mayor, Mr.'. Wilford, in a:, pleasant/little speech,: .spoke of tho, ready way in which Mrs.. Su'tcliffe had always given her V services', when called upon, and it was most gratifying that so much interest and appreciation had been displayed. A Mrs. Sutcliffe was then prevailed upon to give a recitation, which was encored, and followed by another one. Mts. . Sutcliffo .was also the recipi-. ent'of two very beautiful bouquets. At the close of the concert supper was handed round, and -then the floor was cleared for.dancing. : Mrs. Sutcliffo wore , a dress.of black velvet: with point' lace, berthe. Among those present were Lady Ward, wearing a graceful, black', dress. Mrs. : (Dr.) Tindlay, a black dress;: Mrs. -Wilford- (the- Mayoress), a blaok velvet dress with berthe of white lace and a silver cloak. , Mrs. Coull, a pink' silk dross,-with an overdress of cream' lace; 'Mrs'. Herdman, a black silk dress: with an overdress'':of whito. lace;. Miss. E. Ward, pale blue, silk' with silver trimming; Mrs. Montague, pale blue ■ chiffon taffetas; Miss Lloyd-Hassell, black senuined dress;. Miss M. Donaldson,: white isatin dress . with sequined- trimming; Miss Parsons, black silk dress; . Miss Campbell, a very. pretty dancing frock of white and silver; Miss Coates, Mrs. ,T: Blnndell, Mrs. Bollard, Miss Isaacs, Miss :U. Tewslcy, Mrs. J. Myers, Mr. and Mrs. M.. Richmond, Mrs. Lawrence Watkins, Mrs. Cammell, Mrs. Adams, Colonel and- Miss Robins, Miss 'Luke, Miss Macandrew, Miss A. Donaldson, Miss Montague, aifd inany others.

Church "Social" at Ohingaiti. A very pleasant gathering was held in Mr. Beavis's Hall, Ohingaiti, last Wednesday evening, to welcome tho new vicar, the Kev. ]?. Carson Thomas, and his wife. Both the concort and danco were well attended, over one hundred persons being present. It proved to be one of tho most successful "socials" held in the township,' and Tcfiects credit on all who gave their time nnd labour gratuitously; The event seems to havo given quito a fillip to Church matters in the district. Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Day, New Plymouth, • arrived in Wanganui on. Friday morning, from a trip to tho Southern Lakes, and left again for Hawke's Bay. A meeting of the Ladies' Cricket Club was held in the Y.M.C.A. Rooms last evening, but the 1 attendance being somewhat meagro it was decided to hold the annual meeting in the same place next Monday, evening. A social evening to celebrate the .close of the harrier season is being, held at the residence of Mr. and !Mrs. W. H. Bennett, 50 WoolcombeX Street, to-night. The ceremony of prize-giving will take place, and music and various forms of amusement ■ will help-to ontertain' those present. - .■:■■ , Miss Bremncr - (Waimate) is visiting Mastorton, and is the guest of Mrs. A. Rawson. ■ Mrs. Massey (wife of the Leader of the Opposition),; who has been for some weeks in Wellington,- left for home by the Main Trunk express ■ yesterday morning. A number of, friends Went down to the ■railway station to say.good-bye. Mrs. Massey broko her journey at. Feilding last;night,- .being .the, guest of Mrs. Guthrie, arid will continue her journey to Auckland this afternoon. Mrs. Waliis, the wife of-the Bishop of Wellington, expects to return to Wellington -from Blenheim with the Bishop towards the end of the present week. .■ '.' Mrs. Abraham returned: to Palmerston yesterday from a brief visit to Wellington. ■ - ■ : Mrs. E. S. Dick is spending a holiday in tho south. , Miss J. Donald, on severing her:connection with ■■'■Messrs. Young's Chemical Com- ■ pdny, in whose ..employment she has been tor a number of years, received a presentation from her fellow- employees as a.token of their goodwill and .esteem..:'■ Mrs. Brough has very many friends in Wellington who are '■; looking forward with'much pleasure toseeing'her again,, both :on ."and off the stage. The . com-, pany -arrives in Wellington on Thursday arid plays the same evening. .'.