SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1602, 20 November 1912, Page 2

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

Vice-Regal. ' This- children attending the Richmond Free Kindergarten ivill have added reasons for being patriotic members of the Empire owing to the fact that her Excellency La'dy Islington 'has presented each of the Kindergartens with a Union Jack. When visiting tho Taranaki Street School yesterday morning, Lady Islington, in pre-; Ranting the flag, conveyed tho regrets of liis Excellency that he had not been able to accompany her, and also her own regret .that she had not tho timo to visit the other Kindergartens ami present the flags in person. Wodding in/the Basilica; A quiet wedding took place at the Basilica, Hill Street, on Monday, November 18, whc.n' Miss -Mattie DeVery was married ( to Mr. B. F. . Corrigan,: ,of Hawera. The coremony ivas performed by the Rev. Father liickson. The bride, who was given away by her uncle, Mr. T, Tymons, of the Lower Ilutt, wore a gown of white marquisette over charmeuse, and white Tagel hat . trimmed , with white ospreys. She was attended by ■ Miss P. Hilton, who wore a dress of white muslin, and wristlet watcli, tho gift of the bridegroom. Mr. W. ltiordan was best manAfter the ceremony a reception was heldat the residence of Mr. and Mrs. F. Hilton, "Highgate," Tiunkori Road, Mr. and Mrs. Corrigan afterwards leaving for Wanganui and Rotorua, where tho honeymoon is to be spent. Mrs'. Corrigan's travelling dress was a niolo coloured coat and skirt, and hut to match. Senior Cadet Prize Fund in Auckland. A splendid response has been made, throughout the Auckland province to the efforts of the ladies, led by the/Mayoress of Auckland (Mrs. C. J. Parr), to raise money to establish a senior cadet prize fund, states the "Herald." - The treasurer (Mr. C. J. Parr) now- has in hand, about .£270, but before the fund closes tho total is expected to ■ reach . JC3OO. This compares more than- favourably with the amounts collected in Christchurch and Wellington, ,£25 and .£BO respectively. Taking this into considera-. ion, some. l qf the subscribers have .raised the question as to whether it is fair ,to take all this ■ money from .'Auckland, when the other, districts have responded' to the call for funds so poorly, and-sug-gest that each province should be allowed to expend its collections in its own district. The position will be laid before Major-General Godley when he returns to New Zealand. Mrs. Hacon is expected to return' to Wellington .to-day from her visit to Sydney and the Islands. She will .'stay with Mrs. G. F. Campbell. . . Miss Rhodes (Auckland), who has-been staying with Mrs. Wylie in Wellington, left for the north by the Main Trunk express on Monday. Miss Kitty Wood, of Napier, sister of Mrs. Ernest Hadneld, is to db married to Captain Ilollis about the middle of January, and will make her future home in England.' - . , Mrs.'Morrison, of Rarotonga, has arrived in Wellington, and is the guest of Mrs. J. Darling at Kelbtfrne. Mrs. law, of Toronto, will be in chnTge of a demonstration of Canadian cooking with the New' Perfection Blue Flame Oil Cookers to be given in the showrooms of 15. W. Mills and Co., Ltd., 18 Victoria Street, this afternoon. Visitors attending the demonstration, will be able to judge for themselves tho merits of these stoves, of which it is olaimed that in smnmer time they do not over-heat the room, a point that housewives will appreciate to the utmost. The,demoiistration is from 2.30 to 5 p.m. • ~

A N«w Zealand Contralto. Miss Iwa Skerrett, the Bluff contralto, Who is doing- so well on the English music hall stage, is at present under engagement at the Palace Theatre (London). Lately (says the Bluff "Press") she has been singing at Bristol, Hammersmith and Aylesbury, at all of which she has. created a very favourable impression in the English musical world. Professor Bumard and his brother, two well-known musical enthusiasts, have offered to finance Miss Skerrett for a thorough training upon certain conditions, one of which being that they receive (in roturn) a percentage of her future takings should she prove a "star" in the musical firmament. Miss Skerrett has not as yet accepted the offer. Frances Allitsen—Song Writer. Writing of the death of Miss Prances Allitsen, widely deplored in the musical world, the English, correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" says that the deceased lady was a very, intimate friend of Madame Ada Crosslcy, who made Miss Allitsen's name known by singing her "A Song of Thanksgiving"- as a bridal anthem at the marriage of Lord Shaftesbury. It later became one of tho favourite numbers of. Madame Clara Butt in England, and Madame Nordica in America. Curiously enough, the song "There's a Land" was on its first publication neglected, n.nd for years it. made little progress. Then Miss Agnes Sibley wrote an extra verse about Qneen Alexandra, and when Madame Clara: Butt sang it in Belfast, at the ivordi "There's a Queen, a dear Queen, whom. no Briton forgets," the whole audience rose and cheered enthusiastically. At the time of tho-South African war this song had a tremendous "boom," the salos running into hundreds of thousands. v Among tho passengers for New Zealand who left England by the lonic on October 18 were; Mrs. C. Peacock, the Misses Peacock, Miss Margaret Knox, Mr. T., S. (nTacio, Miss Gracie, Mr. Keith Izard. Mi' 3. le Cren, and Mrs. V. le Cren. Mrs. G'hapmaft has accompanied Mr.' "Justice Chapman on his visit to Auckland.