THE CAFE CHANTANT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2473, 28 May 1915, Page 7

THE CAFE CHANTANT

» j A BRILLIANT SCENE '; A S GREAT GATHERING AT THE TOWN HALL I Siih>,irliiir,v iiikl precedent to the bit! J Carnival I lull i« Ijciiiy organised by tho ' W elliiiglou Patriotic Wot-iet.y was tho j combined drapers' Oil To Chantant, Jiokl in tho Town }I;i II hint, evening for tin) j purpose of raising money thai, will assist in forwiiriling tlio eaudidaturo of | Miss l,ow for |hi.' Carnival j Tho a (fair, wliicli wan a brilliant sue- j eess from the. word was striking t illustration of what enthusiasm, hard nork, ami combination can do when it congenial (ask is sol, and as the ultimate) object is tlio raising of inonoy for tlio aid of the. wounded soldiers and sailors and their dependents, there was I no lack of effort on tlio part of the drapers. l.asl, evoning's feto (which is to 1 00 continued this and to-morrow evenings), was initiated by a grand procession through tho City. It is a. long timo sinco Wellington lias witnessed such a. glowing scene of brilliant colour as that presented by tlio 300 or '100 of shop assistants —maio and female —who under torches, acctyleno lamps, and Chinese lanterns marched gaily through tlio Quay, Willis Street, and Manners Street to the Town Hall, headed by the band,of tlio National .Reserve (under liandmastor Jupp). Ail hearts were stirred by tlio band's inspiriting rendering of "Tipperary." Every drapery establishment supplied a group ol merry pierrots and pierettes, with costumes of varying hue and cut, and besides these there woro hundreds of girls and young men attired in Dutch, French, and Russian costumes, whilst others represented the Allies, Golliwogs, Teddy bears, .sailors, soldiers, and a whirl of other costumes too numerous to particularise. Tho procession attracted an enormous crowd to tho Town Hall, which was all too small for tho comfortablo accommodation of those who wished to attend. At 8 p.m. there was a dense crowd struggling to j;et in, whilst tho ground Boor of tho big hall was already crowded. Without further ado tho revellers secured the articles and books of tickets, and at once attacked the public with all the arts that nature endowed them with. Charming girls as dainty pierrots wheedled and sniueu and hoodwinked everybody and anybody to buy a posy, a boolr, a bottle of onions, a tin of jam, or to "take a ticket in this beautiful doll," or "a chance in the oak sideboard," or "a go for this beautiful oil painting." There was no escaping from the lures of the canvassers; and, truth to toll, few who wero there wished to avoid such pleasant persecution. Shortly after 8 o'clock Mr. H. G. Hill (chairman of the Patriotic Society), supported by tho members of tho Executive Committee, mounted the platform. Speaking through tho din that was created by the busy flutterers below, ho said how pleased lie was to open the Cafe Chautaut. Before he did so he would like to say that a few weeks ago a very excellent gentleman in a capital speech said, ill reply to a proposal to arrange such a carnival, that he did not think the people of Wellington would support such a carnival —that they were too cold and phlegmatic, but what liacl already taken place, and the success that was assured the Cafe Chantant gave tho lie direct to that opinion. He heartily congratulated tho fino body of workers who had organised so magnificent a show, and duly declared the Cal'e Chantant open. Tho hall was a blaze of harmonious colour. In the brief time at their disposaJ (the work of decorating tho hall was only commenced at 9 a.m. yesterday), a band of willing workers had simply transformed tho great hall into a glowing bazaar, with conveniently arranged stalls under the galleries, bedecked in tinted butter-cloth, bunting, and patriotic devices, whilst in tho centre was a pavilion for the orchestra surrounded by a number of small tables, at which people could sit and sip a cup of tea or a glass of lemonade. The rafflcrs at work made up a scene of 1 animation that was oxhilarating ill the 1 extreme. In such a big undertaking, : where all had assisted, it ivoidd not be 1 fair to particularise too much ; but the work of Mr. Theo. Queree (in charge 1 of the decorations), and Miss Taylor (the energetic secretary) should certainly be mentioned. The orchestra, under the direction'of Mr. M'Laughliu, did valuable work, i but the vocal programme arranged was • not persisted in, as it was found to bo i difficult to obtain a hearing for tlioso > who had offered to sing. All tho i raffles will be drawn on Saturday ovenl tug at tho conclusion of tho fcto.