SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3050, 11 April 1917, Page 2

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

(By Imogen.)

Wedding at Takaka. The wedding took place last week in the Presbyterian Church, Takaka, or Miss Lesley Irene Hyland, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hyland, of Central Takaka, to Sergeant Ralph George Sparrow, second son of Air. and Mrs. P. Sparrow, TJruwTienua, Takaka. Tho ceremony was performed by the Rev. E. Kedgloy. Tho bridesmaids wero Miss Lynda Hyland, Miss Shapcott (Hastings), and Miss Leonio Baigent. Farrier-Corporal Arnold Sparrow was the best man, and Corporals Baird and Baigent were the groomsmen. Each one had. left with tho Main Body of the Expeditionary Force, and had seen service at GaJlipoli, equally with the bridegroom. Tho latter wore a medal presented by the 10th Nelson Mounted Regiment for long servicetwelve years. After the ceremony a reception was hold at tho residence of the bride's parents at "Belmont." Women's National Reserve. The Women's National Reserve, Palmerston iNorth, has been very busy helping in patriotic work. Recently the Mayoress was instrumental in getting up a -'"Paddy's Market" for the benefit of the funds of the Patriotic Society, and many of the stallholders were reserve members. In addition, the reserve organised a special stall, hy which they took the largb sum of £109, and will shortly have another £15 or £20 to hand in. All tho members taking part worked very hard indeed from 9. in-the morning till 11 o'clock at night. They are also very husy making khaki shirts for the parcel fund,' which the Mayoress sees to. Some names have been handed in to the seoretary for farm work should they fee needed , . Mrs.. Hern is proving herself to be an efficient and hardworking secretary, enthusiastic in all she undertakes. Problem of Over-Worked Mothers. In the course of an interesting survey of her visits to children's institutions in England and the United States, Mrs. -Alfred lta'akin told tho members of tlie Association.pt (Jrechee liow tho problem of assisting overworked ami 1 over-burdened mothers was grappled with hy a number of the ''xoujiiktions" in America (states a writer in the Melbourne "Ago"), Four' kinds of mothers are assisted — tho widowed or deserted, the sick, tho over-worked and tired, and! the dayworking women. Their bahies are cared for, they are sent away for ■ Christmas rests or summer vacations; they are fed if ill or badlj nourished, and when in hospital they know their bahies are in good hands and properly cared for. They are also trained l to become more expert workers, ami theieby assisted' to earn'higher wages. Babies' boardinghousos nave becomo quito a feature in America. in Auckland Now Zealand, she found that tho Church of England sisturs had day and night creclies. There working mothers, who were thorougly cired -out utter a hard day's work, wero not expected! to come for their babies and mind them at night. The creches, took charge of them until the week-end,' and tbe mothers camo joyfully to get their children and enjoy a 1 happy few days with them. It was infinitely ' better than : the system of expecting the worn-out woman to give her infant the care she was too tired to bestow. At some British schools pi mothercraft were residential babies who ' wove , cared for by trainees under expert guidance, and at Kensal Green creche and Bchool for mothers young girls were trained to become good private nursos, crocho attendants or good mothers through , tho experience gained. At the baby clinic at Stepiioy about 1000 tables were examined weekly, and in all these clinics tho wholo idea was prevention of trouble. Slje was very anxious that clinics should be quickly established in Melbourne, and that bchools for mothers should! he arranged in connection with each one.

Remembering the Sick Children. When the campaign for funds for the erection of tho Children's Hospital was in progress in Wellington one of the hardest and. most willing workers' was Mr. Robert Groig, the. leading comediau of the "Seven Keys to Baldpate" Company, then a member, of Hugh Ward's Company. Mr. Greig from that day to this, has never seen, the hospital, so on Friday afternoon next ho and Miss Beatrice Holloway and some members of the company are going to visit the institution, and inci-' dentally give the patients a small entertainment.. ' i ■ A Dangerous Practice. It .seems a pity thai; tfio very dangerous habit of stone-throwing' is not taken more seriously in Wellington by the authorities than '>it is. Life-long injury is sometimes the result although not wilfully inflicted, and no attempt seems to be made to make the culprit realise how dangerous and ciilp. ■ able such a habit is. An American Magistrate had recently to deal with a boy who had injured another person as a result of stone-throwing. The boy was commanded to throw a thousand stones one after the other without ceasing,- in a place chosen for tho purpose. After four hundred stones had been thrown the boy begged to be let off tho remainder. The officer in charge was inexorable, and by tho time the boy reached the thousandth stone he was almost too exhausted to move, and- the lesson had sunk home very deeply indeed. It was with the utmost feeling .that he vowed never again to be guilty of throwing stones. Repose—A Lost Art. / "The art of being still is almost a m fc - al t' £ ays J> °- Wright in tho I'riends' Quarterly Examiner." "It has been said that if every person would think without speaking for five minutes every day, the world would be a better world. Wo know tho story of tho wealthy man who, when dying, called his profligate son to him and told him.he would leave his money to him on one .condition—that ho should each day spend one- hour alone. The son promised, to obey, and became a renovated character. Solitudo for one hour out of twenty-four made him think. 1 ho need for mental stillness, for poise and balance, is obvious. We arc apt to become one-sided and make mistakes because we do; not wait long enough to see both sides of a question." •

Where a Woman Fails. "You may make omnibus con3ucl:ors munition workers, farm bailiffs, and doctors of women, but you will never turn! them into good dress designers," said a London fashion expert recently. He was referring to a case in which a male designer of women's costumes had pleaded unsuccessfully for exemption from military service' at a London ■ ■.tribunal. : "Thero ( aro not half a dozen women world-known as great dress designers," he went on. "Hero and there you have tho brilliant'exceptions, but they are' few, AVhile a woman's eye is excellent for detail, a man seems better able to obtain line and general effect. As for tailor costumes,' no chic woman would wear, a coat and skirt cut by ono of her own sex." . . '..-..>■ / , Miss Borlase is holding tho second of her assembly' dances for soldiers at tho Goring Street Hall on Saturday evening. . - - - '• 'Mrs. Adams, Lower .Hutt, loft on Monday for Auckland, where she will visit her daughter, Mrs. , J. D. Spicer. Miss Ella Jaeobson accompanied Mrs. Adams. . Miss J. Macandrew, Miss Cora Gow and Miss Marjorio Macandrow returned to Wellington yesterday from Picton, where they had been spending Easter.Mr. and Mrs. Elias Martin (Auckland) are- visiting Wellington, and are staying at the Royal Oak Hotel.

Welcoming the Mail. In the course of an interview with a representative of tho "Napier Tela l graph," Lieut. Morton, a returned soldier, said: "If people in New Zealand could see the welcome which greets the arrival of the Nero* Zealand mail in the trenches, they would never think writing to tho 'boys at the front £ waste of time. It is the only.thing which keeps them in touch with their nomes on the other side of the world. Letters are now delivered fairly regularly, but with parcels and newspapors there is often delay." Ho also told his interviewer , that thero is not a -Now 'Zealander lighting in Franco who doesn't wish it ■were over and himself back in NewZealand, but with everyone there is the same determination to" see it through.