SOCIAL.AND PERSONAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 86, 6 January 1919, Page 2

SOCIAL.AND PERSONAL

Gifts to the Hospital." The matron" of' Die ' Hospital acknowledges the following..gitts "lor soldiers in the military irard:—Tinned fruit. Miss Joseph; illustrated P ! >P°rs, strawberries and cream; 1 Mr. 0. It.' Smith;' flowers, Her. Excellency Lady Liverpool,., Mr. Sharp, Miss Price; playing'cards and sweets, Mrs. AV. Nathan; fruit, tomatoes, weekly supply of/goods; Salvation ; Aruiy; cakes and' buns, Ladies' Brnncli, N.Z. Natives' Association; eggs, Her Excellency Lady Liverpool; Mr. M'-Ui-lianiiii; draw . sheets and papers, Red Cross Society; cigarettes, Jlr. Luke; lis., Anonymous; smokes, Mr. C.' E. Smith; "

Children's -Ward-.-Toys, Miss Giithrie; books, Mrs. J. D. Gray; flowers; !Mi\s. Tonks.

.Agecl and Needy Home.—Toilot /soap, ■iind fruit, - Mrs.. CLeghorn (Terrace); cakes and. (lowers, ' Mrs;" Jatnieson (Justin Street); eggs, -Mrs..'Sargent (Vogeltown); flowers, Jtiss Butts (Kintoul 'Street); cheques v Mrs. Nathan, trustees Aged and Needy-Home. .' '' •?■■

Mrs. 0L W. Schroder, an oid resident of il.astei-t.on, died on Saturday after a short illness.

Ifiss Butler "has, returned from a visit to her aunty Mrs. Addenbrook. . 7

"Dr. aml'Mi's. E. A. .Walker haro taken a, house : at Plimmerton tor the holiday season. '

-.•Princess Mary has beep appointed ,to be C'olonel-iii-Chief of the Hoyal..Scots (Lothian Kegiment). A more honourable command could not have beon; conferred upon (j Prihcess of. the bloo'd. "l'o a grander'scroll of fame than that of.tiio First Foot 110 regiment iri the British' Army can lay claim. 111 antiquity it stands 'alone. Some of the Foot Guards .lmvo been longer on the British establishment; but the history of the Hoyal Scots goes back to tho tiays of the old Erango-Sc'ottish • alliance. The Lothiau Regiment may pride "itself on being the only British regiment which fought in the CrusadcS.' Princess Mary is' descended iu direct line from tho Princess Eliza-, belli, for whom the regiment fought three hundred years ago.

Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Bayley, who havo beeu staying in Now Plymouth, have returned to Wellington. .• . \

Miss Edwin, Wellington Terrace, is visiting Now Plymouth.

After a visit to Hanmer. Miss Georgia Websler'has gone to Ckristchurch, where she means to; stay for some time.

Dr. and Mrs. .. M'Naughton Christie have been the-guests of Mrs. E/Bayley, New Plymouth. . ■ -

' Mr. and Mrs. F. Samuel are visiting New. Plymouth. / ,

Mrs. T. Guthrie and Miss Guthrie are visiting Christcliurch. 1 ■ .j-

Word lias been received by cable that Mi's. Owen-Johnston, eldest daughter of. Mr. A. M. Owen, of Christcliurch, has resigned from the Army Nursing' Corps after three years' service, and is returning by. the stenmer Briton, which left England at Christmas tune.

■ Tho Hon. J. C. Garland, M.L.C., with Mrs! Garland and Miss Garland, are visiting Mrs.- E. D. Cronin, Napier.

■ The engagement is announced of Miss Dorothy Garrard, daughter Of Mr. C. Garr&i'd, of the Education t Department, Auckland, to Captain Warwick J. Smeoton, 8.F.A., 8.E.F., of Auckland.- Captain Smeeton is still; with the Army in France; : : .'.-■ ■

The death is reported-at- Mqlesey, Etlgland;' on November 13, of ' M' 2 '. Frances Vogcl, only sister of the late Sir Julius Vogel, at one tirno Premier of New Zealand. "'''-.• :,

1 Mrs. J. Myers, accompanied by Miss' Margery" and -Master. Elliot Myers, will leave torday on ,a trip, to Mount Egmont.

■ The'death-.occurred on Tuesday, November 12, at St. Leonard's lloau, Exeter, of KoniH, wit'e of Lieutenant-Colonel Druihm'ond •■ 0-.- Spencer-Sniith, 11. H.A. Mrs. Spencer-Smith . was the. second daughter, of Mr', and Mrs. Arthur Hope, of '"I'umanako," Timoi'u, and was married in London in December, 1915. Sho is another of the victims to pneumonia. Mrs. Spencer : Smith leaves an infant son, born'-'in December last year. Her husband lias been for some time commanding. the Artillery Cadet, School at, Exeter, at which many New Zealanders havo qualified. ' ■

Tho nurses, at Wellington Hospital very much appreciate tho" kindness and thoughtfillness of, Mrs. H. W. ICerslcy, who, after the epidemic, placed hor pretty residence-at-Day's Bay at their- disposal during convalescence. More than thirty nurses availed themselves of the chance for a short'ehange before taking up their duties again.; .

' Miss-Sasiinnah -Groeneweg, Holland's first-,and only woman member of Parliament, was a- school teacher, and she is a recognised authority on school questions.

-Mr. and'Mrs.'-.'o. B. Bridges have-re-turned to Wellington.

At a baby show in London recently, at which. Princess Marie Louise .presented the prizes, Dr.MYuby lung, Medical Director of the Babies of .tho Empire Society, was present,. He said that there was 110 reason,why splendid babies should not. bo reared'in'every quarter of London." People who breathed LOndon air, provided tliey had their windows open, were better off than those who'jij'e.d in the country ivith their windows shut ■'

"1 thought I hud told you everything," says Mrs. June "R, Lucas in, her book . .called ' "Tho Children of Frhilce." "I haven't. To-day at eleven was almost the most, thrilling'moment of all at Evian... Six hundred ,iind .eighty .Belgian children arrived on ;tlie morning train ! Two-thirds of them" had been taken from their parents because their fathers wouldnot work for the Germans'.' Those poor children., thin,. ''sickly ' looking, alono, calling 'Vive la France,' then 'Vivo la Belgique,' for the ,first time in three years! . . . How. they ate! They just stuffed that good, dinner. I shnll never forget'their hands; little birdlike claws, so thin, and when they sang jhey waved those'pathetic little hands. .Such a voir iimo of■ song as came from them: 'Lo lloi. la lot, la libertc!' No 0110 could hear it; the French," the Americans, the Belgian'officials who. had come to receive, them, all stood .frith tears on their laces." V

Feilding Notes. .. Mrs. Hitekings.'.jrtt'clli'ugton) htisjbeeil staying with Mrs:' Broad. • J£rs..Broad has. gohii "to 1 Aucklnn'd. 1 '; Mrs. Ilill (Chi'istchiirch) is lite guest of Mrs. Wheeler.,. ' ~- /;/' Jlrsi Miles has gone to Wangaiiiii. Mrs:, lias returnejl from Bulls. Sirs.' Bradley 'fr.is beeh; "visiting friends in AVnnganui. . 1 ■ ,- - Jliss : Jones (Welliitfeton). is staying'/with 1 friends for a,few days. . ' • . - Jliss Wiitts has goiio. to 'AiicklaiHl.' Jiiss Miller has returned to v .Wellington. Mrs.' Bramwell lias taken her family- to Plimmer'toii. '■''■• / Mrs. Sto'ekivell' is atayiiig in Aucklaml. IVrs.. Hurley,. .(Wellington). is visitijig Mrs. Hicknian. , - ' - '

, Miss Stott, matron at the General Hospital, is staying -yvith her sister in .Auckland. " , •

.. The' eiigagement - is'; announced of - Miss Olive Dumbleton,. of Palmerston North, to Mr.'-C." V. Day, of Levin. ' '■;

Miss Hind,' of the, -Wellington' Girls'. College' staff, purposes spending a,., holi'day at Peel Forest. '

Miss Stevenson, of Woodville,.is spending tbb holiday!..ih -Timarn, ami'is. the guest of Mr. ami Mrs. E. E. Iliinl.

.Sister B. MV'Hn'ddlestan, who 'has just been awarded 'honour of thc-:T?oyal lied Cross; is a'nieee of .T. C. Boddinglon." 'She recoived her tr'nining as a nurse at the Wellington Public Hospital, anil was the senior sister when site left with ithe New Zealand Forces toSnmoa, afterwards going to" England and France. Since: January last she has been tho anaesthetist with ono of tho surgical clearing, station teams working. through the Sornme area; •■•■■ •■'•" •

KIDDIES WHO COULD NOT CHEER'-

THE TRAGEDY OF OSTIiXD.

One of the saddest sights.-I have' e.-cr seen in any war' zone, was ii' band of Ostond children, beinp- taught' how 10. laugh and cheer ' (Writes' "jackstalf" in the "Daily Mail");' Four years under the Hun jackboot- had •crushsd 'out-'of their liny souls all capacity for joyous emotion. : -f)olenm-eyod;. ; sad-fnced,:and almost dumb, they-'did not eyeri oh'attJr. to one another as; thej'"tt-udged along the pavement. , All were boys of' nges.' rangiig .'from aboiifc ten to fifteen years. They curried* small lings,"iind there' were about a hiiudred of them. I asked the priest who led this woebegone procession who they were and what they *wero doing.'! ■" • "Orphans of""tho 1 m'sie.t,".' he answered. 1 : "I am teaching" them'-'how to", rejoice." - ■ ' ' , ' ,' ,■ Turning to the' boys, he 'waved his flag and called: "ViVotil■ les Allies" • . '

From the ranks, thcre.'.caiue ' only n listless response; ' ' ■ . "Ah, m'siett,"■.exclaimed'the priest sorrowfuUy, "they have 'forgotten hpiv''to' do- it.'(. . \ ' The Ifnffedy'.of ,it!_ Boys'at.'their ;most irresponsible and care-free (I'd not know how to',wave a-'llag ami. '-ht'ei, who „ scarcely oveti .remembered.' howto smile! , /

My ..moling,'with the. priest' :and; his: charges occurred between the Pne Qo lh. Chapelle' and, the. Avenue Leopold,/■' Noticing a small body.-of Britifh bluejackets, approaching, I" stepped aside, to' watch', what.tliey would do.' .1 Svas siife I.should' see a picture worth looking >' at. for 1 know Jack: 'He is the real' Peter "Pan. In his, heart .ho never.grows I;p.. He remains a boy aiwiiys, and Has a large . vnderstanding sympathy with all boys ."of. lesser yoars' tlian .himself. . I :. The.sailors'stopped,"lookeil at the boys,.! and laughed , '3ierr.ily7rand.i th.at f liiugh "p'royed"infectious.- When' one of ors'waved-his'ihand' and called: "Hooray for Belgium l !" tho ..youngsters appeared suddenly to awake. They laughed too, fluttering their bunting, and tried to.'"ooray!" also. "Cheer ship-properly!"-exclaimed their mentor.as:.lie,,led .them■ .off again. And this time-the boys joined- in with good will, ,-Thoy had' fonnd the right teacherSoniew'liat ' "puzzledi • though plainly enough' delightedv-the'priest watched-all this;'.'. "Whis'ii"it'n-rts" over hi told the sailors who-the'boys were and-what : tKoy were doing;-'-, ' • Apparently the sailon had .taken them for a psrty* of'-'school children demonstrating. ;;V/.h'tn they' learr.ed. tho truth off came caps—.the I 'blue] ackeU' hold-all— followed Ky -deep . searchiKg: 'of pockets. At this'juncture the drivw of an A'riyy •'lorry .(Royal -Air Force,-1 boiieve) -walked 'up. ■ j Vs; ' ~ ■ ' "What's it all One of, tho s.Vilors. told-hini... , . ...

' "Wait; : a -bit;" and -the-driycr,' running up a side-street, i'oturned„ : braat!iless, with a - tin <in-.his-'luind.,'."Here's- some.,toffee- 1 . givo'''oni';that..-too!"Th?,.said;'' '• . 'The. women of Britain, .know. their,"meri for their courage—and justhr.'They have equal reason for, knowing them for their great-hearted kindliness towards tho women and 'children of such war-stricken lands as Belgium. "