SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 21, 27 October 1919, Page 2

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

A most successful function was held in the Public' licll, ivhandallah, last ■Thursday, wiieit the local committee entertained the returned soldiers. -Quite a feature of-the bail were the decorations. which had been carried out in coloured electric lights by Mr. Butt. Tho ball took the form of a mask and domino event, and the various quaint disguises created a great deal of amusement. A number of visitors from town attended, and enjoyed the excellent music provided b.v Cowley's orchestra. Just before supper Mr. Dole welcomed -tiio visitors, and Mr. K. Gibbons responded on behalf of the returned soldiers. An excellent, supper was provided, and the committee desires to thank the residents who contributed, and worked hard to make' this ball the success it was. . The annual meeting of the Society for the Protection of Women, and Children takes place in one of tho committee rooms of tho Town Hall on Tuesday night. One of the speakers of the evening will be Miss S;vncer, one of the New Zealand women patrols who did such splendid work patrolling the streets of London. M'is= Spencer returned to New Zeliland by the lonic, and a description of her work should be of special interest at this time, Soldiers who returned to New Zealand by the lonic were welcomed as nsual at the Returned Soldiers' Club, where Mrs, de Castro, Mrs. Batten, Mrs. C. Wilson, with their helpers, were in. charge of the refreshments. Many of . the soldiers brought with them to the club tlieir wives, some with small children, and.tht, ifse of the club as a depot and restingplace was fully demonstrated. Tho Women's National Reserve were also doing what was possible for the soldiers' wives and children at the Esperanto rooms on Lambton Quay, arid during the day their hospitality was accepted by a great many of these new arrivals in tho Dominiou. Miss Logan, who has been visiting Lady Stout, left for the south on l-'ridny night. An old resident of Canterbury, Mre. Emma, Bea.u, widow of the late Mr. Kichard .Stanley Bean, died on Thursday at her lrcidcnce, "Fnlield," Ashburton, Sixty, years ago the deceased came out to New Zealand with her husband and settled at Kaiapoi.. where she lived until she and' her husband went to Ashburton. Mrs. Bean loaves a family of three sons and iivo daughters, Canon; W. S. Bean, Addington; Mr. (.'. Bean, Webb Street; Mr. Arthur Dean, Addinglon; Mrs. Lechner (Nelson), Mrs. liazleton (Wanganui), Mrs. Clayton (Opawa), Mrs. Mitchell (Christchurch), and Miss Bean (Ashburton). At Trentham Races. ® So beautiful a day as Saturday was could not fail to attract a great many people to Trentham to view the races, and as a .result the lawns and stands were crowded with spectators. The beautifully-kept grounds made a charming setting to the many pretty frocks which were worn, some of which by their lightness of fabric and daintiness of colouring were an added assurance that summer really were at hand, if such were needed on \o warm a day as Saturday. Summer garments, however, 'were not in the majority, the greater number of women with 110 doubt a pro-vision of tho ohill that conies shortly alter four in the afternoon preferring coats and skirts. Quito a favourite garment\wa;3 the long cape or cloak, largely of satin, '-Which was worn over somo of the lighter frocks., Their Excellencies tifee Gove.rrior : Ge]ierul and tho 'Oountc.-s of Liverpool.;' with a parly from Government House, li'ore present! Lady Liverpool wearing a fawn coal: and skirt and a wjde-brimmcd hat with a niching of feathers and cluster of tiny flowers at one. side. .Miss Boylo (Cliristcliurch) was in brown, with a brown hat'wreathed with yellow glycerine feathers, and Miss ]?iusell'(Hav.*ke's Bay) wore a dark red frock and black hat with upstanding quill. Miss Ilareourt wore a biscuit-coloured coat aud skirt, with a ilnrk blue waistcoat and small highcrowned hat with a-higli aigrette in the front. Mrs. M. Gillon wore a limecoloured coat and skirt, and one of the fashionable Mack straw hats. Miss Massey was in brown with a'small black hat, and Mrs. H'caton -Rhodes a dark blue crepe tie chine frock, made with a draped skirt and black feathered hat. Among others who were present were Lady Ward, in ■ black with a long cape and' black feathered hat.; Mrs. Arthur Duncan, Mrs. and Miss A'Deanc (Hawke s Bav) Mrs. Lowrv, Mrs. Walter Johnston, Mrs.'Heaton Bhodes, Mrs. George Hume and Mrs. W. Humo (Wairarana), Mrs. Goring Johnston, Mrs. Martin (Wairarapa), the Misses Duncan-(2). Mrs. S. Hareourt; Mrs. Whyte, Mrs. Bernard Wood (Cliristcliurch), Mrs. Walkins, Mrs. Brodic, Miss Baldwin, Mrs. and the Misses Stott, Miss"Moss. Mrs. Finch, and many more. A great many soldiers, from Trentham Hospital were to lie seen there, enjoying the. sunshine, and, still more, tho hazard of the races. New'Zealand's-Returned Women Patrols. Amongst those who returned to New Zealand by the lcfnic 011 Saturday were Mrs. • JlncHugh and Miss liallantyne, whose work for the soldiers is not perhaps so well known iu this country as it ought to ha. Both had been doing street patrol work in London for the past eighteen months or two years, and previous to that had been mempers of tho Volunteer Nursing Sisterhood, -Miss Ballautvne having been in Egypt for some time, lii the course of -a brief .talk with Mrs.'-Macllugh a few ■ skielighto were gleaned of tho work that was done in patrolling tho streets of London. 111 taking up this work Mrs. Macllugh and Miss Ballantyne met with great opposition. on all hands/ but they were so convinced of the terrible necessity for combating the street evils of London that thev persisted in their efforts, and wore finally given their opportunity by Maior Bavin, of the A.I.P. From tho moment they presented their first report, and tho authorities- could see for themselves what their work was achieving, recognition followed, and now there are at least from thirty-five to .'lB women patroU belonging to the International Leairuo at work at Home. Even so, there are not enough for what lies before tlieni'. Australia, Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and yet .another of the overseas dominions each lias its women patrols at Home wearing the uniform distinctive of the country to which they belong. The wearing of :i uniform \va:; a • very necessary precaution considering the nature of tho work that the patrols were doing, and it was found that with a uniform distinctivo of tho country to which the patrol belonged more could be done with the soldier coming from that country himself; At. eight, o'clock at night the patrols started work, going out in twos, and they patrolled the streets till two in the morning, sometimes later. Some of Ihem even undertook office work (making reports, etc.) aflcr their night's jvork. Not. only were they protecting Hie overseas soldiers, but. they were also giving a helping hand to.women, and several were take'll away from tho lifo of the streets, and had "mr.de good" in other directions. "We recognised, said Mrs. Macllugh, "that if we had to help tho soldier then we must help and look after the woman.' It could not be made a separate affair just for the men." Asked as to what training the patrols had to undergo, Mrs. Macßugh said, that of course tho. mainspring of the, work was to get. the right women, women of tact, experience, and a knowledge of human nature. Each new recruit to the cause had to spend a month on probation, and by the time that, that month was over those at tho head of the organisation were able io sec whether she was fit. for the work or no. "There was an idea," said Mrs. Macllugh, that our services would not be needed during demobilisation ami after, but a vrork as tin's mud always go on." Mrs. Macllugh and Miss liallantyne licitli look a course, at Cambridge i;'. civic and eugenics, aud it is Ihcir idea In .devote themselves to social reconstruction work in Now Zealand.