WELLINGTON SOCIETY.

Evening Star, Issue 4213, 28 August 1876, Page 3

WELLINGTON SOCIETY.

It is astounding what odd and incongruous elements it is composed of. I suppose in no part of the worldwotfld you find such an assemblage of nobs and snobs forming what is called society. It does not appear necessary to have good breeding, indeed quite the reverse will JSomeiiMes give you a certain re'~psSftie«ijarid open the golden doors on the r jS .,,.; r |rpper-teß.; nor does wealth appearrtp be ';. C-'■■- P> Btne ff"* non > seeing some of ifr rits.inost favored votaries are notably •«; ■?. mwltt irat afc; elbows. Education you wbuld bit Lusty wight be>a passport,' bnt tio; shat by itseu is nol recommendation;-(Became I suppose that some of the leaders are not

ovar distinguished in that way. Well, then, what is it ? I hare lately looked at it philosophically during my peregrinations, and in my own mind I have reduced it-to this: Firstly, a slight veneer of English forms and superficialities, carefully overlaid on rough Colonial brusqueness, an utter absence of care for the feelings of others, unbounded impudence, servility without stint, and a very moderate amount of what is looked upon in English circles as absolutely necessary, I mean common morality. I am led to these remarks by a careful observation of what I see around me in Wellington, especially during session time, and I impute it to an extraordinary desire amongst a certain class of men and women to shine in society, never mind at whose or at what expense. I cannot wonder, therefore, that members of Parliament who are, or ought to be, men of education, are somewhat astonished, and I was going to say scandalised, at the extraordinary spectacle presented to them at the social gatherings in the city during the session time. It may be said that I am old-fashioned, but I have net been accustomed to see yo,ung ladies put their tongues out as you see in a ball-room, or when I go to concerts have I been used to see the younger members of both sexes grinning, and winking, and passing little notes to each other. I say I may be oldfashioned, but in my time it was not considered "good form" to do these things. A good Btory is told of a young English lady, who has recently arrived with her husband in Wellington. Happening to be taken seriously ill at her house, the next neighbor hearing of it sent her servant in to perform certain neighborly acts of kindness, for which the lady and her husband were very grateful, as they had not been able to obtain a servant. On her recovery, being brimful of gratitude, and unaware of the Brummagem etiquette of the Wellingtonians, she went and called to tbank her neighbor, and this is the way she was received; The lady of the house never rose from her chair, and nearly the first question she put was, "Eh, I think Mrs ■ ■ , you don't go into society ? " Mrs ■, feeling that the question was put in a most offensive tone, replied, "No; I don't go into society, as I don't consider society is good enough' for me." It is but fair to say that, smarting under the uncalledfor snub, she said what she did, and on wishing the lady of the house good morning, she was allowed to leave the room and find her road put of the ho.use. as best she could. This is a" specimen of the manners of the elite of Wellington. I may mention that the English lady had been in the habit of meeting the late Premier of England at her father's house, but she was not in society in the Colony, having only been a month in New Zealand.: —-.' New Zealand Licensed Victuallers' Gazette.'