HAPPENINGS IN THE CAPITAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1778, 8 June 1906, Page 3

HAPPENINGS IN THE CAPITAL.

THE SKETCH EXHIBITION,

(Br Penkloi’k.)

Wellington. On Saturday aftornoon a akotch exhibition was opened by the Mayor, Mr Hislop, who honestly admitted that art was one of the things ho knew little about. Wellington has got the

name of slighting art and artists, j ust H (l( as it is said not to care for music. But lour reception of Paderewski and Lomaro have surely clearod us of the latter stigma, and wo aro doing our best in the brief intervals betweon

business aud ploasuro two pursuits /keonly followed hero—to improve our position in the art world. Before long we hope to have a permanent art gallery, which, perhaps, some of our wealthy men may holp to fill. It is quite true that in somo of our most imposing houses, tho pictures are in wretched taste, but then again, there are men here who have acquired aud are acquiring valuablo collections Among these are Dr Bell’s, who has most oxquisite taste and has been able to gratify it by accumulating mauy art treasures, Dr Fyfe, Mrs Field, and Mr Miles, who from time to timo has bought good pictures, some by English artists. All those and many others helped to fill the walls at this sketch exhibition by sending pictures, otherwise the show would have been disappointing. Chief among these loans were two most beautiful silver-point otchiogs belonging to Dr Fell. They were by Sainton, and tho lovelier represented a girl asleep with hor arms tossed above her head. The delicate charm of tho lines was irresistible, and people came back again and again to gaze at it. The artist has since be' come blind. Another wondorful picture was of Dusseldorf, by a German called Flockenhans, and was lent by Mr Newton ; the foreground is breaking ice, and the brown fog beyond just shows the towers and gables of the town, the furthei, 1 you look, the further you see into the muiky distance. A real impressionist picture— Wo have a few artists who attempt impressionism and fail —was from Dr ' Fyfe’s collection, a road up a hill crowned by a village half lost in smoke and mist. Up the hill an old woman is toiling. Looking at the picture close she is represented by four dabs of paint and there is no apparent conQfiction between her waist lino and the dabs that are her feet, but standing away one can see the whole figure, and the effect is fine. A breaker, by

Julian Ashton, the Sydney man, is an entrancing bit of color. The furthest end of the gallery is all filled with Yanderweldens sketches, wonderfully

clever but many unfinished studies. The Dutch artist from Christchurch

was there himself, picturesque in his

slouch hat and wide coat,

A coming

colonial artist is Mr Thompson, of Christchurch, who has studied at Home and in Paris, and has recently returned. He has a half-figure of a boy—smoking a cigarette in defiance of our New Zealand laws —that is de lightfully fresh and vigorous.

SOCIAL DOINGS.

Many of those who went to the opening of the sketch exhibition went on to Mrs Adams’ toa for Mr and Mrs Sefton Moorhouse, who have just got back from their fourteen months’ trip, after having seen many countries. A large number of people were present ,and welcomed Mr and Mrs Moor house heartily. Many flowers decorated the rooms, and bowls of ! f/hristmas roses were set on the teaable. The hostess wore a purple silk , skirt, and a cream silk and lace blouse, and the guest of the afternoon was in a graceful black gown with vest and collar of black and white Valenciennes, decorated with tiny roses in pink and mauve. Her hat was toreador shape, 4ifiund with pale green plumes falling dver'the hair at one side. The furs 4his winter are quite a notable feature «rin the women’s dress. A very tall fuest wore a sealskin sacque, a most ecoming wrap, and all varieties of brown fur were to be seen. TVhite furs have become a sort of livery with ; our girls, and pretty as they are one wearies of them. Mrs Babington,. who with General Babington and their little son, will soon be leaving New Zealand, gave a large At Home last week. She is both charming and pretty, with the loveliest bronze-brown hair, always dressed perfectly. She and the General, and Captain Campbell, his good-looking and popular staff-officer, will be much missed here. Mrs Babington has been living recently in Mrs Joseph’s house in Hobson street. A pretty effect was got at the At Home by having all the light concentrated on the tea-table by means of many rose shaded candles, set among silyer bowls of white daisies and foliage. Dr and Mrs Glrace, from Honolulu, have been staying with Mrs Grace lately, and left last Saturday for their home. Two dances were given for them, one at Mrs Grace’s, and the other at Miss Johnston’s. At the former, Mias Phylliß Higginson, who ia an exceedingly pretty girl, made her debut. The house was beautifully dfieorated, and the conservatory made, with its blossoming plants and tropical foliage, a charming resting place. A small tea was given last week by Mrs Malcolm Ross for Mrs Lemare. To everyone’s delight Mr Lemare also put in an appearanca later in the afternoon. Miss Tolhurst and Misß Kissling, of Nelson, a guest of Mrs Kennedy’s, sang, aud Miss Grant played.

ABOUT PEOPLE,

Lord Plunket is in town at present. His secretary, Mr Waterfield, is staying with Dr Izard. Mr Water hold's fiancee has just arrived from England, and I hear the marriage will take place in Christchurch shortly. Miss Plunket is looking romarkably well after her trip. Two now engagements have just been announced. Miss Grace Eiley, only daughtor of Mr Eiley, who was director of the 'Technical School, is engaged to Mr Erskine Nichol, of Invercargill, and M ; ss May Blundoll, only daughter of Mr Louis Blundell, to Mr Noel Nelson, nephew of Mr Coates, and son of Canon Nelson, of Auckland. Mr Nelson has just been transferred to Kobo, Japan, and the engagement was only one day old when he had to start for the East. Miss Kennedy, of Napier, who is engaged to Mr Arbor, was staying with Mrs W. A. Kennedy last week.

MAORI RELICS. Oar Museum—a dark, dreary place, no fit to hold the treasure} it does—has a rues'! interesting collection of old Maori “ curios, wbiob, that ks to the untiring enthusiasm of the Curator, Mr Hamilton, is continually being increased. Mr Hamilton baa himself some wonderful things, fhe fruit of years of research. 4 m o n S them is a particularly fine tiki, wfaiioh be laughingly deolares brings him good luck. He avers he rubs it three times when going on a sea-trip, with the result that he gets fair winds and oalm seas! This ought to increase the demand for tikis enormously. AmoDg his own treasures is a curious piece of carving, dug up some years ago, whose shape can only be explained by its being a fan handle, a relic, jetbape, of the time when the Maori

lived in tropio lands. Among tbo many fine mats, now shown to great advantage in a largo oaso, ia a porfeot speoimon made of brown and white riwi featbore, and an extraordinary one, reddish-brown in color, of lycopodium or trailmg mos>. At profont thoro is boing copied in tho Museum a historic god, a ama'l wooden figure that, set up among tho orops, onsures a plentiful harvest. Originally. Ibis belonged .to Parihaka, but was lent—aa a neighborly aot —to a tribe nearer Now -Ply' [ mouth. Its success was so marked that —aa is too ofton tho oaso—tho loan was forgotten to bo returned, and the tribes wont to war over its possession. This was very many years igi. Twenty years later tho miaaing god waa discovered in a hole not far from tbo New Plymouth railway station, probably hidden by a man whoso tonguo was silenced in the war botwoon the tribes. Now it ia a ohiof troasuro to tho Nelson Musoum. I) will not bo Mr Hamilton’s fault if tho Maori part of tho Exhibition is not intensely interesting. Throe Maoris from Rotorua—fatbor and sons—are busy oarving all d ry at tho Museum, and tho ourutor has many attractions ho intends to display in tho ehapo of mat-'inaking, groenstonocuttiDg, and all tho old Maori arts that are fast boeomiDg lost. Immense stores of food—including potted pigeons—aro already boirig gathered for tho natives who aro to inhabit the modal pa