HAPPENINGS IN THE CAPITAL

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1803, 9 July 1906, Page 3

HAPPENINGS IN THE CAPITAL

m v . Penelope-) V Wellington, June <3O. Generally th \J P ®“y° unction with ment is a eomewliatg J tly .f roC ked ttfSSGTSS'WSA--*-

tho military, bands, guns, and crowds of ladies in gala gowns. But the Premier’s death has cast a long shadow, and tho proceedings. were characterised by solemnity.. Their only redeeming point was brovity, for the whole ceremony only occupiod twelve minutes, and women who nad spent a long time in getting a ticket, and were prepared for a lengthier entertainment, could scarcely realiso His Excellency would not come back again. Lady Piunket, who is better, but still not strong, was not present, and the group of ladies in the principal seats were all dressed in black, white, and grey. Mrs Hall-Jones and Mrs Mills were in deep mourning. The former was presented with a bouquet by the Speaker of the Legislative Council, the Hon. C. C. Bowen, who looks very picturesque in his black silk robes. In vivid contrast to the feminine group was a little knot of naval, military, and consular personages opposite, whose scarlet, gold and blue made a fine show 1 Tho Governor himself wears a resplendent uniform much laced with gold, gold-striped trousers being substituted for the white satin breeches and white silk stockings Lord Ranfurly used to wear. The cocked hat ridged with white feathers, is an important feature of his costume, for ho removes it when uttering certain titles, such as “ gentlemen of the House of Representatives.” When he i mentioned Mr Seddon’s name he removed his hat and held it for a second or two, and some of the Legislative Councillors got half up and sat down again, seeing tho action was not general. But Tho Speaker, Mr Guinness, rose and stood for the rest of the speech. All.the galleries were crowded, mainly with women gaily-dressed, and on either side of the floor of the Council Chamber they were also stationed. In the centre stood the faithful Commons, a motley mass of men all shapos and sizes, The Speaker, with his fullbottomed wig that gives him a sphinxlike look, in front, with the new Premier’s spare figure and fair head close behind. Among the many face* some strike the eye, Mr Massey s strong, kindly face, the patriarchal head of Sir William Steward—Father of the House, the boyish smile of Mr Heaton Rhodes, the clear-cut features of Mr F.sher ; little Mr Barclay lost in a circle of tall men, wriggles to the front in order to got a view, and leaves a wake of smiles behind him. The ceremony was scarcely begun when it was ended and the Governor, with his brilliant little escort, disappeared through the red curtains. It was the shortest speech on record, and will probably be the prelude to the shortest session, for most members are expecting to leave here on Saturday. It is rumored that many of them have only brought one white shirt, which is of course another reason that the session should be brief. THE FORMING OF PARLIAMENT.

I .< e e n h ie 'B [n every new Parliament there are r iliminary ceremonies to be gone t ough before it can be opened, and t iso took place on Wednesday, when i mbers were sworn in, and the I aaker appointed. The men go up alphabetical quartettes to the Clerk, teat a formula after him, kiss the ble, and sign their names. In the c eof Mr Baume, of Auckland, the o y one I saw in the Lower House, h kept on his hat and kissed the Old ", itament. A most pathetic figure

was that of Mr Stevens, of ManaE a , lou/Toiiug fmnl uiness | and is quite blind. His re-entry into | politics was marked by the terribly tragic death of his opponent, Mr Yile, taole, auu m —l—u„ o ]yr P / ready with kindly hands were the ' members. Mr Ngata, the new Maori gj member, is most attractive-looking, H alert, bright, and keen, with a thick " crop of black hair that must be the envy of many less favored. From the vantage-point of our gallery we get a ■fine view of bald heads, and worse ' still of heads that 'should be bald, but whose owners carefully trellis them j over with long locks, blissfully ignorant that the device but goes to emphasise their loss of hair. One feels sure they have neyer seen a top view of themselves,' or otherwise thqy would mqch prefer their tialdness au natural. A number of new members are in this Parliament, and as yet it is difficult to know one from the /other, but time will remedy that. It is to be hoped they will repay attention and study. Some men are back one could have said good-bye to withoqt regret, buf presumably they represent their centstituencies, and qne feels more sorrow than anger at their return. One of these had hardly gained his bench on the first day when he put his feet up and dropped off to sleep, his heavy head hanging over the back of the seat in the most alarming manner. When he did wake up it was to applaud in the wrong place.and with unnecessary emphasis!

NEW LIVERIES.

7he waiters at Bellamy s have been put into new liveries, and the color of these has been the topic of much argument. Ladies, unless they catch a glimpse of these functionaries hurrying, tray-laden, to carry liquid refreshment to exhausted politicians or pressmen, never see the waiters, so I had to trust to masculine opinions. These varied Iron reddish-brown to plumcolor and on to so the idea one got if as rather confused. But the I waitrea in the tea-room, when asked, declarl it to be cigar«brown. A | scarb waistcoat with large brass but. 1 tons orms an important part of the j c 0 o <me Indeed so smart is the turn--4 oV ;hat it is stated a member, seeing al 0 of the waiters close to Lord a \ tnket when he entered the Legislaa ve Council, took him for a consul! )0’ i. THE FATAL WEDDING. f This is a peculiar apd rather allur. ing mixture of comedy and melodrama and music-hall, the melodrama not so fortissimo in tone as the usual blood

and thunder plays, and the scenery l,r and frocks and general acting much , ’ l above the average. The handsome p leading man—who, I believe, gave up 3 the navy for the stage—has a most

thankless part to play as the hero, who is gulled in the absurdest manner by the wily and fascinating adventuress, and made to believe in bis wifete guilt. The story is most improbable, but then no one expects probability in a play of this sort. The she-villain works her wicked will in most wonderful gowns, a flame-colored chiffon velvet being extremely gorgeous, and an orange taffetas, with orange velvet motifs, and deep lace tucker, showing off her handsome figure to perfection. She is striking-looking, with thicjj fair hair parted and waved and knotted low on her neck, and has very fine 'eyes and expressive mouth. Miss Oorydpn is graceful and pathetic, a viyid contrast in her simple blacjj; frocks to her rival's splendor. Naturally the children—there are about thirty in all—are a great attraction—and little Maisie Posner is perhaps the leading figure in the play, Vd acts most wonderfully, with great i expression and sympathy. She is [ viiually on the stage all the time after entry, and as “Little Mother ”

never forgots her rolo. The Kids of the Alloy,” whom she looks after, are responsible for immense amusement, and their concert and dance in the millionaire’s drawing-room is charmingly natural. These children are well cared for and happy. A matron travels with them, and they; aro given every attention. Certainly their stage-romp i» so natural that ono cannot imagine them sad or sorry or down-trodden.

SOCIAL DOINGS.

These aro at a standstill, as is only natural after the sudden calamity- It is said that Government House will be closed till Sir Joseph Ward returns and Parliament is called together, and by then the weather will be gett'ng a little warm for dances. So the season bids fair to be somewhat uneventful. However, the Wellington Racing Club, who gave a most splendid ball last year, intend to repeat the expenment with even more elaborate arrangements next month. The only flaw on last year’s function was the floor of the Town Hall, which proved sadly inadequate for dancing purposes. Since then it has been much improved, and the race ball ought to be a most successful function. A very jolly little dance, the second of a series, was held at the Hutt last week. Mrs Riddiford, of the Hutt, has issued invitations for a large dance There are fewer visitors to Wellington tlian usual. Mrs Ernest Hatfield has her sister, Miss Wood from Napier, staying with her. Mrs Fitchett, who has almost recovered from her illness, has gone to Mrs Walters of the Wairarapa for a change. Mrs Von Haasthas also been unwell, but is no convalescent. A SALE EPIDEMIC.

Almost every draper’s shop m Wellington has : broken out in an eruption of red tickets that are pinned besides other labels which affect to show the original price. Sometimes great bargains are picked up if one keeps one’s head and is not led away by tempting articles that are useless, though cheap. Men laugh over the feminine eagerness for sales, but in similar positions they might act quite as indiscreetly. I know _ a husband whose trusting wife sent him to a sale to buy a hearth rug. He returned minus the rug, but with three dozen wine glasses —they were teetotallers from necessity—and four pictures . But now and then the careful buyer Ends treasure trove. Ribbons, for instance, of good quality and color are ridiculously cheap just now, and laces can be dicked up for very little, while gloves, if the make is reliable, are a very safe investment. Those who dressmake at home have now their opportunities of buying odds and ends in quantities cheap, whalebone, cottons, buttons etc. The great thing is to go into a sale with a calm mind made up as to what you need, and a keen eye to see the possibilities of a bargain. It is as well too to keep the other keen eye on your purse, for in these crowded sale rooms the well dressed lady pickpocket often reaps a fine harvest. The shopkeepers suffer terribly from thieves, and it is a rule among some firms to dress some of their employees in outdoor costume, and set them to watch the counters and the crowd. There have been various people caught pilfering, and in one or two instances these have been made an example of. But the sums lost by shopkeepers in this way every year are very large.