HAPPENINGS IN THE CAPITAL

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1807, 13 July 1906, Page 3

HAPPENINGS IN THE CAPITAL

SOCIAL DOINGS

(By Penelope.) Wellington, July 10. There are still evidences in Wellington of the mourning for Mr b’eddon, though our public buildings have regained their usual appeavance and Parliament has been painted and shows no longer a black and gloomy front to the world.—Entertainments were naturally postponed, and really the seasonseemed likely to be a dead letter, although the shops are full of the most enticing evening chiffons. But this coming week bids fair to be quite gay. The Wellington Hacing Ciub gives its second hall, and as that of last year was a most exceptionally brilliant affair —the floor only being the drawback —and this is said to be going to excel it, the guests ought to enjoy themselves. A large dance is being given by Mrs Eiddiford, of the Hutt, two nights before, 1 and the races take place during the week, so that there will bo a rush of gaiety. Lady Plunket is bettor and has been seen in town, walking, despito tho stormy weather. She is going to several functions tbi3 week. By the Sydney boat loave Mr and Mrs Arthur Pearco and Miss Holmes, exchanging stormy skies for the sunshine of the East. Mr and Mrs Geddi3-hois pditqr of the Free Lanpe—ajso sail by the Wimmera for a yisjt to Australia. Mias Nathan, daughter of Mr Walter Nathan, goes to Auokland to stay with Mrs Nathan, and Miss Ewen has left on a visit to Napier. Mrs Sprott, wife of tho vicar at St. Paul’s,. leaves for England shortly with her eldest sod, who is entering Cambridge University. Miss Fitzgerald goes Homo by the Athenic to stay with her aunt, Mrs Levin, and Mrs Stewart Hawthorne, Who is mofhpy to tiie fiompo3er, Mr Wjlleby. .writer of so many charming songs, loaves for England by the sam° steamor. Hr and Mrs Pigeon-she was a Miss Parker, of Wellington—have returned from tbe Chatam Islands. Mr and Mr 3 Chaytor, of Blenheim, have been guests of Colonel Chaytor, of Wellington, and Mrs Grace has been staying with Mrs Vavasour, of Ugbroqke. Bishop and Mrs Wallis have'issued invitations " for a! large At Home to bo held ill the Town - Hall concert room this Tuesday. As this is the first reception of any sice this sea--son, it is a notable affair. Tho latest Wellington engagement is that of Miss Fessie Hickson, daughter of Mr Hickson,. of Fitzherbort Terraco,, to Mr Koeble. - •

SCIENCE MADE POPULAR.

There is little doubt that q,-young, utti'active and unmarried lecturer—bo his subject ever so dry—-is likely to draw a large and appreciative audience, Dr Bell, who came from Canada as director of our Geological Survey, can claim all these adjectives, but he made the Physiography of Westland—which does hot sound wildly exciting—amost ihteres'ing topic and quite intelligible even tp th o limited feminine capacity. Ho used some word of infinite Jength at times, —one in particular reminued me of “ Einer, deener, diner, dua,”— the mystic formula that prefaces a game of tig—but on the whole confined himself to ooauaou-plaoQ dis-

Westland is at prosont, in viow of tho coming by oloction, a very interesting! place, and Dr Bell showod us its natural features wero as attractivo as its inhabitants. Many experts think with him that the Erauztosef glacier, which slopos down between almost tropic vogotation, ice and troe-forns in quaintest juxta-position, will become tho happy hunting-ground of tho tourist and mountaineer in days to como.

NO SAUSAGES,

1 u , Th ,? - uogle ” figures ,'largo in every bookseller's window, and is beiog widely read. It jg unneoessarily revolting, ono would imagine, in many of its dotails, and opinion varies widely as to whether the work w'll nooomplisk tho reform it Eoeks to effect. Mr Mooro’s little attaok on our Meat Companies has fizzled out, aud people have really mado no difforonoo in tbeir butcher’d bills. Sausages are in just as groat a demand as ever, and unless you seed early to tho big shops, you are likely to do without them. But in boardinghouses the mystio sausage is regarded with added disfavor. Two young tradesmen—perhaps they were butchers and anew tho awful saorets of their profession—advertised tho other evening for rooms and board, and addod, 11 no sausages,"

AMERICAN PICTUREB.

| The Edison pictures, ou view till las: ’’ Saturday, wrro extremely interesting 1 pattioularly tbo films showing Americar life, ani the earthquake at San Francisco, ‘ There seemed no end to the piles of ruins displayed by tho machine, whioh gives a better idea of tbo magnitude of tho oatastrope than any pictures or description, In one of tbe views, a quarter of tbe city—the notorious Barbory Coast—was nblezj, and refugoes were to be soon flying with tho qcotresl assortment of treasures, Carts wero loaded up with mattrestes, obairs, and furnituro of o’l kinds, and a

few houeotold pets kept preoarious footing on tho recking pile. A soldier was caught in the dynsmiting of a budding, and we saw him removod, fainting and with broken limb?, in the ambulance. A more oheerful set of fiims represented tbe diversions of a boarding school at Oonoy Island, near New York. Amorio-ins play evidently as keenly as they work, and tbe vaiious amusements installed there are most ingenious. There is a water ehuto tobogamiing down sand clffs, a moving ladder, a great ring that Bways about rs the girls porch on tho edge, morry-go* rounds, oamels—that rise and shako oil ba'f their fair burdens—and a huge wheel whore tha adventurers sit ns it rolls round and round a ciroular oourse. Really tho Commissioners of the Chtistoburch Exhibition should taks a noto of Eomo of thes9 outdoor amusemonta. We are beginning to bo a little tired over this same

esmytion before it is oponod. At present musical Wellington is rampant over the insult done Mr Arthur Hill in passing him by and sslecUng Q 9 mag j oa [ head Mr Arundel Orchard, a large aQ( j oarcea j assembly waited on th 3 Minister, and urged him to oxoiVc 0 m 8 pl .j v j. £ ge . votoiu g lh 3 aPeniatmont. Mr Hill 10 extremely clover, v no j a genius, and the beauty of his tiona ie recognised by all. His eongs art) eharmiog, and ho is a fine conductor. O

oourse tho other man may bo superior, but it is so seldom that mus’oal people unite in a common desire—the deputit on included all our lending mou—that their wishes should bo given due consideration. One of our best known musicians, Mr

Cyril Towsey, ia loaving for Home shortly. He ia moat popular, aud ever ready to help a good cause, and his brother musi-

cians aro organising what should be a most successful concert. Mr Towsey, who is a notable figure in Wellington, possess* ieg a wondrous crop of irrepressible dark ouris, will be much missed. His father, Mr Arthur Towsey, also a musician, lives at Wanganui.

A FINE PICTURE,

The Sontborn Alps have often boon painted, but to those who know and love them best tba pictures have never been satisfying. Thero is a subtle charm about tbs peaks that defies reproduction, and their exquisite clearness in their pure atmosphere is too often converted into hardness by the unskilful brush. But Mr Worsley—who is well known as a painter of New Zealand scenery—has gained an enchanting Aipino effect in his large picture of Mount Sefton —She g-eat ice rampart that may bo seen from the windows of the Hermitage,. Within a few yards of a glorious-log firo one may sit and watch tba avalanches crashing down iis rock faces and cliffs. In Mr Worsloy’s picturo the mountain looms up, a wonderful silhouette of ice, from soft misls that hide it 3 base The sky is grey, the mists grey, the mountain erest a glory of dashing silver. The only vivid color is in the splendid copper, gold, and bronze of tbe foreground of snow grass cut by the muddy road where eattle are walking, Altogether it is a delightful picture, and if not tbe best of New Zealand the artist has painted, it must come very near fi, Rfr Worsley some time ago suffered an irreparable loss in the destru'etion df his sketches— his Spanish otud'es among them—when his hqnso was burnt down at Nols'oa. Bicct then bo has been tremendously bq»y, and his energy et the Hormitogo wss rcmarkablo. Often bo would start at dawn and bo out painting till nightfall.

SOME CHIFFONS,

Thero is the loveliest display of long scarves in onp of tho largr drapery shops at present. Every airy, graorfql material is pressed into service, but pbifion psttornad with flowers eoems to be most popular. By the way any girl with an artistic turn oan trauefo-m a length of ohilfon or o epe into an exquisite scarf by painting on is, in ordinary oils, ruing no medium and transparent colors, trai ! s of bbssjm3, ■ Tho material should ho tacked across a framo—a largo slate framo does cxcrlleDtly—while it is being painted. Lirgo blossnu i look best, and the very newest idoa is to contra .them with go'd ‘thread or 1 gold erq'uj is, The ends should bo frilled or hemstitched, Some vpry cff/ctivo stoles vyoro of black net, a up pi of gold and eilver om’oroidery, and ot’notg of not wi’ff nurnbe-.psg liny frilla at the lower edges. Ail ihe new ball - frooks are bring made wish very full round tkirie, absolutely plain, and tbe graoeful liaes of tho scarf relievo the severity of the style. AmoDg tho newcql blonsrs was ous of vjhiso Futin painted with yellow ros;s .avfl foliagjo, but tba effect was rather garish, and reminded cue qf a bqndker'ohiefisachel.

CABLE SHIP HOSPITALITY,

It was my good-fortune to iucei last werk on tbp Recorder, tho coble ship which, driven back by bad weather and shoitago of ooal, was in port, There was a quaint Erstern air about tho ontoitaiomsnt, for tho Recorder's headquarters are Singapore, that wonderful barber with wharves three miles long) and inly which it is ' quits usual fer thirteen or fourtopn ships the s’ze of tbo Rimutaka, or. larger, tq oorna daily. The meal begaD, for tho msu, with a shorry and n CigSteUo, and vi!h tbo wine appeared a queer little savoury of egg and tmcaisar . red-fish, tbe latter evidently named from its oolor, whioh is not unlike the tint of oayenro psppor, The carry served ou the boat is miidi but n tray with ssven or 1 eight additional condiments is handed round with it—mustard, pickle, chutney, piokjed oniqn, Rombqy duck, and a strange dried fish. Ij'oa choose and mix for youreplf, and learn the proportions that suit you by p-actioe. The finale of the Reoorder innoh is a Bavoury —a pair of tiDy rioe-birds on fried bread. These are only about tbe size of a man’s thumb, and ftTo QttloQ boooa and all, Quo experiment-

I syllables. 110 has a charming inanuor I with a ploasant voice, and a boyish I smile Ho is Canadian, with a dash | of Frc not and a lluvor of Indian, of I which h r is proud, for 110 claims I descent from Pocahontas tho romantic. I I havo seon his picturo in his full InI diau robes and regalia, and was much I impressed. Ho and his sistor havo I I talcou a houso in Hobson Crescent—tho ono occupied by tho Hon. If. But- ' l° r ) and havo as a guost just now tho Mr Low who had tho marvollous escape from death in tho Southern Alps at the beginning of tho year. Ho is walking on crutches and will always j bo larno, but with ton days’ oxposuro 1 to terrible weather it is surprising ho ( is alivo at all. 1

nlfat oomplainod thoy tasted liko a pin cushion full of pins 1 A " stcngah ”is tbo j form of hospitality always rcudy on tko ship. It oonsista of a wbitky and soda. Among tboao on board ia Mr Wooloombo, whose people livo in Timaru, and who is most interesting on Eastern topics. Oop- I luin Noogle is looking forward to a long loavo and bin wadding when tbn boat gets baok to Singapore. By the wny, tho latter must bo a oharming plaoo to livo in, in some rospoois. You toll your servants you aro giving a dinnor party, and ovorything is ail tboro at tho timo If anything is wantod it is borrowed from tbo next bungalow, and visitors may find thoy aro Dating with thoir own forks, and drinking from thoir own tumblors. In ono case, tho very joint was borrowed, and a guost who wanted a sooond holping bad to go without bcoauso it had boon returned, la oingaporo you ltocp a gardenor, but nood not have a gardon. Your rooms aro always bright with flowers, but you don’t ask whoro they como I |