Catholic Bazaar.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 6, 21 August 1914, Page 3

Catholic Bazaar.

A UNQUALIFIED SUCCESS. The ladies of St. Anthony’s Church, who organised, and were responsible for, the four days’ Bazaar and Fancy Fair held in the King’s Hall on Friday and Saturday of last week, and on Monday and Tuesday of this week, scored another success, and outdid their former triumphant ventures in this line, their previous experiences standing to them, and enabling them to cater for all and sundry. Before and during an affair of the kind, the work entailed is hard and strenuous, while the anticipations and hopes formulated engender a reaction only allayed by the knowledge that the hard cash taken would go far to attain the result aimed at —in this case, the aaig- ' mentation of the Presbytery funds. The ladies have their recompense in the handsome sum taken, namely £250, which, made up in a inly o of elusive shillings and nimble sixpences, represents

a considerable amount of energy, toil and hard labour, and speaks well for the persuasive powers and business acumen of the stallholders and their numerous assistants. Early on Thursday evening a band of willing workers started to get things ready and in order, with the result that the handsome and snug hall was transformed into a veritable fairy palace hv means of the prettily decorated stalls that literally groaned beneath their weight of paintings, art needlework, and other articles for use or for ornament. All possible demands had been anti- ■ cipated. The lollio stall delighted the juveniles, the toothsome - edibles so temptingly displayed ■ having a magnetic influence on 1 the coins that were soon exchang- 1. ed for the favoured sweet-meat, f The men were well provided for, t one stall being devoted to those t things which the sterner sex can- c not do without, the only difficulty c being the great variety of choice 11 which rendered it difficult to c; determine which of the articles I was most urgently required. The z oil paintings, the hand painted n mirrors, the carved tables and v boxes, together with the cushions “ and table centres of ail shapes, I kinds, and materials, while highly 2 decorative in themselves, led to “

- decorative in tnemselves, lea to * many brc aches of the Tenth ‘ Commandment by the majority of j patrons, though the busy mothers, carefully avoiding the ornamental ’ were fully satisfied to replenish ’ their stocks at the plain needle- - work stall where useful garments 1 of all kinds were to be had ! cheaply, and where bazaar prices 1 did not rule. The bazaar was well attended ■ all through. Light-hearted 1 patrons were numerous, and on their departure for the night they left with pockets much lighter - than their hearts, the tempta--1 tions to spend being so great - that they could not be side- - tracked, and the unbiquitous assistants exercising persuasive powers to such an extent that 1 the temptation became irresisttible. The selections by the Brass Band were much apore--1 ciated, and did a good deal to attract the crowd, while the various competitions, bed-making, weight - guessing, nail-driving, etc., etc., created both excitement and amusement, the feelings of pleasure being augmented by the singing and the dancing of the girls who did credit to their teachers and to themselves, and whose efforts spoke eloquently of the careful tuition received at the hands of Mr J. Budge, Mrs Budge and Miss Seeds. The tug-of-war proved very popular, the final pull between the representatives of Ralph's mine and the railway men being stubbornly contested and only won by the former after ten minutes of great stress and strain. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon of the first day the bazaar was opened by Mr J. P. Bailey as substitute for Miss Ralph who found it impossible to leave Auckland. Mr Bailey said he had heard nothing but, bazaar for the past six weeks, and, though lie heard all details, he never anticipated a show like that before him. The ladies were generally accused as being good talkers, but when churches were conberned the men did all the talk and the ladies alt the work. This was proved by the fine display so artistically spread out before them. He hoped everything would soon disappear from the stalls, and that the result of their labour of love would be commensurate with the work entailed. Mr Bailey then formally declared the bazaar open, the Rev Father Edge thanking him in a few words for the kindly wishes so characteristically expressed. Thereafter the hall fairly “hummed with buyers and with sellers,” many of the former reluctantly leaving at 12 midnight on Tuesday. The following were the stallholders, and so numerous were the assistants that to publish all names would be an impossible task: — Plain and Fancy Goods, Mesdame.s Rae and B. Ralph ; Men’s Stall: Mrs L. B. Harris, junr., and Miss Kearns ; Plain and Fancy Goods, Mrs and Miss Darby and Misses Skelton and Palmer ; Lollio Stall, Miss Eddie. An especial word of praise is due to iMrs J. Darby who, as secretary, performed her duties in an exceptionally efficient way, while as treasurer Mrs Harris junr. left nothing to be desired. For the help rendered by the various young ladies, the committee and the stall-holders are deeply grateful, and tender their most sincere thanks to them, to the gentlemen who assisted in various ways,

to lhe children whose splendit ‘turns’ proved so enjoyable i feature, to Mr and Mas Budge and Miss Scells who trainee them, to the mothers who sc kindly assisted, and to the mem hors of the Brass Band and the Orchestra for valuable services so freely rendered, and so highly appreciated.