WEDDINGS.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 July 1921, Page 6

WEDDINGS.

REA—BAKER. A pretty wedding took place at St. Andrew’s Church, New Plymouth, on July 27th, when Myra Josephine, fourth daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Rea, New Plymouth, was married to Alick Newton, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. Baker, of Timaru. The bride, who was given away by her father, wore a dress of accordeon pleated white crepe de chine, the jumper blouse being trimmed with silver and edged with narrow white- fur. The orthodox veil and orange blossoms completed the costume. She was attended by. Miss Annie Rea as bridesmaid, who wore lemon nett, with cap and bouquet of purple flowers. Miss Edith McNeill, in white embroidered muslin with cap of blue and white flowers, acted as flower girl. Mr. Cecil Baker, of Invercargill, acted as best man, and Mr. William Rea as groomsman. .Mr. Frederic presided at the organ. The church was prettily decorated by friends of .the bride. After the reception, held at the residence of the. bride’s parents, the happy couple left

for Auckland, where the honeymoon is to he spent. The brides travelling dress was a black and white check costume and saxc blue hat. DOWNES—PRESCOTT. A quiet but pretty wedding was solemnised at St. John’s Church, Feilding, on July 20, by the Rev. F. H. Petrie, the contracting parties being Freda May, the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Prescott and Autliur William, the second son of Mrs. and the late, W. Downes of Waverley. The bride was attended by ber sister Doris, as bridesmaid. Mr. J. Anderson, Wanganui, carried out the duties of best man. TWO HOURS’ COURTSHIP. In an idle hour, while waiting in New York to start, on a business trip, an engineer named Cyril Murtagh married the cashier at an hotel. That the marriage was not a success may be judged, says the Central News correspondent, by the fact that Murtagh was granted a divorce in the Los Angeles court. It, was in November, 1914 that the hasty wedding took place, and after the ceremony the bride, at once returned to her work at the hotel, where the proposal of marriage had been made two hours previously. Letters were exchanged, said the husband* during his business travels, but when he asked his wife to come to the Pacific coast she replied that she pre-

ferred to stay in New York. When a friend called and asked her to join her husband, she refused, and said the marriage was a mistake. A decree was granted on the ground of desertion.

Interesting remarks on games for girls were made by Mr. H. Lungworth, chief physical instructor for the New Zealand Education Department, when addressing a meeting o'f Palmerston North teachers, i Air. Longworth emphasised the great • value of physical training in the making iof a sturdy nation. There were unfor'tunately few people who realised the inestimable benefits to the growing chiJ>l i obtained by properly regulated, scientific exercises (says the Manawatu I Standard). Games, especially, were a ' great aid to the proper culture of the body, ."peaking of games, he said that i football was bad for girls. It was not a •girls’ giune. as it was too rough, and the {element of risk in straining the body • internally was always present. Girls i who did not play football would, when I the time came, make better mothers of j healthier children than would be born 'of more athletic mothers. Hockey was detrimental to the health of most girls, though some were hardy enough to offset any ill-effects. The ideal game for girls was basket-ball, since it exercised (he majority of muscles, and the risk of ; strain inwardly was not great. I Writing from Sydney a Wellington lady has much to tell of the kindness and hospitality of the people there to I New Zealand visitors. The Victoria j League is the bond of union that makes j people so pleasantly known to each i other. The league has a hospitality ; committee which arranges a social af- ; ternopn each month at a woman’s : club, and there the strangers to the ' city, who are members of other bran- ! ches of the league, have an opportunity jof knowing and becoming known. But ! the kindness does not end there. In- : vitations to luncheons, motor expeditions, teas, and opera parties are also given, so that 'the visitors have a great deal of private hospitality as well as the public party. Thus, the idea is attained by the Sydney Victoria League, which is to bring members of dif-

ferent parts of the, great British Empire in touch with each other, for mutual pleasure and benefit. Much has been said and written in l other parts of the world concerning the fchortskirt craze. Recently a London ! policeman was credited with saying that I at night he did not know if a shortskirted female figure was that of a ; "flapper’’ or a grandmother; and no doubt the poor man had his difficulties. But the very large majority of overI seas women realised the lack of dignity

I and becomingness of very shori skirts to adult people, though most of these ! hope sincerely that the really long and j dragging styles, which were hopelessly inconvenient and unhealthy, will never ;be insisted upon again. Wellington is ! smart in well-cut costumes of medium I length, while brightly-tinted hats and j toques are delightfully becoming. Few I are venturing out in low-cut necks, realising that a purple neck means a red nose, and though the true colors are Ijccomingly blended in the garden by Dame Nature, they cannot be beautiful under other circumstances, A woman’s lace over a handsome fur. or one of the bright, warm -scarves now so fash-

■ iunable, looks cheery and charming, and on a cold, sharp day, the very sight of warm, well-dressed people is a pleasure. A word might be. added here about the children. There are still little purple and blue-legged souls about, some of them quite big boys or girls. Some j uarents still do not realise the danger of the uncovered legs above the knees, which, according to medical authorities, causes stomach and kidney troubles. The sight of the “poor legs,” too, is so unpleasantly shivery, apart from the serious risk to the health.