LOCAL MEMORANDA

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 62, 19 November 1881, Page 152

LOCAL MEMORANDA

The imbroglio in the parish of All Saints' still continues, and has been intensified by two or three incidents which have happened lately. The ladies of the parish are now mixed up with it, and this will not tend to simplify matters. We foresee a crisis at hand. One of two things will happen. Matfcei-3 will drag along as they are now to the detriment of all concerned until the annual meeting, when a new and subservient vestry will be electe:!, the Bishop will be applied to for a curator, some young man, probably totally unsuited, will be elected (for, let it be remembered, the Bishop has not many to choose from), and what will be the result ? The erection at once of a new church somewhere near Home Bay by the -wealthier residents of that locality, and their ■withdrawal from All Saints' forever. Adieu, then, to retiring allowance, or pension fund, or even to the payment of a youthful assistant ! The very props and sinews of the parish would be gone. There remains yet another way open — to convene an immediate meeting of the whole body of the parishoners, and then let the incumbent openly state the whole facts of the case, and let it be decided upon at once by the vestry and the parishoners. All Saints' united is strong enough to vote a handsome retiring allowance, and a fair stipend to an acceptable minister. Broken up by discontent into pieces, we may drag along the broken ends of the chain unto the bitter end. Your correspondent was at the opera of Les Cloches de Corneville on Friday night last. Conspicuous in the dress-circle was Mrs Major Wilson, of Cambridge. Her ample person was attired in a dress of navy blue velvet, trimmed with paler blue satin, sherred down the front, and her sensible good-humoured face was beaming with pleasure. She is the daughter of a great chief, and very rich. Her husband, Major Wilson, ran away with her many years ago. He carried her off before him on his horse (she was a lighter weight then) for many a weary mile, until he was safe from all pursuit and could fairly make Ma dusky bride his own. They now rcsiij

in a beautiful house in Cambridge with large grounds, and the house is splendidy furnished. There are two tennis courts, and the lady gives lawn tennis parties every Wednesday, to which everybody goes— i.e., the best people, the elite ot Cambridge. Better than all, Mrs Wilson is veryliberal and charitable. To her, people go first tor a subscription when any work of charity is on foot, feeling secure of a large donation there. The new church could hardly have been built without Major and Mrs Wilson. The lady is very clever and transacts most of her husbands business Her eldest son is a handsome lad, and very clever at his books. Mrs Wilson has a hen upon a part of the Waimate Plains. Amono-st the dresses at the Cattle Show on Wednesday, 9th inst, we noticed a few which were becoming and stylish. Mrs Jim Buckland wore a pompadour silk, the long polonaise was trimmed with white silk, large white chip hat with white feathers ; Miss Isaacs wore a pretty dress of pink and white muslin with Mother J±ubbarcl sleeves, there were black and pink loops down the front, large straw hat trimmed with old gold plush and white feathers ; Miss Woolnough jersey of brown figured satin, skirt ot grey satin, and large white hat lined with black velvet and trimmed with white feathers ; Mrs Hainos, black silk dress trimmed with laisley, black bonnet Avith cream roses ; two laches whose names Aye could not discover avoi-c very prcttv dresses— the first was of ombre brown silk shaded to old gold, with short bouffeed pannier and kilted flounces, large white hat with ombre brown feathers and trimming ; the second Avas of ombre grey silk shaded to Avhite, made in the same manner, large white hat Avith grey shaded feathers ; Mrs R. D. Fergusson, olive green cashmere trimmed Avith velvet of the same colour, light crimson braided jacket, green bonnet Avith shaded green feathers; Mrs J. Douglas, black silk dress, black silk beaded jacket trimmed Avith black lace, black beaded hat with black feathers ; Mrs M. Douglas, cream cashmere dress, scarlet handkerchief sash, tight-fitting black jersey jacket, large black Q-ainsborough hat. The following yarn appears to come fvoni the neighbourhood of Ponsonby :— -There Avas once a city in the seas called South ; and this city atos built on many hills; and the name of this city avus Hawk-land. In it there Avere birds of prey. Nlhv it came to pass that the first-comers, the conscript fathers, built their houses on one of the hills to the eastward of the long, Avhito street called Queen. And they Avere the Patres, and did doom themselves great, and they did look down upon the new-coiner*, and did call them plebs. And the plebs bui't their houses on a hill to the westward, and th.y Avaxed strong and great, and did build themselves larger and better houses than the patres, and did begin to make for themselves gardens, and to institute games and other amusements ; also they did go down to the sea in boats. But the conscript fathers, and above all the conscript mothers, did always look down on them and set naught by them ; so that it was sufficient to say, " This cometh from the suburbs called West," and straightway the patres avoulcl laugh and their noses would curl. But the plebs cared not for this, inasmuch as they knew that the suburbs called East Avas Avaxing Aveaker and weaker day by day, and that they themselves Avere Avaxing stronger and stronger. Now it came to pass that in the West there Avas a templum, and the templum Avas in need of restoration ; and the Avives of the plebs banded themselves together, and Avith them the Avife of the chief of the auspices, and they said " Let us go and let us make raiment of needlework, and we will sell it to the buyers, and Avith the gold and the silver therefrom we Avill get ornaments fur the templum." And the Avife of the chief of the auspices said, •'' Behold I Avill work at the raiment, but I Avill not be head of the band, because I am a young Avoman." And it was so ; and the wife of the player on the organ pipes was made head of the band. And in process of time behold much raiment was gathered together and many goodly pieces of stuff ; but the buyers Avere feAV, and the Avife of him Avho did play on the organ pipes said, " Let us make a great assembly, and call together the people Avith shoutings, and Avith clarions, and with a great noise ; so shall the raiment be sold." And the wives of the plebs avlio Avere banded together said " Yea." But the Avife of the chief of the auspices waxed wrath, and said, " Nay, but it shall not be so, forasmuch as ye asked me not, and I am the Avife of the chief augur of the templum." But the others said, " Didst thou not strictly charge us not to make thee the head, and now thou dost gainsay us ?" But the other persisted, and called to her husbaud to help her, and there was wrath betAveen him and betAveen the Avife of the player on the organ pipes and the wife of the man called Abraham. But the voice of the Avife of the player on the organ pipes prevailed with the band, and they did call the assembly. Then the Avife of the chief of the auspices did hie to them and say, " I haA r e gone out from amongst you." But they said to her, " G-o, for Aye have chosen the wife of the pontiff in your room, and she hath consented to the assembly ; and it shall be holdcn on the second day of the tAvelfth month at noon." Now the rest of the chronicles of the city of HaAvkland, and all that they said, and all that they did, shall it not be written in the volume of the book of the journal called the Obsebveb.

STREET DRESSES. Miss C. Walker, dress of grey and blue pompadour, trimmed with blue silk ; made with blue silk sailor collar, short jacket with lappets of blue silk ; white straw hat and feathers. Miss E. Taylor, pretty grey biege, made with sleeveless jacket, frogged ; large black hat, trimmed with cream-coloured Madras muslin, long pink feathers. Miss L. Taylor, dress of brown biege with sleeveless frogged jacket ; black lace hat, with cream and crimson roses. A lady whose name I do not know had on a splendid dress. It was of black cashmere trimmed in a very artistic manner, with old Paisley and embroidery, and long black-and-gold fringe. It was a short dress, with Paisley sash ; dolman embroidered with Paisley ; black and gold bonnet, and parasol of black and gold.