Society

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 78, 11 March 1882, Page 404

Society

i [Announcements and contributions for this fiolwnn are invited^]

c i —Mr Arch. Clark, of Manakau Road, gave a ' ; ball at his residence on Wednesday night. ' — Dr. Honeyman gives a dinner party to the (members of the University Senate and others. 1 His Worship the Mayor has issued upwards jof 300 invitations to a garden party to be given T at " The Towers," Eemuera, on Saturday. . — Mr F. G-. Ewington gave a tea party at J St. Sepulchre's school, on Thursday. About 72 invitations were issued.

— Active preparations are being made for Mrs i Williamson's annual garden party at " The Pah," , which will come off shortly. — His Lordship the Bishop of Auckland i . invited the members of the University Senate and a distinguished party to Bishop's Court on Saturday. — The complimentary concert which is an- -. nounced to be given by the amateurs of Auckland r-'to Mrs Cottingham on St. Patrick's night ■ promises to be one of the most successful affairs of its kind that has taken place for some time \ past. An excellent programme has been prepared, | an active committee has taken the matters in ' hand, and the rehearsals have been well attended. . — We are pleased to be able to announce that there is every likehood of an old Englishe Fayre P "Being started on the grounds of the Takapuna Jockey Club at North Shore, for Easter Monday j. and Tuesday, and from the preparations being made we anticipate it will be a great genuine success. Particulars, can, we understand be " obtained from Mr Ellis, the Hon. Sec. to the

~ Jockey Club. A most influential committee lias |* been appointed, and from all we can gather W nothing will be left undone to give every satis- : faction to the public.

— The Oruru Cricketers gave a very pleasant

dance last Friday evening, about twenty coiiples being present. Th c room was tastefully decorated -with ferns. Mr W. G-arten, captain of the team, assisted by Messrs. Puckey and Campbell, kindly rendered the services of instrumental music.

Miss E, A., undertook tlie arduous duties of M.0., K^jwhich she performed very successfully. The worn by the ladies were simply elegant , a young .lady on a visit from Napier being the centre of attraction. Every one seemed sorry when the J -"-National Anthem brought a most enjoyable evening to its close."

■WTEIGHTY OBJECTIONS TO BEY. TEBBS 1 CONDUCT. ■ —Mrs Cottingham celebrated her 47th birth■jlay, on Thursday evening, at her residence South- ■ ;street, Newton, invitations having been issued to W ;25 guests. At 8 o'clock all the guests had arr irived and were welcomed by tlip. wovhiiv lmstfiss

rr-: They were entertained with a select programme |r\;tlxe first item being a song " See that my grave's , l ;kept green," by Miss Marsom, followed by — Another song by Miss L. Griffiths "Thy face is .- always near to me," "The babies on our block," Cby a little • kdy, was sung with much humour. r ;* fceadihg by Mr Mackrell followed, Miss Fletcher . isahg « Molly darling," Mrs Cottingham sang, in mjbv best style "Far awa' to bonnie Scotland." .' next item on the programme was a recitation py Mi- Worten called " Pompey Jones." The f£ i'Misses Cottingham and Miss Griffiths then gave J;,selections from " Pinefore," followed by a song ■by Mr Marsom. Miss Marsom then sang "Far ■jaway " and Mrs Cottingham gave " Strangers 1 1 jbt;' Mr Clifford gave " A Mormonite," and I ; Miss Griffiths " A dream within a dream." In Utke duet "Convent Bells "by Mrs Cottingham ■Hind Marsom, both voices blended admirably. Then f j. came a reading by Mr Mackrell, " The Turkish r; Bath." After an interval the party indulged in M various games until 12 o'clock, when the guests I) ?afc down to an excellent supper. At one o'clock \] the guests dispersed after spending a very enjoy■|f able evening. ' :| ' —Among the guests present at the party j given by Bishop Cowie, in honor of the members { of the University Senate, were the following :— i, H. J. Tancred, Chancellor, and Mrs Tancred, V Dr. Hector Vice-Chancellor, Sir. G-. M. O'Rorke, ! Judge Heale ; the Right Reverend Bishop Red-ProlW-u-s McGregor, Yon Haast, ■Bpud, Sale, Brown, Salmond, and Revs. and Bruce ; Hon. F* Whitaker, Maskell, His Worship the Mayor and ■p Clark, Miss Woolnough, Judge Feiiton and ■Mrs Fenton, Mr J. A. Tole, M.H.R., Rev. C. M. ■Nelson and Mrs Nelson, Dr Kinder, and Mrs ■Kinder, Dr Purchas, Mrs Purehas, and Mis Pur■chas, Rev. E. H. Gulliver, Rev. B. T. Dudley ■and Mrs Dudley, Rev. W. E. Miilgan, Mrs Mul■pn, Miss Mulgan, Rev. J. K. Davis, Rev. P. ■Walsh, Archdeacon and Mrs Pritt, Mr Reader ■We >d, a.nd Mrs Wood, Mr and Mrs Browne, ■Messrs. Thomson, Sloman, Tomlinson, Mr and ■|h^£oss, Mrs Pierce, Miss Connell, Mr Kissling, Mrs Glover, Mr Redmond, ■■■Sid Mrs A. Clark, Dr Hooper, Mrs and Miss Goldsbro', Rev. C. Bice, and Mrs J^Bf Mr W. S; Cochrane, Miss Corbett, Mr and Walker and Miss Walker, Major and ■■Hp st fylk.,Mr Barstow, Mrs Kenny, Miss Mr Neil Heath, Mr and Mrs George, MRClark Mi» C. and Mrs Alexander, Mrs Bar■B' Miss Barstow, Mr and Mrs and Miss

Larking Mr F. D. and Mrs Young, Mrs Heywood, Mr A. Boardman, Mr V. Rice, and Mrs Bice, Dr Kidd, Mr and Mrs T. Kissling, and Mrs Cochrane, Mr Mercer. —The great band contest at the North Shore, on Saturday was well-attended, the weather all that could be desired, and the bands did their best to win. The least said about the " gardens " the better. The expression on the faces of some of the ladies as they passed smiling through the pavilion, got inside the canvass screen, and the bare empty grounds, in all their naked Mdeousness, suddenly burst on their view, formed a picture for an artist. A few dirty boards, and the lower portions of the concrete work formed the only sitting accommodation and this was very scanty. Most of the people had to stand. By way of j stimulating a little artificial excitement a retired sea captain with a voice of stentor, kept continually bawling out to a small boy to keep the bears from getting loose. There was an awkward delay in starting, the judges, Messrs. Herr Schmidt, Forest, Owen, Heath, and Cailliau not having had any previous consulation, and noprogramme having been agreed upon. At last the bandmasters were got together, and it was explained to them that they would be permitted to select their own pieces, drawing lots for the order of playing, and that the first selection would be without drums, and the second with them. The competing bands, the selections played, and the awards were as follows : — Thames Scottish, Mr W. Hnnter, bandmaster, lt The Bride of Neath Valley," (selection), with drums, j " Notre chere Alsace,"," (H. Kling) Ist prize; I City Band, J. Impcy, bandmaster, fantasia " Emira," and " theHug\ienots," (Meyerbeer) 2nd prize ; Hobson band, bandmaster McCormish, selections from the " Pirates of Penzance," and " Rose d' Amore," Artillery band, A. Hunter, fantasia " Honoria," and " Emira." Ten of the Hobson band were at Dargaville, but Mr McCormish made a plucky attempt to win against heavy odds. The maximum number of points was fixed'by the judges at 200, 50 for time, 50 tune, 50 expression, and 50 general. excellence, and the Thames band secured the full number, while the City Band secured 180 points. The judges were unanimous in their awards. At the conclusion of the contest the four bands united and played the " Kissengen March." The judges then took their stand in the centre of the bands and Herr Schmidt addressed them as follows : " There was no difference of opinion among the judges as to the decision at which thoy have arrived. The band that played second, — we do not know which it was— is awarded first prize (cheers and a few hisses) and the band which played third, second prize . Th ese arethe only prizes that were td*be given. The judges are convinced that there is in the bands which have not been successful abundance of musical capacity, which only requires additional time and cultivation, and had it not been for slight nervousness on the part of some of the performers the result might have been different. I trust there will be another competition under more favourable circumstances on some future occasion, and that the result will show that considerable advancement has been made (a voice. You arc foreigners). Bandmaster Hunter, of the Thames, was hoisted shoulder high amidst cheers. The proceedings closed with the National Anthem, Herr Schmidt acting as conductor. Should the experiment of a band contest be repeated it is to be hoped that the speculative element will be left out, and that the affair will take . place in the Domain. The pieces should be selected say on the night before the contest.