OUR CHRISTCHURCH LETTER.

Observer, Volume 4, Issue 94, 1 July 1882, Page 248

OUR CHRISTCHURCH LETTER.

CiiBisTCKtrRCH, June 21. TnE Exhibition has been the cause of any amount of festivity in Cliristchureh, and of balls and private parties we have had plenty. Of the Major's ball I wrote you before, and it was in every way a most excellent oue. The return ball was not considered so good. There is a lot of snobbery knocking about in Christen ureh, and it is more than hinted that the promoters of the ball acted as though the ball were got up for the special amusement of themselves and their friends, and behaved disgracefully about refreshments, &c. The dancing young people, however, preferred the return ball to the Mayor's ball, because there were so many more dancing young men at it ; and as to refreshments, that with most young ladies at balls is a very secondary matter. The dresses now are so costly and so extensively trimmed that ball-going forms a very serious item in the expenditure of any lady going into society. The simple old fashion of a white muslin dress for girls, that was usual in my day, is quite out, and girJs of seventeen and eighteen wear silks and satins smothered with trimming, very often costly luce. To my certain knowledge, to trim a simple sateon dress cost over £2, and tins dress was nowhere in the crowd of rich costumes. Some must have cost fully £100 — boots, flowers, fans, &c. ; and if we put in -the jewellery, some ladies must have carried double that amount on that night. Square dances are quite out. At the Assembly dances there are often only two, and the programme starts with a waltz. This plan was adopted in a modified form at the return ball, and somewhat animadverted upon in the papers. I am sorry to see you admit that if; is hard to get " ladies in society " to write for your paper.Here, one very genial and" pleasant lady, who is an old colonist of Canterbury, and is quite independent and in very good society, is not only connected, with our paper, but does not deny the fact. I think she could do move if sho hid her identity a little. She pays the usual penalty of being too well known — her wings are clipped, and she cannot criticise with that freedom that an incognito can. Still Society is very fortunate to have 'such a contributor. I don't know what their arrangements with her maybe, but I fancy they pay very well generally, and poor ladies may be tempted to write for a society paper if the hook is well baited with l.s.d. and their incognito maintained. There is "an 'hit " for you. It was rather" amusing here that one clique in our community began giving their festivities in Lent. Very high-class Anglicanism was shocked, and. -the G-overncr and Lady G-ordon, who are high- Anglicans, took no part. Lady G-ordon did ' not even receive in Passion Week. After Easter Day, of course, came the Mayor's ball and all sorts of festivities, and these people, who outraged all precedents in order to be" first, have actually the axidacity to claim to have inaugurated the festivities.' Oh, don't— for my sake don't — say there jare no snobs in Christchurch ! ! I hear that they are not very well pleased that our society paper here did not put them first (even before his Excellency) as givers of entertainments. Society, however, has not yet bebecome so demoralised by fat advertisements and high patronage as to make such a blunder, and I hope it never may. Ah me ! some of these " would-be-above-his-Excellency people" -stood at the wash-tub not so many years ago. It's no shame that, but why let money make you fall to snobs instead of rise to independent people ? The Fancy Dress Ball in aid of the Hospital Fund was, however, the ball of the season. The dresses were rich and appropriate in a very unusual 'degree. Mrs Walton, as Amy Hobsai-t, wore a very splendid dress of the time of Elizabeth, and looked extremely well ; but as she is rather dark, ' and has children of fourteen or fifteen years old, she scarcely realised one's idea of the young, fair, and ' unfortunate wife of the Earl of Leicester. In this connection I must say I never was in a city in my life where so many middle-aged mai'ried ladies consider themselves quife in the swim, and reigning belles, as' in Christcliurch.; One lady, whoso daughter is sixteen ' and as tall as herself, would be quite insulted by anyone supposing that -anyone else

eoidcl be " fclie belle " when she was present.. She is certainly still- pretty, but she. cannot, and she clo.es nofc, look " still in the bloom of' her beauty." These ladies affect Juliet, Amy Robsart, and all sorts of young and pretty heroines; and this meed of praise must be given them : they dress the parts handsomely and regardless of expense, and look very well — considering. One lady claimed to appear as the Duchess of (3-ainsborough, and gained herself a good., roasting in Society thereby. Certainly her historical ■ knowledge must be rather mixed. The dress was, however, exceedingly rich and hand- | some, not quite of such good style or taste, 1 however, as would have been worn by the original of Gainsborough's picture. " Folly " had many re- ■ presentatives. " Eed, White, and Blue "is rather J a worn-out subject, but the ladies were well dressed. Gipsies, Peasants, &c, were in full force. The dresses of the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries proved most becoming to ladies of a certain age, and as a Lady- of the former period the Mayoress looked extremely well. Now this lady proves conclusively that what is wanted in dress is good taste and common sense. Very wealthy, and with a husband who clearly begrudges her nothing, Mrs Ruddenklan never by any chance loses her head and makes a fool of herself. Her, dresses, her manners, her hospitalities give no room for invidious remarks. As for the Mayor, the very soul of good nature beams on his face. We are specially fortunate in having such a chief magistrate at the present time. He entertained at the Exhibition all the little waifs and strays of our city who would accept his invitation, and also the children from the Industrial School and Orphanage. It was a most interesting gathering. The promoters admitted the little guests free, and they "enjoyed themselves thoroughly, being not a whit more happy than their kind! host. But "to go back to our sheep," as the French say, — I don't think owe lady personated an unattractive character. Arrah, and why should they, the darlings ? The dresses were all pretty, many of them very handsome. The Gipsies, the 80-Peeps, the Little Red Riding Hoods were all supposed to be the very prettiest and youngost of those "kinds of things" you could find. "Old Mother Hubbard," a great dog fancier, clearly took the character for the purpose of introducing " the dorg," and altogether it was utterly <s tootoo," and Christchurch won't be satisfied without another. To the gentlemen, as usual, belongs the merit of doing whatever of the comic was introduced ; but a lot of them aspired to be soldiers, and called to mind a riddle I once heard Tom Philson ask at a nigger entertainment at the Choral Hall — " Why are our Volunteers like I Lord NeJson ? Because the last thing he did was to die for his country, and that's the last thing they'd dp." (Oh, don't you remember wh,en Tom used to take out Fanny Carandini in the o d, old days ? and now I sec he is a staid married man). Well, our soldiers at the Fancy Ball wanted drilling very badly indeed. i I see, with much regret, an announcement of j the death of Mr James O Ncill. To me he was a kind personal friend. Wealthy himself, lie was yet not a man who weighed - his friends by the weight of their purse. He had a higher' I t and better standard, and during his stay in Auckland his hospitality, ably dispensed by his excellent wife, was always freely offered to those whose talents or social qualities make their i society acceptable ; and all who had the pleasure of the O'Neills' acquaintance will, I am sure, join with me in saying their house was one of the I pleasantest in Auckland, and their leaving was a great loss to society there. Miss Goldsboro', of Auckland, has been staying in Christchurch and Timaru. She is much liked. J The Governor and Lady Gordon have loft Christchurch. Of course they liked it. Our very upper class here — quite the impenetrable too-too upper ten element — is unlike any other circle in any other, of the Colonies. It is entirely exclusive, composed of Churchmen, who .came here to found a Church Settlement, and contains just the sort of people one would meet in an English Cathedral City. Hundreds of snobs [ fawn on them, and strive to imitate them in their I exclusivencss ; but they are only very condescendingly civil to those outside their own " set." - Of course the " penetralia " was opened wide to the Gordons, and, they being high-toned Anglicans, liked society here immensely ; but poor outsiders find the" exclusive"^ element makes Christchurch a rather cold, inhospitable place. Perhaps some of these High Church cliques might read with advantage the text, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers." It doesn't say " Vice-regal " strangers, my friends. CoirirrESS Eath.