OBITUARY

Otago Witness, Issue 3613, 12 June 1923, Page 25

OBITUARY

PR IN CESS CHRISTIAN. LONDON, June 9. The deatli of Princess Christian is announced.

It has been well said of Princess Christian that no member of our Itoyai family realised more fuijy, or accepted more readily, the responsibilities of her high position. Helena Augusta Victoria, Princess of Great Britain and Ireland, was the third daughter and littli child of Queen Victoria and of Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg and Gotha. She was born at Buckingham Palace ou May 25, 1846. She became the name-sake and godchild of the Duchess of Orleans, and tiad the iiappy unclouded childhood which seems to have fallen to the lot of all her late Majesty's children. The premature and tragically sudden death of her lather when flic Princess was only 15 deeply shadowed her girlhood and gave a serious cast to her mind and character. After the marriage ■ *, 111 Alice site became her mother's chief companion, and some surprise was felt when the announcement of her engagement to Prince Christian of Schleswig-llol-steiti was announced in the winter ot 1866. It had, however, been stipulated by the Queen that the bridegroom should consent t-p make bis home in England. The Ynarriage took place in the private Chapel of Windsor Castle on July 5, 1866. In spite of the fact that the late Princess s means were comparatively restricted, and that not till after Queen Victoria's death did she become possessed of the convenience of a London House Princess Christian soon began to play a great role m philanthropic circles, most of her energies being concentrated on the nursing problem. It is an oi>en secret that at one tune, when she was about 18. the Princess bad been intensely desirous of taking up nursing as a prclßssion, and tii rough out (be uli ole of her life nurses and their training remained very near to her heart, anti she laboured inqpssantly to increaso alt that might make the nursing profession respected and regarded as one of ihe finest open to British womanhood. ETom the first she Look an enthusiastic interest in the proposal for providing regularly trained nurses for the sick poor, and she herself started a branch of this most important social work in the Royal borough. Princess t liristian had inherited her s ver .Y considerable administrative ability, and as soon as it became realised that she was willing to take a real, ami not merely an ornamental part in charitable schemes, many calls were made unon her tune, and she became a hard-working member of innumerable committees, of tending long and tiring days in London in order to attend meetings and to preside at committees. where her clear, incisive miml, and quick mastery of detail were found invaluable by her co-workers. Together with several friends of her own, the P'incess founded in 1872 the Royal School of Art Needlework, which had for object that of enabling educated women who had fallen on evil times to earn a small put steady lit cl I hood. But it woud be invidious to try to give anything like a list of the I rinoess s philanthropic foundations and works. During the latter portion of her life she took a pathetic interest in ali that concerned the army. During the South African War, which led to the death of the best beloved of her children, her eldest son she gave up much thought and time to the well-named “Princess Christian Hospital Irani, ’ devoting to that purpose the balance of a Red C ross fund raised by her during the Sudan campaign. , With the exception of a voyage taken to South Africa in order to visit her son’s grave, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Hol-stein never took anything in the nature of a complete holiday and seldom left the shores of her native country. She was far too busy a woman to take much part in social life, but she more than once held a drawing room for Queen Victoria, and she was fond of entertaining her intimate friends and co-workers both at Cumberland Lodge and later at Schomberg House, where she was helped to do the honours by her eldest daughter, Princess Victoria, of" SchleswigHolstein. “ MR HERBERT JENKINS. LONDON, June 9. The death is announced of Mr Herbert Jenkins, author and publisher. Mr Jenkins was the managing director of the publishing house of Herbert Jenkins, Ltd. In spare moments snatched from the commerce of books he contributed articles, stories, etc., to reviews and periodicals. Amongst his p-Affioations were— “The I/ifa of George Borrow,” 1914; “Birdie.” 1916; “Tile Night t'lub.’ 1917; '‘Adventures of Bindle. 1918; “John Dene of Toronto,” 1919; “Malcolm Sage Detective,” 1920- and “Mrs Bindle,” 1921. ' ’ MR RANDAL CAREY. S.l DXE’Y, June 10. The death of Mr Randal (J arey, a director of the Daily Telegraph Newspaper Company, and prominent in commerci ai circles, is announced. In earlier years he was a partner in the stock and station agency firm of Car'ey and Gillies, Invercargill.