The King's Daughters.

Southland Times, Issue 9503, 27 April 1887, Page 4

The King's Daughters.

At & dinner recently given in F\tth Avenue a ladj wore on her corsage* small MaUese cvotß of silver attached to a bit of purple riobon. The gentleman Bitting next to her aiked what was the meaning of the b&iige. She annwered : 'It means that I am the daughter of a king. 1 ' The daughter of a king V repeated the young man, ' Yes, 1 the lady replied. ' I belong to an order of Christian women called ' The King's Daughters,' and the crocs and ribbon are our badge. On this iide of the cross are the 1* tiers ' 1.H.N.,' meaning ' In Hii Name,' and on tbe other is the year of the formation of the order, 1886.' This modest sisterhood numbers among its members hundreds of tke prominent souety girls of New York city. It is almost without organisation, &nd in one sense almost, without a definite purpose. ' and yet,' *aid a lady in speaking of it, ' ie real truth it has underlying its name and motto the most iar-rc iichiugj wide-sweeping of all purposes, and in itß reunite is the most truly beneficent of any > ociety of the day.' The organisation is the><ui- j growth of the drawing-roum Bible readings of Mrs b\ Bottome. Thpy laid uowu no rul & or regulations for their work. 1 hey specified no particular line of work, but compiehe; ded their whole desire and j: 11 possible fu'ure service in their mottoes — Look up and not down, Lo:'k forward and not. back, Look out and not in, Lend a hand. And siDce Cbn*t, their elder Brother, lived tbeoe mottoes for tbeir example they took for their watchword ' In His .Name.' Tfce King* u«ugh r er.i *re responsible only to the King, and hence there is no nee.li'ss organisation to cumber tb»ir service. Ka h oue of the ten vied with her sisters in forming other tens, aud in a little time hundreiie of women and girls were drawn into them Each ten chooses its own work and its w»j and time of doing it. One circle of tbe ten desired to vi6it the sick children in the hospitals, and chose that as their work. Mr^u^tmeats were made for them at tbe liahnemaan Hospital, and novr diiachim-uis of the ten take turns in insisting the ir)B;uution regularly, bririgine dolls, picture-b. ok», and toys of all sorts tot the lutle ones another ten undertake to :each a class of poor working girls to new and cook. Anoiher circle call themselves the ' musical ten,' and sing in hospitals, at sick beds, or in draw incroom concerts for the benefit of the needy, .another ten aid the Home and f -reign rnjpsions, aud still another chose the difficult duty of trying to heip people to tell tbe truth. They were troubled at the carelecness manifested by themseives and their friends in this respect, ana determine i to root out the evil as far as they them«elves weie conreroed. and to warn and remind their friendi of it, ihere \u an association ra led tbe Bhut In Society, composed mainly of invalids who h ive been confined to the house for many years. One little circle of ten determined to try to bring some light and joy into the lives of. these invalids, and each of them took a list of n*rneß, and bow corresponds regularly with the sick ones, seading books and other re-vling matter, and sometimes worsted and silks to be woven into pretty form. There is icarcely a branch of philanthropic work which the&e circles do not touch npon, and bhe good they do themselves is said to be as great as that which ihey do to others. One fashionable boarding school resolved itself into tens, ami, because the girla were too much oeoupied with their stud es tor outside work, they decided to pledge themselves n«>" toet-o'-ik unkindly of any school-mate or f jp.n.-i n^d to as-:st <'acb othe- b> little acts of ki.-xlness whenever possible. The pr.ncir al ; of tne school has since informed Jlis Bo' * <">m^ that tie whole atmosphere of the institution has changed, Circles have been organised in Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and even England is taking the idea up now. Mr Moo-iy'» school, at Nortr. field, and bmith College have resolved themselves into tens, and war theeros* and ribbon. Mies Helen Gould, H au^hter of tbe millionaire, is one of th<? workers, and thin summer did work among the village girls near ber country Inmr. Not lorg ago a woman, whose fortune reaches far into the millions, was buying at a counter of a Urge dry eo^da more. Noticing that the i-hop girl wore a purple ribbon and bit of silver on her bre*st, she said. 'Is Dot that a badge you wear?' ' O yes,' qaick]y replied the girl ; ' I am one of the King's Daughters.' The lady opened her cloak, and on her own breast lay another silver cross and loyal ribbon. • Then we are Bisterß,' «he said, and held out her hand acres the counter,