Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-26
IN FAIR CLOS NAME.
Women who Make a Study Of His.
torical Subjects.
A FLOURISHING SOCIETY
Bright People who Meet I'm Mrs. Kings
Parlors-The Ladies' Historical So.
cfety-lts Methods and Its Work
Topics Considered.

O. HE Ladies' Historical Society was
| ~ founded by Mrs. Horatio King, wife of
81 r Mr. Buchanan's Postmaster General. Her
81 &object was to bring together a circlet of
Oal12 ladies of literary tastes who could be
sympathetic and helpful to each other and pur-
sue a course Of study and grow in knowledge
tremendously together. Probably there never
was a gentle soul with benefcent desire in
it that has realized all its hopes to the full so
entirely as Mrs. King in this instance. The
| first meeting WAS of eight ladies, who
assembled by invitation at Mrs. Kings home.
No. 707 H street, November /. 1885, to form a
reading circle. The ladies Mrs. Asaph
| Hall. Mrs. Henry Doubleday, Mrs. Francke
| Williams. Mrs. 7. NJ. Talbot, Mrs. G. NJ. Clarke.
| Miss Isabel Lehman, Mrs. John NJ. Gregory
| and the hostess. In order to have system in
| their reading and the best results in their
| study the ladies decided to take up periods in
| history and to read and discuss the events. art
| and literature of the selected epoch. Hence
| the name of historical was earned by the MEM
| bers. 1t is possible that never before was a
| successful society run with SO little machinery
as Is this one, with the exception of the famous
| Pot Luck Club of New York city, that did not
| have even a constitution to its name.
| HOW THE SOCIETY IS MANAGED.
A lady becomes member of the "Histori-
car' by signifying her acceptance in writing in
answer to an invitation to join sent by the So
| ciety. She may withdraw at any time by certi-
| tying her intention of so doing to the chair
man IN writing. The officers are a temporary
chairman and scribe. The members preside,
| successfully, in the alphabetical order of their
| names, and are appointed at the beginning of
| the year in advance so that the program for
| all the meetings may be arranged. The meet
! ings are held every Friday during the winter
| beginning with the last Friday in November
and closing with the Friday before Easter.
| The society meets at II O'Clock in the drawing
rooms in Mrs. Kings home, and continues its
| exercises until l o'clock. Mrs. King then
serves a dainty collation. to the members. who
sit together and chat for half hour before
going out to mingle with a world whose ideals
are not always as lofty in character as those
they have evoked from the mornings study.
The duty of each member of the society is
! to obtain historical information or to collect
| material pertaining to the subject under dis
cussion and bring it before the ladies of the
society. All written communications are the
property of the society unless specially re-
served by their authors No fees are collected
and no expenses incurred that are not antici-
pated by the genial hostess.
TOPICS CONSIDERED.
In the five years of the society's existence
the ladies nave studied Italy, its history, an
cient, art and literature, for two years; two
years to Greece, ancient and modern. and one
year to France. Some Of tho original papers
contributed have been sketches of "Horace."
Caesar" Ovid "Charlemagne." ''The Sibyl-
| line Books" Fall of the Western Empire"
Events that Led to the Sacking of Rome"
Italian Literature of the Twelfth and Thir-
teenth Centuries" Dante and the Spiritual
Meaning of His Poems" "Amerigo Vespucci,"
'Provencal Poetry and the Troubadours."
''The Renaissance" 1.-The Women of Italy"
''Ariosto," "Airs From Sixteenth Century"
"Lucretia Borgia," The Italian Opera"
Italy As 1t Is" Ceremonies and Professions
of the Italians" Music of Italy and
Charts" THE Character of Paostrina,"
'CherubIna," "Violins and Paganini" The
| Spirit of Music" 1.-The Carnlvais," sculpture
in Italy," The Tuscan Artists" 'The Archi-
lecture Of the Cathedrals and Companies of
Italy" The Battle of Marathon" THE Myth
ical Gods of the Greeks" 1.-THE Settlement of
the Grecian Colonies and the Rise of Sparta"
''The Rise and Progress of Athens" "Olym-
plan Games" "Athcns and the Acropolis"
"Pythagorean Philosophy" 'Aristophanes and
Drama" Early Greek Painting" Greek Edu-
cation" 1.-The Alexandrian School," Woman
hood Among the Greeks" ''Social Life in
Greece" MEDIEVAL Gems" Aristotle"
His Writings" .'Byron's Visit to Greece in
1924" Greek independence" "Rulers of the
Hellenic Kingdom" Naval Battles of Modern
Greece" .'AIissolonghi." Battle of Navarino,"
"Greek and Roman Colonies in France" MAR
settles and Its Historic Relation to France"
Origin OF the French Language" Caesars
Campaigns in Gaul," Cathedral of Rheims"
"Clothildi, the Wife of Clovis, the First Chris
| tian King of France early French History"
.'The Queen of France" Folk Lore Of
France, )" Roland OF Roncevales," "saracens
and the Battle of Tours" princess Isabella of
France" Establishment of Royal Authority in
France" Medieval Interiors 'Provencal Po-
| etry," ANNE of Brittany" 1.-The Monasteries,"
''Francis /. and the Renaissance. THE Corona
ton Ceremonies OF France" Early History of
Music in France. Literature of France, early
French Drama" and Joan of Arc" These
topics and many more were illustrated during
discussion by pictures, the rendition Of music,
or the reading of selections having bearing
upon the subject. Every meeting Of the So
ciety is set to music of a high and classical
order. both vocal and instrumental. Among
the ladies who have contributed to the pleasure
OF the members, either by song or instrumental
ton, are Mrs. Spooner Miss Nettie Bradley,
Miss Katie Gilman, Mrs. Annie Louise Powell,
Miss Hunt. Miss Minnie Johnston, Miss Boutelle
Miss Bestor, the Misses Prall Miss Warner, Miss
Chapman. Miss Moore. Mrs. j. d. Patten, Miss
Stison, Miss Sewell, Miss Parker of Boston,
Miss May Rogers, and Miss Halle English, who
has since joined the heavenly choir.
THE MEMBERS.
The membership of this most interesting
society is not large one, seldom exceeding
thirty five in number. 1t includes in its roll
many Of the literary women par excellence of
the city, who work together hero in sweet
accord, and as one OF them POLITICALLY saws.
with no unworthy thought Of fame" Mrs.
King, the founder and governor Of the society,
is a woman Of great tact and discrimination
and endowed with fine executive ability; with
these lofty qualities she combines all the
sweet domestic and social graces, shrnks from
the prominence Of undue publicity, and while
her gracious hand leads in all things it is so
gently done that each one scarce has known
the guiding hand was not her own.
Mrs. Asaph Hall is deeply learned in classical
lore and the ladies love to call her the Mrs.
Browning of the society," because of her re.
| semblance personally, as we'll in other ways
to the great poet. She wears her dark hair
parted smoothly over her serene brows, her
great brown eyes have the most kindly ex-
preston and she has the simplicity and shy
moss Of manner that characterizes all genius.
Mrs. Hall prepared her two sons for college.
which they entered thoroughly grounded in
Latin and Greek. The believers In Karma
would not hesitate to declare this writer of
odes to be q reincarnation Of the wise Cornolis
herself
Mrs. Almena b. Williams, who delivered the
annual address this year at the Elmira, N. Y,
college. is Q queenly woman Of scholarly learn
ing. She is a writer Of magazine articles that
are held in high estimation.
Mrs. l.. NJ. ID. Sweat, wife OF an ex-governor
OF Maine, is a most entertaining writer Her
papers that she reads before the society are
gems Of wit aud sparkling Lrilliancy. She
dresses her subject with piquancy Of style
that is always enjoyed by her hearers.
Mrs. W. Ross Browne. who was one of the