The sun., 1890-01-26
1875, 900 KINGS DAUGHTERS.
THEIR MARHBLLOUS GROWTH AFTER
THE Sun oATE THEM PUBLIoLTE

Starting In y New York ParIOr. Their
Membership Now Extends All Over the
Giobe-The Great Good They Have Ae-
compIIshed-The Latest Facts nnd Fig
ures About this Most Interesting Order.
On O January day in the year Of grace 1886
little group Of serious, sweet-faoed women
sat talking together in parlor, not OF the
latest thing In bonnets. the insolence of ser
wants. or the incapabillty Of dressmakers. but
OF Womanhood, Its needs, possibilities, and
responsibilities And out Of the talk grew a
| purpose to band themselves together In n low
ing sisterhood Of service. and pledge that
| whatsoever reasonable request should be ask
ed by friend, stranger or enemy, I'm His
| Name" whatever service needed, small or
great. it should be granted without question
or delay. And one proposed that they should
call themselves Kings Daughters" and an
other that the symbol Of their order should be
a tiny Maltese cross Of silver tied with the royal
color. And then they knelt, and voice was
lifted up in supplication and benediction.
The little group dispersed-there were less
| than half q score OF them-and hastened in
| divers directions through the wintry dusk,
| never dreaming that because OF the little talk
and the whispered prayer there would be to-
! day ten thousand times their number wearing
| their cross and taking their pledge-women
Of all ranks and conditions, OF all nation alities
and countries, OF all beliefs and religions:
that the factory girl would Join hands with the
society belle to make the world better and life
easier: that the Hoshgelding Of the Turk
ish daughters should come ringing across
continent and the Aloha" tlove to you,
Daughters OF the Silver Cross echoing over
the Southern seas. to tell how quickly the CLEAN
of the silver symbol has girdled a world.
Never was less said or written. never so few
plans made for any work. and never was prog
ress accomplished so silently. secretly, and
rapidly as in this order OF Kings Daughters
which is now taking on new membership at the
rate OF 1000 each month and numbers 125.O0O
enthusiastic members The women who had
talked together in the parlor talked with their
friends, who In turn repeated the story again.
Little silver crosses flashed out here and there
beneath the jewelled insignia Of place on one
breast. against the squalid tatters of poverty
on another These wearers of the cross were
organized in tens by the first ton. who were
called the Central Council, or Ten. and were
the nucleus about which all the others
radiated. But the membership grew 80
large that ten was an insufficient
number to comprise circle. which sometimes
contained fifty or one hundred members. Let
ters began to come in from outside One wo-
man answered them all. Badges were ordered:
another woman supplied them all each giving
of the memorable blizzard of 'S7 walled in the
pavements. in the same little parlor where the
first meeting was held, its leader and inspirer
told The SUNS representative the history Of
the work OF the 10000 Kings Daughters then
enrolled, 1t was a simple story. simply told.
OF unimportant incidents. but 1t appealed to
tho heart of humanity in wonderful way
1t was better than charity, grander than
benetcence--the ideal OF philanthropy. The
effect OF that article in The sun was wonder
full. The one willing woman couldn't answer
all the letters that came the week after 1t was |
printed: there were 600 Of them in four days
from all parts of the Union and from over the
sea. The woman correspondent was penned |
In with walls OF letters. half buried beneath |
mountains OF manuscript.
Three months later there was a grand |
gathering OF Kings Daughters, and the statis- |
tics recorded q membership OF 10000. The !
Central Council were perpleXed, overwhelmed |
with the magnitude OF tue work, but they ac- !
copied the burden hall fearlully. it is true. hut |
re esolutely TO save some of the labor 0I the |
voluntary secretaries. OF which there were now
which 81 ould be the organ Of the order Tor the
those already established This magazine. the
Stco' Cross. began with a publication OF 5000
creased its publica ion to 5000 copies. ami you
coulun't procure a file OF it at headquarters for
zine is already taking prominent place among
phi!anthroplc periodicals. particularly those
u6h Oteu To women b lDteTpEtS.
In November Of last year there was another
leaders There are Mrs Botteme. wi With her her
ual head OF the great order; Mrs. Cortiandt dc
teystter Field, and her sister, Miss Hammors-
NJ RS. Theodore Irving OF st. ohns School, Mrs.
Francis Payson, Miss Libby, Miss Bond, Mrs.
Isabella c. Davis, the inspired orator; but tho
great organizer and adviser. the editress OF the
SitpeT Gross, the sweet singer in Israel, Mrs.
d; l. Dickinson. Is in Colorado.
ohnna
4 band Of Kings Sons ar, included in the or
Ter Eighteen States and three provinces in
partments. with each Secretary at the head.
Mrs. Seth Low being the representative OF
Dorated aud chartered. and its badge iegaIized
and protected. The work has been divided in
en- en- dstpartmonts presiddei over by special
ems upon tens read are records from Aus
ralia and the Sandwich Islands, New South
y ales and New, Zealand, India, China. japan.
Jnba. Mexico Europe. Asia, and all parts OF
Still the work increases. There are half a
core OF women at the headquarters In Twen-
y second street, with Nj Davis at their head,
to the work on hat one one Id woman
or and magazine the story Of the sisterh cd.
drs, Davis's mai Tor last month alone included
800 letters. and 1000 badges We're sent out to |
widely separated destinations. Members of
Le Central Council go out now to speak to
'urpose;, scope, and methods Of work Of the
rider; Their engaGements are booked as lar
his kind. travelled 5000 miles and made
iRhteen speeches in three weeks Mrs. Bot
ono also speaks. and SO do Mrs. Irving and
lss Hammersley.
And what have tho Kings Daughters accom-
llshed and what are they doing now?
A little child 10 q faded irock and battered
0nnet liBped out In answer to the question: i
Monday minded the baby and set the table
tuesday minded the baby and onset the ta-
linded the baby and sci and onset" the ia
10. and she was Kings Daughter.
AT Rallavua HOanitaI fhArA In n huildin0
hose wards are furnished with thoughtful
are and little chapel whore the light slft8
lterior A woman buiIded them both and
he was Kings Daughter Between these
Wo extremes in all lines OF philanthropical
ndeayor and Bympathetic miniBtIa Ion you G
nd the Kings Daughter serving full RracIously q
nd courteously. Whether she puts out
,weed hands to some ragged daughter to G
all her ny tho name OF sister, or, after her long
ny OF toll In shop or factory, goes out 1
mSng the sick IN the sitting tenemenIs i,