The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-02
Margaret Boffome
And Her Work..
BY ESTHER z. CULLEN

- ESTHE "a Z. CVLLEN

day, white haired, handsome Mrs. Mar
garet Bottome, and he had said to her:
I am surprised that you do not form
a sisterhood.''
At the meeting of the nine ladies at
Mrs. BOttomes that January day the
sisterhOOd was formed. They called it,
after some deliberation, the Order of
the Kings Daughters because the
Kings Daughter is all glorious within
The following motto was borrowed from
that of DR. Hale's favorite organization,
Lend a Hand:
Look up. not down;
Look forward, not back;
Look out, not in,
And lend hand.
The infant organization of the Kings
Daughters chose Mrs. Bottome for pres
ident that January day seventeen years
ago. She has been its president ever
since. Women young and old were at
tracted to it at once. A badge was pres
emily chosen for the mem bers, a plain
silver cross, with the initials L H. N
In His Name-engraved thereon. This
was fastened by a ribbon of purple, the
royal color, BETTING the daughter of a
king. The object of the order was
through good deeds and prayer and pa
tience, the development of a truly reli-
giOus character without regard to creed
A woman of no theological creed at all
could enter into the spirit of the Kings
Daughters and with them work for the
development of a pure. sweet, strong
character within herself and the out
flow of this character in deeds of help
fulness toward others. That is the
keynote of the song of the Kings
Daughters.
Circles were organized here and there
in various places as women and girls
heard of the new society formed by the
white haired woman and her aids in
New York. The noble zeal for lending a
hand kindled so widely and rapidly
that soon men, too, wished to join the
order Accordingly, an organization Of
/ Kings Sons was formed, with the same
/ badge and pledge. Then the fire spread
! to other lands, far and near, to every
country of Europe, to South America,
to Asia. A consignment of the purple
/ ribboned silver crosses went by and by
/ to Korea. An international organiza-
/ ton was formed. and Mrs. Margaret
Bottome, the eloquent woman, was
made president of that too. Its name
is the International Order of the Kings
Daughters and Sons.
What is their special work? Begin
ming with infinitesimal things in ones
| own family. it extends to educating a
/ young woman for a medical missionary
/ to foreign lands. The Kings Daugh-
tiers and Sons lend friend IS. pay a
church debt or take care of motherless
children. as occasion demands. What
| ever may be done in the name of hu-
man brotherhood that they are there
to do. The society is warming and
melting to the heart in this hard, me-
tallic age.
The International Order of the Kings
| Daughters and Sons numbers nearly or
quite half a million members. It's
founder Mrs. Bottome. is seventy-five
] years old now, but no frailties of age or
weakness have touched her. She is tall.
queenly and magnetic as ever Her
voice is still strong as when thirty
years ago. she, like Susanna Wesley.
gathered the women of her acquaint-
ance together for prayer meetings and
| Bible talks. The meetings of Susanna
Wesley resulted in the founding of the
Methodist church. The Bible talks of
Mrs. BOttome resulted in the founding
| Of the Order of the Kings Daughters
and Sons.
Summering at Tarrytown, N Y. a
few years ago. Mrs. Bottome held at
her home a series of informal religious
] meetings for all women who cared to
/ attend. Like Anne Hutchinson in the
| days of the Puritans, she called her
own sex together and sought to kindle
in them the fire of spirituality that
glowed in her own soul. Her leading
| characteristics are these: First, a deep
ly religious nature; next, a love for wo-
men. She is a leader of women. Some
| fashionable society women summered
also at Tarrytown that year. They
were drawn to Mrs. Bottome's meetings
in common with the plain domestic wo-
man and the working girl. The same
| soul needs are in US all. The fashion
| able ladies' became interested in the
Bible talks. When they returned to the
city in the winter, the most splendid
| homes there We're opened to Mrs. Bot
| tome and she was invited to come to
continue the story. Thus the unor-
lained woman evangelist entered the
| homes of the rich and preached her
/ gospel of faith and love. absolute good
| VIII to ALL absolute trust that if we do
| The best we know how to with the
means at hand we shall be taken care
of. 1t is a doctrine as old as religion
itself, yet it cannot be preached too Of
ten to an unbelieving world.
The silver cross with the purple rib
bon has Travelled everywhere. In ev-
cry city of the Union it proclaims the
mission of those who wear ito live
to tighten the burdens of the heavy
laden" Wherever it goes Margaret
Eottome goes after it, busted with the