The Greenville times., 1903-05-16
THE KINGS DAUGHTERS.
Address by Mrs. 7. Howe, State Sec
retary Of the Organization.

One of the principle address be-
fore the State Annual Convention Of
Kings Daughters, held in the city Of
vicksburg this week was that made
by Mrs. Mary T. Howe, secretary.
Mrs Howe said in part:
When we are asked, as was asked,
here in the city Of Vicksburg. whether
or not our order was founded by Ed
ward Everett Hale, when we find such
lack Of information, ever. am ong mem
bers of the order itself, we feel that
it is well that once year at least,
at our annual convention, short
space of time should be devoted to an
address on the orders history and to
the setting forth Of its meaning and
purpose. The order was not founded
by Edward Everett Hale. 1t was
founded by the women Of the city Of
New York, January, 1885. Its
name, The Kings Daughters, was
suggested by Miss Theodore irving, q
noted educator.
The growth Of the order has been
little short of marvellous. The plan
Of working in "circles" or groups Of
ten plan, adopted for the Lend a
Hand" society and there is perhaps
an explanation of the impression that
our order was founded by Edward
Everett Hale, had to be abandoned
in the first year of the orders exist
ence, for circles numbering from fifty
to one hundred sprang into life with
marvellous rapidity and at the end OF
the second year seventy thousand
names had been enrolled at headquar-
tiers. The order now numbers, as
nearly as can be ascertained approxi-
mately eight hundred thousand. Its
badge is the simple Maltese cross
which is the seal of the society, has
long since encircled the globe and Is
4 worn in every country in the world
except Thibet. 1t numbers in its
ranks men high in church and State,
in the professional business world
and in the world of letters, as we'll as
men who work for day wages, the
toilers in mines and factories.
Women of national note in social,
intellectual and educational life. and
women of the tenement house dis
tricts, and the sweat shops.
In the great department stores of
our cities, the millionaire shopper
and the "sales GIRL" alike wear the
little silver cross and are for the mo-
ment drawn close together in the
recognition of membership in an order
which has justly been characerized
as the most Democratic in the world.
'To give even the merest outline
of the work accomplished would be
impossible the able lieutenants of
that nobe philanthropist, Jacob Rice,
the Kings Daughters Of New York
city, have attained position OF
almost unlimited value in the mltiga-
tion of the evils and wrongs under
which the poorer classes of the great
n etropolis day nurseries for children
of working women, district nurses,
free dispensaries, ice and flower mis-
sions, every form of organized
charity, has been established and is
maintained by those noble women.
And as in New York, SO in Boston,
Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco
and all of our great cities. The
beautiful and noble work of Miss
Sophia Wright and her devoted asso-
ciates in the night schools and the
Homes for Incurables i'll New Orleans
is too familiar to you to need any re-
cital in this address
OF our own State we have every
reason to be justly proud. This State
branch, organized only three year,
ago, has attained usefulness and in
fluence far beyond the dreams and
hopes of those of us who were present
at its foundation. At that meeting
in Greenville in May, 1900, only foul
circles, Rosedale, vicksburg, YaZoC
City and Jackson, besides the two
circles of Greenville, were repre-
sented. Today we have with us 81
|, delegates representing 2S cities.
These circles are engaged in genera
charity work in their respectiv,
cities, besides which each has som,
special line of philanthropy carried
, forward with untiring zeal and en-
ergy yet with the sweet modesty anC
unaggressiveness which everywher'
charactreizes Southern womanhood
The Biloxi Circle conducts fre,
! library and reading room for working
5 people. Greenville Circle, No. 9
our banner circle, the largest AM
. most influential in the State branch
J has a fully equipped and modernl,
arranged cottage hospital, with
large sum on hand for new buildin
with increased facilities for carryin
forward the work of this much-neede
and highly valued institution. Tn
e Kings Daughters Of Natchez suppoz
|. . day nursery and kindergarten 70
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