The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-10-12
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1.-THE questihns as to how the faith that
was IN us could be made a practical
Land a vital thing, was the initial i'm
pulse sof the Order Of The Kings
| Daughters and Sons, and of various
other organia tons formed within the
I last two decades.
II The Order first placed among it's OBJ
jects-as stated in its constitution
Bz.the development of spiritual life
1t recognized that every soul into
which Tad come enough of the love OF
E3Christ to create a desire to serve Him,
needed to have that love developed,
that desire intensified; the resultant
life of service would not only stimu-
late all Christian activity, but Chris
tian activities. in all the breadth Of
their significance. II offered the com
fort of cooperation to those who had
struggled on alone, the possibility of
substituting for spasmodic and in
effective efforts. a steady, practical.
every day share in the unfinished
worE2of Christ.
The founders of the Order recog-
nized that love enough to create the
desire to serve was much more uni
versal than is supposed, but they did
not count upon SO spontaneous and
almost universal a response as tina;
which met their call to higher type
of Christian living Notwithstanding
every effort to keep out of the public
press, to avoid public meetings, TO
maintain a Sisterhood of Silent ser
vice, the Order in numbers rapidly
outgrew their hopes. The hearts Of
women sprang toward it.
Never losing sight of it's first prir,
ciple, the Order began TO strive to
kindle anew the spark of spiritual
life hidden in each soul. It demanded
no uniformity in choice of labors. u
declined to make of it's Central
Council board Of examiners into the
theological views of it's members. It
had no right to question the love OF
those who accepted a call to commit
themselves to labor for his sake, and
in His name. 1t did not found 4
church. 1t only summoned women To
greater and sweeter service, in ana
beyond their own churches.
In all its teaching the Order made
two strong points: first, that of rec
ognition that its members were not
their own, but belonged to God and TO
humanity; second, it called for out
ward acknowledgment and committal
as shown by wearing the little cross.
symbol that could not be mistaken,
that said to every eye. Il owe my i
1egiance. I am bound to the service
of my King
Then came tile question of how best
to develop .tthe spiritual life" And
here the Order made unvarying an
swer, Your first work is within.
Learn righteousness. which is right
ness in thought. will and act, in things
both great and small. This done. you
are ready for the beginnings of ser
vice-and these are at home
1t has been the purpose of TIE Or
der to turn new workers into the wor-
thy work already in progress and al
ways in need of help. Hence ones
own church. SO long as it needs the
aid, support and cooperation of itS
members, has, after the home, the
foremost and strongest claim.
But neither with the work in their
own souls, in their homes or in their
churches, should the work of the
Daughters of the King make pause.
though if it stopped just there the Or
der would have justified its rights to
be. The spirit of Willingness TO serve
humanity may be in active exercise
in all the abovc-named forms OF ser"
vice, but there comes a time when
home work and church work do not
take all there is in every woman or
every man; and here the freedom as
to choice of labor. always insisted |
upon as radical principle Of the Or |
der shows it's wisdom.
If the Order is not an educator of its |
members into a knowledge of thcn- |
selves and of their deficiencies and |
possibilities. and a stimutant to their !
own development, it is ots little value |
in the worlds work for humanity: fog
only by such sef-walling. self-conSa |
Grafton. self-training and self-forgct
ting, shall we substitute real help and |
real work for much that is not help in |
the deepest sense, to either the suffer
ing bodies or souls of men.
GROOM TOO BAsHFUL TO
FACE INVITED GUESTS. !