Evening star., 1917-03-14
ENDEARS HERSELF
TO GREEK PEOPLE
Queen Sophie Takes Charge
of Relief Work Made Nee
essary by Blockade.
HEADS MANY CHARITIES

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
ATHENS. Greece. February 15.-The
blockade of the ports Of Greece by the
allied powers has furnished Queen
Sophie her opportunity to endear here
self 10 the Greek people. She was al
ready the head of all the more impor-
tant charities of Athens. but her work
has always been very quiet and gen.
orally very little known or appreciated
During the twenty eight years that she
has been first Crown Princess Of Greece
and then Queen OF the Hellenes she
has been rather q negative figure.
On the declaration of the blockade,
however. she took up the active organ
ization of the relief work among tne
blockade sufferers. To do this she had
at command the committees OF all the
numerous charities she has established
in the Greek capital as well as the CEN
trail committee OF the National League
of Reservists, the mutual benefit or
ganiZation of the veterans of the two
late Balkan wars.
Queen Directs Collections.
The committee of the Reservists
League set about collecting subscrip-
tions under the patronage of the queen,
tapping every well-to-do Athenian fam
lily, and even approaching the neutral
diplomatists for funds to assist the
blockade sufferers. The distribution of
the funds SO collected is being conduct
ed by the hospital committee to the sick
and by the committee to the sick and
by the committee for the assistance of
working women to the needy. Queen
Sophie herself personally follows and
directs all the work and makes large
to it from her private
purse.
Outside her little known charities,
the kaiser's sister has never before oc-
cupied much of a place in the hearts
of the Greek people. The king. as per-
sonal r-in-chief Of the army,
man of great personal magnetism, has
overshadowed his royal con-
sort. While in every shop, cafe and
office in Greece there hangs a portrait
of King Constantine. portraits of Queen
Sophie have hitherto been rare. 1t has
only been since her active work in be-
half of the Blockade sufferers that there
have. appeared generally in the Athens
shops calendars with the queens pic
ture on them, as well as the. familiar
ones bearing the kings picture.
Nor does the kaser's sister take
very active part in the social life of
Athens. The king and queen dine once
week regularly with the kings
brother. Prince Nicholas. and his wife.
the Princess Helen. After dinner there
matte corps and the best Athenian So
ciety are gathered. The king remains
all evening. even in the busiest times:
but the queen rarely stops after dinner
receives no one, save where official
etiquette renders an audience impera-
tive. Her last formal audience was
given to the German minister and his
staff, just before their leaving Greece
on November % last When they had
matte mission in Athens constituted the
sole remaining link connecting her
with her brother. Emperor William of
Germany. |.
Has Pet Charity.
The royal family Of Greece is very
clannish, and there are frequent fam
numerous brothers. Queen Sophie sell
dom attends these. Her pet charity is
her shop, in which the home work of
Greek women is sold. But her sister
in-Iaw, the Princess Alice Of Batten-
berg, the wife of the kings brother.
Prince Andrew. runs a shop OF the same
character. in competition with the
queens, just across Constitution square
from Queen Sophie's.
In the Prince Alice shop all the mod
els are American-for hats, women's
fine underclothing. dresses and other
feminine knickknacks. The American
fashion papers set all the Princess
Alice's styles, and it is a source of
great pride to her that every article
sold in her shop that is not reproduc-
ton of characteristic Greek costumes
or peasant women's embroiderieS is