The National tribune., 1883-02-22
The Advance of the Grand Army.

surpassed all expectations. When the Ma
tional Encampment met at Baltimore, in
June last, the total membership of the Order,
as shown by the report of Adjutant- General
| Olin, was, in round numbers, one hundred
thousand. At the close of the second quarter
of the administration year the returns of the
several Departments disclosed gain of fifty
thousand, and the total increase up to date
is probably not far from sixty thousand.
| Should this rate of growth be maintained
during the six months that must yet elapse
before the meeting of the next annual En-
campment, the close of the fiscal year will
find the Order two hundred thousand
strong.
1t may be said with truth that such a
growth is almost without precedent in the
history of secret organizations, but it does
not follow that it is miraculous or unac-
countable The activity and vitality which
at present characterize the Order are not the
result of accident OF the manifestation of
some occult influence. On the contrary
and prosaic of cause.-the power of indi-
vidual effort It is to the persistent and
well-directed Iabors of individual comrades,
stimulated by the enthusiasm pervading the
Order generally and the shining example set
by the Commander-in-C Chief, that the prosper
ity of the Grand Army is chiefly, if not wholly
due, and it is upon the energy and zeal with
which these labors are prosecuted hereafter
that the future welfare will depend. New
Posts do not spring up of their own accord,
nor is it often that old Posts grow in mem
bership by virtue simply of the force of at
traction. The man as well as the opportu-
nifty must be at handsome self-saorifcing,
determined comrade-to personally direct the
work of organizing and recruiting 1t was
not because of lack of material that the
| Grand Army did not obtain its maximum
strength years ago. Even at this late date
there are more than, million ex-soldiers
eligible for membership who are still without
the ranks of the Order. The obstacle in the
way of gathering all our veterans into the
| fold has been the scarcity of organizers and
| workers in the rank and file of the Grand
| Army-the absence of the true missionary
spirit in the conduct of the Order itself
| That such has been the case can be shown
| out of our own limited experience, even.
What does the fact that we are daily receiv-
| ing applications for Post charters from COM
| munities in every section of the country
including the oldest and most vigorous De-
partments- but the paucity of workers
in the Grand Army itself-the lack of reap
ers to CLEAN the fields that are already white
unto the harvest? As the number of reapers
multiply, in that proportion will the harvest
increase, and another year may witness
still more remarkable growth in the men,
bership of the Grand Army than has distin-
guished the present.
We have referred to the shining ex-
ample" of the Commander-in-Chief as one
of the stimulating influences in the work of
the year. 1t is in no mere complimentary
sense that we employ the phrase There is
now lying before us a letter from Comrade
Van DervOort, in which he says:
81 have now visited ali Departments east of the
ar.
Iowa. Utah. Oregon, Washington Territory, and
have travelled 269S3 miles; and if we can only
gain 100000 my soul viii be glad"
This is a record which may well challenge
the admiration, as it must certainly stir the
enthusiasm of our comrades. No Command
erin Chief has ever before made the influence
of his position felt throughout the length
and breadth of the country as Comrade Van
Dervoort has done, or has displayed such
personal devotion to the work of building
up the Order. He has practically given up
one entire year of his life to this labor of
love, and set the mark of his ambition so
high that no future Commander-in-C Chief can
afford to set lower estimate upon the
duties and responsibilities of the Office.
And now, comrades-readers and sub
scribers all-let US do our share towards
upholding the hands of so intrepid leader.
Let us plant Post of the Grand Army in
every hamlet from the Atlantic to the Pacific
where the blue coat of the soldier is still the
garb of patriotism. Gather the veterans in
from the workshop and the furrough and
enroll them once more under the flag that
protects in peace what was won in war. THE
TRIBUNE will furnish the necessary blanks
and instructions, and see to it that the new
Posts are promptly mustered.
Advice to Correspondents.
We are always glad to hear from our
subscribers. Their letters frequently con-
tain valuable suggestions and sometimes
,cl~ ;,,fo t. -,