The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-02-08
Grand Army Vitality.

Grand Army Vitality.
| The enthusiasm with which our comrades
of the Grand Army have entered upon the
work of building up the membership of the
! Order is delightful to contemplate. New
! Posts are springing up as if by magic on
every hand, and the Department reports
show q most gratifying increase in the
| strength of those already established.
Through the fundamentally of THE TRIB-
UNE alone nearly one hundred Posts have
! been established within the last six months,
and every mail brings US requests for in
/ structions and blank forms Of applications
for charters from ex-soldiers who desire to
enter the Order. In fact, we should not be at
all surprised if COMMUNICATIVE Chief Van
DervOCrt,s expectations that the Grand
Army will muster two hundred thousand
men at the date of the next National En-
campment should be more than realized.
The outlook is certainly brighter than at any
previous period in the history of the Order,
and the spirit displayed by its members
more harmonious and fraternal.
II must he remembered, however, that it
is one thing to obtain recruits and quite
another to keep them in the ranks. 1t
does not follow because a Post is estab-
lished under apparently suspicious circum-
stances that it viii live, or that every new
comradc who is mustered into the Order will
retain his interest in it and become good
working member. In the Department of
Massachusetts alone, last year, there was a
loss of $50 comrades from various causes,
aud although the gains were largely in excess
Of this number the fact that there was any
loss at all, except by reason of death or change
of residence, is of itself sufficient cause for
concern. We do not apprehend, of course,
that the Grand Army is ut present likely to
suffer seriously from the detection of its
members, but now is the time to take proper
measures for the prevention of any such
detection in the future, and it seems to us
that the question as to how personal inter
est in Post work can be best kept up among
our comrades is quite as important as that
as to how the ranks Of the Order can be most
rapidly recruited.
The principal cause of lukewarmness or
Indifference on the part of the members of
any Post, as we have previously had occa-
sion to show, is the dizziness and monotony
of Post meetings. Beautiful and impressive
as is the ritual of the Order and important
as it is that Post business should be trans
acted with due regard to rules and regula-
tioas, the observance Of outward forms and
ceremOnials is not in itself sufficient to sat
isfy the cravings Of our comrades for fellow
ship, and u Post which cultivates these for
malities to the neglect of social and frater-
nal diversions is almost certain to suffer in
the end from that bane OF all secret organ
Army is the spirit of cOmradeship that
comes of past association in deeds of daring
its members is likely to be stout or slender
according as the recollection of what. they
have endured together is vivid or evanescent
Anything, therefore, which tends to revive
the memories of the war-to bring to mind
the scenes amid which this feeling of COM
radeship had it's origin-is calculated to
stimulate interest in Post work, while, on
the other hand, adherence to the mere rou-
tine of business is almost certain to be pro-
ductive of fatal apathy.
If, then, our comrades would insure the
perpetuity of the Order, they should give as
earnest consideration to the conduct of new
Posts as to the work of organization, and
they should above all things encourage the
cultivation of those social features which
tend to develop personal acquaintance and
interest in each others welfare. A Camp
fire, enlivened with good music, entertain
ing stories and stirring speeches, is sure
remedy for Post apathy, and fairs, concerts,
lectures, dramatic representations and in
deed public entertainments of almost any
description are calculated to strengthen and
develop interest in the Order. Our COM
rades cannot be too mindful of the fact that !