The National tribune., 1883-06-28

but to such on extent as to cause comment he-
Gently heard a woman remark that she was
down on the Grand Army because her husband al
ways came home from the regular meetings with
his breath smelling of his potations
As oil of my brothers were soldiers, and one
gave his life for his country, can accuse me
of wishing to hurt the soldiers cause; but this
very fact makes feel the disgrace more keenly.
On the principle that desperate remedies in
certain diseases, beg that will give this pub
icity at least call attention to the deplorahle
facts editorially.
have heard many women say they did not be-
lieve in soldiers Reunions, because they were
nothing but big spree for so many who attended.
And of the two held here, there was too much
truth in the remark. OF course do not mean to
say that all of our Posts so disgrace themselves
members are guilty enough to give color to a
strong prejudice against the Grand Army among
outsiders and among the women folks generally.
PATRIA.
ovERsTEPPING THE BOUNDS.
Following the sharp criticism of the Grand
Army by a woman, as given above, we have an
arraignment by a comrade of the Grand Army
Of Woman's Auxiliary that seems to have
utterly misconstrued the relations which such
society should bear toward the Post. By an
aid or an auxiliary is meant an association
that exists by virtue of some stronger body,
upon which its very existence depends The
society that is not willing to make its own viii
conform to that of the order it seeks to serve
should disband at once and allow some other
to occupy the field.
COLUMBUS GROVE, OHIO, June Ii, 1888.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
We have society organized as yet, but we
have what is STYLED Ladies' Aid Club, composed
OF few ex-soidierS' wives and daughters, who
made an effort in behalf of the Post, and made
success of il far the effort concerned, yet
through misunderstanding between the Post and
themselves as to what was 60 be done with the
net proceeds, their further usefulness Is curtailed
here. The Post is strongly in favor of Aid
Society bat they desire that il be properly
aged. Your Toledo society is doing noble work,
and we have as good field here for our work, if
the proper material was brought into requisltIon
to do If. What money Was taken IN by our club
here, and above expenses, still remains In
their hands They refused to turn it over to the
Post through the advice of friends who were
or less interested in it, They donated ten dollars
of il to ex-soldier here without asking the con-
but thought that, inasrnuch the club claimed
that they working for the benefit of the Post,
We should have some say as to its further dis
bursement. The Post has decided not to have
anything further to do with the club now
shaped, and not to pay any further attention TO
what they may do with the money. By the way.
there :s=e lots of THE TRIBUNEs taken here by the
comrades, and all pretty closely read and COM
nented upon. G. w. BENEDICT,
Late 90. b, Sd o. VI.
FEW PLAIN TAPS.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend. And we
take il that the editor of Tops is q real friend
to woman in the G. a. r., when he comes
forward aud in frank spirit shows them their
real faults and shortcomings as workers with
the Grand Order Taps is edited with a cavalier
dash and sparkle, by NJ FlasclSe and published
at Elizabeth, II. j. The editor is, evidently,
thoroughly posted, and is not afraid to 'reiter-
ate the weaknesses Of even the G. A. r., whose
foibles it is quite the custom to entirely cover
up. In an article justly criticising the exclu-
siveness that animateS some of the Posts In the
Department in refusing membership to the
soldier simply because he happens to be poor,
ha YoolsaS enuallx- n0:nt qpainSt
the Leagues or Auxiliary Corps, some of
whose members have been known to resign
because member was too poor to dress well.
The editor of the woman's department,
from an experience of many years in Relief
work, is free to say that Mr.. Flaacke has struck
the knottiest problem that these societies have
TO contend with in the discharge of their du-
ties Indeed, the only objection that has been
urged against our work is, that it eBlists wo-
men of diverse social conditions, and New
Jersey is not the only State in the Union where
women deliberately decline to become members
of an Auxiliary because it does not combine all
the privileges and exemptions of the private
parlor. The only way for the truly loyal So
ciety to advance and secure the blessings of
uDselfsh labor, is to set its face infiexibly
against all such unworthy women. Let them
decline to become members, or resign If they
are members; but never let it be said that the
test of a woman's loyalty and usefulness as a
worker for the poor and needy is the quality
OF the clothes she wears or the elegance of her
grammar. The true rank and file of loyal wo-
men viii heartily say amen to the editors con-
clusion 81 1t makes no difference at meetings
whether the ladies wear seal-skin cloaks or
blanket shawls; whether they earn their OWE
livings or are bankers wives. In organizing
20 assist Posts in all work In which charitable
loyal women can engage the members meet
on equal ground. If poor men were good
enough to share the dangers and hardships of war
with their moro favored brothers, their wives
are surely as good as the wives of richer men,"
But there is another kind of exelusiveness
which an Auxiliary Society has to contend
with as bad IN It's way as the snobbishnesS OF
which Taps makes mention And that is a
disposition upon the other side to drive out
those who occupy higher social position or
wear better clothes. 1t is a humiliating con-
feSsion to make. and vet we know OF a certain
society that deliberately voted out one of its
best workers from an important office she held,
! and for no other reason than that her gen.
! eral lovelineSS of person and character. and
! her great popularity with the Post and the
| community at large, excited their Jealousy
| and resulted in a conspiracy against her.
| Concerning these petty feuds, which it is
/ the duty of every society to guard against
| Taps, none too gently, says: "0nee let
| a feminine quarrel spread among the hus-
! bands, fathers and brothers Of Leagues aud
| Corps, and vast amount Of harm and ill-fael-
| ing is inevitable. The sreat faults of the fem
| inine Sex are its utter inability to hold its
| tongue and its total lack of discretion. II
| petty spite and unwomanly warfare were only
! kept among the ladies themselves, they could
| fight it out on that line, if it ended in their
complete annihilation. But the ladies always
/ fight by proxy, and that is the mischief of it,
| since their proxies are generally those who
have no share in the troubles, ana no desire to
| extend them.o
Taps devotes good deal of its valuable space
| to the ladies' aud In an article headed "Who
are the Loyal Ladies?" points out the mischief
| which has been done to the G. A. L. ia New
Jersey by the Loyal Ladies' League. although
the ban they have placed upon those ladies
| who are not wives, mothers, sisters, or daugh.
ters of soldiers, even the gracious privilege ex-
tended the outsiders of belonging to a con.
! tributing" corps does not secure harmony III
| Grand Army circles, and the result is that re-
| lief societies are organizing that owe no ale
| glance to the League. It is intimated that these
societies are to organize into State body, with
membership open to all loyal women. Com
meuting upon this movement, the editor says
" If such should be the case, the new organiza
| ton would have large number of recruits. III
our estimation, however the better plan is fol
each Auxiliary Corps to stand alone-owe ale
glance only TO the Post to which it is attached
La that way there viii be far less trouble YET
abundantopportuni to create the same. Satar
| always finds mischief for a woman S tongue IL
promuIgate, or a woman's mind to eoncoct. II
union of forces there is strength, but in
lsxrfus If 70 ha= hon