The National tribune., 1885-07-02

the United States, which now has a membership
of q, Goo scattered through % States of the
Union. They were proud to be recognized as
co-workers of the grandest organization in the
world When the Corps was organized its
members pledged themselves to labor as long
as there was need of it, and when that need
was over they would go home to their families.
They were now working in the same manner
and under the same rules as the Grand Army
works. There was some doubt in the begin
ming about women being able to conduct such
an organization financially. 1t has proven
without foundation. Every debt was paid IN
June, and there is now over $1,000 in the treas
ury. This docs not include the money raised
and used in charities. In addition to this they
have worked for the reimbursement of the
army nurses, and have obtained assurances that
they shall be pensioned the same as other old
soldiers She mentioned these circumstances
to prove that the Grand Army was not mis-
taken in placing confidence in the Woman's
Relief Corps She concluded:
To the State Relief Corps of Maine the first organi-
zation of the kind in the United States, now cor
daily award the honor of first wearing the title of
Relief Corps. 1t is grand and a beautiful name.
We have Il warmer and more fraternai
feeling when think that all over this great con-
sisters laborng in unison for the same great
end and trust that all those bodies who do not
| belong to the National organization will soon join
Commander in Chief, will you not say few
words for US? Ladies and gentlemen, have the
pleasure of introducing the
DRUMMER BOY OF MISSION RIDGE.
Gen. KountZ, in clear voice and with
! most impressive manner, spoke as follows:
Afrs President: / thank you for your cordial
| words of welcome SO beautiful and so compliment
airy to the Grand Army of the Republic; and, ladies
| of the Woman's Relief Corps to you our most
fraternal Acknowledgements due for this mag
nicent reception.
AS your President has SO kindly alluded to the
interest 1 have always felt in the success of your
r,afr tic is
cnce to say that l am an earnest advocate OF
| womans work in the Grand Army of the Republic
have had the pleasure during the year OF meeting
| with many Corps throughout the country and have
watched with deep interest the progress OF the
organization and feel that too much credit cannot be
given to your President, whose whole soul has been
in the work and to whose prompt methods and thor
ough system you are largely indebted for the pres
| ent excellent condition OF the Womans Keller
Corps.
| Ladies, we have not forgotten your loving words
| of encouragement. and how nobly you sustained
lis in the days of the Nations peril. and how you
| watched, worked and prayed that the Union be
saved.
| You are banded together for n noble purpose.
faithfully fulfilling glorious mission in the grand
work in which you are engaged, and in which you
are entitled earnest support of every comrade
| of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Again. on behalf of my comrades, thank you
| for this kindly greeting.
| Mrs. Sherwood then introduced the Schubert
| Club of Chicago, who sang The Soldiers Fare
| WELL" Few who were present will soon forget
tuC I1dSDluCcuV TSIucElDS ol tiliS lliOSU
ful of the songs of the war. The pleasure of
| the audience was manifested by most enthu-
| siastic encore, to which they responded appro-
| priately.
Mrs. Whitman Sawyer. President of the
| Woman's Relief Corps of Maine, was introduced
| with few warm words of cordial thanks for
| the kind reception accorded the National Re-
lief Corps.
| Mrs. Sawyer thanked the president with a
| ell-worded address in behalf of the State
| Corps of Maine. Although not heard through
the entire hall, she was applaudcd by the au-
| dience, who were ellow-workers in the same
| cause and sympathized with the sentiments of
| the speaker whom they could not hear; and
| President Sherwood stated that her address
| would be printed in the minutes of the Corps
and distributed to the members
| The President then gracefully introduced
GEN. LOGAN,
| who said:
| Ladies and gentlemen, and ladies Of The Relief
| Corps: feel highly honored in being invited
| TO say a word in behalf of what the ladies have
done to advance the cause of charity among
| the veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic.
When il is expected that men can accomplish much
| without the assistance of the women great mis-
take is made; and especially in whatever tends to
civilize and ChristaniZe mankind is always seen
| the hands of the women of the land Applause ]
| That which they have done for the Grand Army
sufferers is much, and we sincerely, intensely
| grateful to them for their services. Not soldier
who is within the sound of my voice does not re-
| member, if ever he sufferer with burning
fever, if ever he was prostrated by enemys shot,
| if ever he on the couch of hospital that when
the soft hand of a lady wasfet on his parched brow,
it felt as if an angel of God had been sent to his
couch as ministering angel. IApplause.l heard
| the name of old Mother Bckerdyke. know her
| well. l have seen her with my own eyes help
| ing wounded soldiers from the field when shot and
| shell were raining around her. And when speak
| of her speak of her typifyiug the woman who
helped d the solder sa IN G the war , Tall and r
carry him to the hospital. Why, ladies and gentle
men, can speak from experience. was once a
sufferer battlefield, and long afterwards. and
| every morn / could feel if silver cord was
| twined around capstan in the regions of glory
! and reached to my heart, where it was anchored
| by the hand of woman. ICheers. Why, gentle
men, their hands are so connected with the hand of
| divinity that man without them would be harba-
| ran. And TO the Grand Army let me say let the
| time never come when you Will contemplate the
| separation of the Relief Corps from the Grand
Army. Man is cruel, or If not cruel he isrough but
woman Is gentle and as the poor old soldier goes
totterng down the road of life to meet DEATH moth
| ing can cheer him on as can the ministrations of
| woman in charity. So does the widow of the SOL
dier who has gone before need the consolig infil-
| ence that woman alone can give. And thank God,
| as Il member of the Grand Army, that Inc has
brought to the front this auxiliary. / thank God
there was mind enough, charity enough, generosity
| enough to bring into existence the Womans Relief
Corps. For myself feel strongly the Intelligent
work you have dane that 1 cannot thank you
| strongly enough. and am grateful for the oppor-
| tunity of saying these words to express my graft
| tude. IApplause Ladies and gentleman, it would
| be trespassng upon your time to continue longer,
and thank you for the attention with which you
have listened to me. [Cheers.l
At the close of Gen. Logan's speech the Pres
ident introduced in very beautiful and express
sive words Mrs. John A. Logan as the perfect
woman nobly planned. She was received with
a warm applause that showed the place she
holds in the hearts of the old soldiers.
Miss Hall, of Boston, sang in fine contrato
voice the sympathetic chords of which evil
IDENTIFY touched the audience, the solo "When
| the Heart Is Young"
Mrs. Annie Wittenmeyer, IN old army nurse,
| well known to many present, was next intro
duced, and gave most telling address, She
| ntermngled her vivid descriptions of some of
the scenes of the war with incidents both lu-
dcrous and pathetic, keeping the audience in
the best of humor from beginning to the end
| At its conclusion the veterans gave three
cheers and a tiger for the "grand old nurse"
which made the hall ring.
| CORPORAL TANNER,
of New York, who left both legs on Southern
of the War" 1t was the most stirring speech
of the evening, and many of the old veterans
shed tears about as often as they applauded, and
that was pretty often.
Past Commander Gen. Beale followed with a
short speech, cOmmendatory of woman's work,
and Commander Brown, Of Ohio, spoke partic-
ularly Of what had been accomplished by the
Past President, Mrs. Barker, of Massachusetts,,
and the President, Mrs. Kate B. Sherwood, of
| his own State.
Then came a magnificent recitation by Mrs.
| EliZabeth Mansfield Irving of the poem "TWenty