The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-03-12
Department Gleanings.

Woman'S Relief Corps lii Maine, giving lnfor-
nation which follows. The first receives vol
| unteers from the ranks of loyal women, besides
the wives, mothers, sisters and daughters of
| soldiers. The second limits membership to
wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and eX-army
nurses. An early union of the two is hoped
for. Comrade Williams says:
| The Department of Maine Womans Relief Corps
Is part of the National Womaus Relief Corps, to
! which our National Encampment at Denver ex-
tended the right hand of fellowship auxiliary
| TO the GAR. Members have the privilege of Wis
! ting Corps in any State having a Department OF
this Order. lis National Convention will be held
| in Portland in June next, when the National En-
| campnent X. comes to Maine. Blank appca-
| tions for charters to form new Corps may be OBJ
tanned of Mrs. Suzetta A. Small of Pittsfield, Me,
Secretary of this Department, who will give full in
! formation in regard to- organizing Corps. 1t is
understood that this Order is in furnishing con-
dtion in the State and very popular with the Posts
with which II Il connected.
| The Womans State Relief Corps of Maine is
proving itself a valuable auxiliary to the Posts of
Since its meeting in June last, six new Corps with
! 200 members have been organized. All informa-
pcation to Mrs. Oren Il. lie Grow, Portland, Me.
| The National Relief Corps will be guests of the
State Relief Corps during the session OF the GAR.
Encampment i'll Portland.
DEPARTMENT OF NEW YORK.
Weedport, n. Y, has new Relief Corps, aux
iliary to Whitesde Post, instituted Feb. %,
officers installed by Mrs. Sarah c. Nichols, Ma
tional Inspector and Department President, of
Auburn, n. Y. The Corps starts with a char
ter membership of 20 of Weedsport's most ener-
gctic ladies, differed as follows: President,
Mrs Sarah WEIGH; S. V-P, Mrs. Martha For
man; J. V.-P, Mrs. Phoebe Weyant; Treas,
Mrs. Nettie Barker; Chap. Mrs. Mary Cowell;
Con- Mrs. Mary Chafiee; G., Miss Emma Tay-
| lor; Director, Mrs. Lizzie Keller.
The installation took place in the evening In
the presence of large number of the comrades
and other friends Of the Order, and proved
] n
being conducted to her chair was briefly but
eloquently addressed by Mrs. Nichols; but,
being quite overcome by the unexpected cleo
| ton to her Office, Mrs WEIGH was unprcpared
| to respond. Commander Grape, however, in a
happy, soldierly manner, assumed the duty for
her, by request, after which collation. of sand
witches, coffee etc, was partaken of. That a
good share of the success and pleasure OF the
occasion was due to the presence of a thor
oughly efficient and agreeable officer, the fol-
| lowing complimentary notice, clipped from
| local paper, gives evidence:
That Mrs. Nichols is the right woman in the
! right place is apparent BY nature endowed with
| a fine voice and figure added to a charming grace
and earnestness of manner she must ever be popu-
| lar i'll any position she may be called to fill.
| WoMAN's WORK IN PENNSYLVANIA.
! Department Commander Dyer in his report
| before the Pennsylvania Encamppent, COM
mented as follows upon the work of the various
y
| just ended. 1t will be seen that should the
Pennsylvania women unite their forces in this
| as in other States they would make strong
! Department.:
Reports received from the several Ladies' Aid
Societies, organized auxiliary to the Posts of
| this Department. show that they have proven most
efficient allies i'll relief work, and are of great bene-
| fit to the Posts with which they are associated.
am of the opinion that we should follow in the foot
steps of the last National Encampment and give to
them an expression of our hearty appreciation and
| approval of their work and sympathy in their OBJ
jects which are to assist the Grand Army i'll the
and relief of the destitute families and widows and
orphans of soldiers and sailors of the late and
to generally advance the interests of the Posts to
| which they are auxiliary.
We have two societies working within De-
| partment each having q separate department
organization but identical i'm their objects and diff
! fering only i'll their membership. The Ladies'
| Loyal League restricts its membership TO the
mothers, wives sisters and daughters of soldiers
| of the late war; while the Woman's Relief Corps
accepts every loyal woman who is willing to be-
come an active and useful member of the organiza-
/ ton.
IT to me that the last-named is the broader
and more comprehensive basis for such organiza-
tons but let assure both of our hearty good Will
and support in carrying out the good work they
! engaged in. The Department President of each
organization has submitted report of their years
work, and they will be Incorporated i'll the proceed
ings of this Encampment.
! DEPARTMENT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
At banquet rendered by Louis Bell Post and
! Corps, Manchester to the Department of New
| Hampshire, the following inscription in large
! letters was placed over the stage: Welcome
to Sister Johanna Lnehan and her school
mates" This was a humorous recognition of
! the honorary membership conferred upon De-
partment Commander Linehan by the Woman's
| Relief Corps of New Hampshire in considera-
| ton of his long continued fidelity to the cause
| of woman's work in the GAR. The badge of
| the W.R.C was finally presented to Past Com
mander Linehan at Hotel Windsor by Mrs.
t., l, nJl Ioc,, :,
| campment, Commander Linehan acknowledged
contributions from o. w. Lull Corps, Milford,
w. f. Cobb Corps, Pttsfield, and Storer Relief
| Corps, Portsmouth, in aid of the Ohio Valley
flood sufferers, aud added the following testi-
| monial to womans work:
The good work being done by the Womans Re
lief Corps throughout the Department deserves
special mention. 1t Is not too much to say that
without the efforts of the members of this body the
| relief fund of the several Posts would not be i'll
| such prosperous condition, while their labors on
| Memorial Days are well known to the comrades
that it would be but a repetition to mention them
here. As the natural lords of creation are apt
to assume all of the wisdom necessary for the gov
eminent of society i'll general, and gatherings of
this kind in particular but hours attendance at
their annual Convention would take little of such
conceit out of us and give us few points dis
| cipline and good order that we might copy with
! profit Twenty-six Corps are already organized in
| this Department. am confident that the forma-
| ton of Corps in every locality where n Grand
| Army Post has been established will be of great
| benefit and comrades ought to avail themselves of
their cooperation by aiding i'll their institution.
DEBT WHICH CANNOT BE PAID.
Tower Corps, PawtuCket, r. l., has begun
work in earnest, its first service being the as
sistancc of the Post III grand fair, from which
81 900 was realized A visit from Gov Bowen
and staff was the browning interest of the week
The Governor was cordially welcomed by Com
rade Mason, and in reply paid high tribute to
the Grand Army, commencing their work Of
relief, and in conclusion said:
Time is fast passing away more than quarter
of a century has passed since the war was over
the ranks of these veterans are fast thinning out ;
silver threads are fast appearing among the gold
these stawart forms begin to droop; in few years
we shall have them no longer, and they and their
deeds will have passed into history. In our boy
hood DAYS we Venerated the heroes of Lexington
and of Bunker Hill. If they were in want we would
have poured out abundance to relieve them in
their distress. Do not think those who fought
to preserve country are worthy our care as
those who established our liberties? Let us there
fore contribute literally during this far-it is for
charity. In giving, remember that you give but
portion of what you owe, and which you never can
repay.
Gov. Bowen was presented with basket of
flowers by the ladies of Tower Corps which he
gracefully acknowledged. Everybody was
happy over the results of the fair, and Tower
Post expressed their obligations to the Corps by
waiting upon the ladies while in session (it