The Arizona sentinel., 1891-04-11

 Field, the audience remaining stand ing during the reading of the orders and circular letter by Adjutant Hall:
 HEADQUARTERS
 GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC,
 RUTLAND, Vt, March 4, 1891.
 GENERAL ORDER No. Is.
 I. In accordance with the resolution (auoted below) of the Twenty-fourth Ma tionaI Encampment ct Boston, Massachu- setts, August I3 and IA, 1890, general observance of the twenty fifth anniver- sary of the organization of this Order will take place April 6, 1891. and all Posts will hold on the evening of that day pub lie commemorative meeting, notice of W hich must be given every comrade, and special invitations will be extended to the Sons of Veterans, the Woman's Relief Corps and kindred organizations; also to the Clergy Press, school children and citizens gen erally.
 II. The preparation of program is left to the discretion of Department Com Inanders,> but it. Is suggested that, among other things, brief summary of the his- tory of each Post would be appropriate, and of value for preservation.
 LII. This order and accompanying let ter of the Commander-in Chief will be read at S.30 p. m. simultaneously by all Posts, She assemblage standing at attention as a token of respect to Commander Stephen sen, the founder of this Order, the same to be followed by prayer by the Post Chap lain, or some ono selected by the Con- manding officer.
 ". Every effort will ke made to have these services worthy the great event they signalize, and all Posts will forward a special report of the game to their Depart ment Headquarters to be briefed, summar- ized, consolidated and forwarded to these Headquarters by each Department Con- mander.
 V. The authority for this order rests in the resolution above referred to, which is as follows, viz:
 Resolved, That the Commander-in- Chief elect be requested to take such action as will lead to proper celebration of the quarto centennial of the organizations of the Grand Army of the Republic, the first Post having been organized at Decatur, Illinois, April 6, lS66;" and in order that these special meetings may properly carry out the purpose and intent of said resolu- tion and not be diverted therefrom. no sub- scription or contribution for any purpose will be solicited or taken thereat
 By command of w. c. VEAZEY,
 Commander-in-C Chief.
 J. H. GoULDIEG, Adjutant- G General.
 HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF ARIZONA,
 GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC, <
 PHGNIx, AriE., March 90, 1881. / Special Order No. l.
 In accordance with General Order No IS, dated Headquarters Grand Army of the 4 1891, the posts of this department will, on the evening of the 9th of April, 1891, hold a public commemoration meeting in ob- servance of the twenty fifth anniversary of the organization of this order and special invitations will be extended to all old sol diers. to the Sons of Veterans, the Women's Relief Corps and kindred. organizations; also to the clergy, press and citizens gen. eraHy. I would urge upon the Post Com manders that if possible they have a full attendance from all the schools in their re- spective cities.
 The program is left to the discretion of the Post Commanders, but it is suggested that brief summary of the history of each of the posts be made special feature of the occasion, as beirg appropriate and of value for preservation, and also valuable as amatter of record at these headquarters.
 By command of Ed SCHWARTZ.
 Department Commander. c. D. BELDES, Asst Adjutant General.
 HEADQUARTERS
 GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC,
 RUTLAND, Vt, March 4, 1891. Circular letter No. 3.
 Comrades:-Assembled as we are at this moment in one simultaneous post meeting, to commemorate the founding of this, our beloved order, twenty. five years ago, there are few salient points of our history which I deem it fitting to call to your re- membrance at this time.
 Dr. B. F. Stephenson, surgeon of the Fourteenth Illinois Infantry, and Chaplain w. J. Rutledge, of the same regiment, talked, as they march ed under Sherman in Mississippi in '64, of the capacity for good in an organization of veterans, and agreed, if spared, te work out some plan to that end. In March, 1866, they with others met at Springfield, H., and on the 9th day of April, 1866, the first post was organized at De- catur, H., Comrade Stephenson mus tering in the members and granting them a charter, and exact facsimile of which I send you herewith. The first Department Eucampment was held at Springfield, H., July l2, '66, and the first National Encsmpment at Indian, apolis, Ind, November 20th of the same year. Comrade s. A. Hurlbut was the first elected commanderin- chief, Comrade Stephenson having provisionally acted as sush thereto foie and having called together the first National Encampment. The violence of political strife at that time involved the new order more or less and substantially destroyed it's vitality especially in the section of the country where it had its origin, some of the departments being left with nothing more than a mere nominal existence, with scarcely a post in active opera tioa. This was the situation at the time of the second National Encamp- ment, held at Philadelphia. January l5, 1868, and continued till after the death of its founder, August 30, 1871. His dream of an order grandly carrying out his noble conception seemed only a dream never to be realized.
 At this point that peerless volun-