The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-03-12
THE RELIEF CORPS.
Gleanings from National HeadQuar-
terS---NOteS from Departments.
MEMORIAL DAY FLOWERS.


Cemeteries Memorial Day-Eationa
Journalist Leap-Year Confession and
Marching on of Old Glory in Many States
BABY POST FLOWERS.
HEADERS WAINWRIGHT PosT, 72, GAR,
| DEPARTMENT OF TEXAS,
ALVIN, TEX, May 8. 1895 J
DEAR CoMRADE: We are the baby Post o.
Texas; not only young, but poor and deserv
ing. We need money in our treasury to pay
rents aud Quitting expenses We live here II
| the home of the fragrant Cape Jessamine, the
most delicai ely beautiful flower in the world
and desire to call your attention to them fol
decoration purposes. Nothing grows in the
| form of flowers more fragrant or mere sng-
| gestive of such uses We shall be very glad to
supply you and yonr Post with as many OF these
flowers as you can use, and shall patiently
await your order. They will be carefully
packed and forwarded to you by express in
each-$1 per hundred. They ship well, and
will keep in good form for two weeks
J. c. MCBRIDE ?. C.
II. L. BARKER S. V. c. Committee.
w. A. Rowan, J. V. c.
While the above offer, made last year and re-
newed this. is specially addressed to Posts, yet
it is equally applicable to the Relief Corps.
Comrade Mcbride. Post Commander. is resi-
|
Company of St. Louis, and any offers made
through the Post can be relied upon. Roses
and sweet peas may also be had on call.
THE MACEDONIAN CALL.
Abbie C. Fowler, of Phil Kearny Relief
Corps, 16, East Richmond, Va, writes how hard
| it is for a handful of veterans Of the g. A. z.
and the little band of 40 women of the W.R.C.
at Richmond to make any fitting demonstra-
ton on Memorial Day, in honor Of the men
who saved the Union. without assistance from
their friends in the North. Her letter follows !:
DEAR TRIBUNE AND FRIENDS: Phil Kearny
Relief Corps is the only Corps in Richmond,
| the colored Corps having, as / understand, been
| disbanaed. We have 40 members about half
of whom are regular attendants. Many Of the
comrades have Southern wives most of whom
! have joined us, but few of them are enthusi-
astie- may be imagined.
Even of the Northern families who come
here only "a small per cent. enter into this work.
| For some reason they leave their principles be-
hind whsn they come. One of membe
recently called on a lady late from Ohio (from
! which State expect perfect loyalty, and
! asked her if she would not like TO join the
W.R.C. She answered, with considerable gusto,
No; did not come down here TO keep up the
| fight"
adopted the theory that are helping to keep
mp the strife because We stand up for principle.
We have had hard times. Sometimes we think
that we, and we alone. are left 10 keep up the
respectability of the Union canse, for there is
no sort of a society but ours where patriotism,
what we term patriotism, can be showed.
OF course, the Soutberners define patriotism
Glove of ones country" as we do; but with
them it means Southern country" aud they
teach it TO their children.
They want Southern histories in their schools
We submitted for years; then Barnes's History
supplanted Holiness. But now. after two
| years, history written by Southern author
has been adopted by the city schools.
1t is "Sbnn's history of the American
People" SO our children are to be taught
secession principles 80 years after secession was
put down.
| Then. in the matter of Memorial Day we
have neither means nor numbers for display
and parade, and since all this fuss has been
kicked up, and Posts forbidden to ask aid
| from other Posts we have had pretty slim and
| shabby times of it on Memorial Days
No brass band, even, while some of our
own Northern boys, belonging to bands, mill
| tary companies, cavalry. etc. have gone with
| the immense crowds that turn out in all their
splendor to do honor to those who died fight
ing against the Union. They march under
that, by us, despised Confederate flag.
Sometimes, to be sure, we see Old Glory un.
furled TO the breeze in these grand parades, as
at the unvaiing OF monuments etc, for some
State military organizations carry fine, large
United States flags. How we love to see few
dear old flags among 80 many that are not at
all dear TO u.s.
10 the thousands and thousands of fallen heroes
whose graves lie within our reach without aid
For us 10 hire the music, buy the flowers and
keep up the respectabilityf
Why. once IL was left TO the negroes 10 visit
the National cemeteries on Memorial Days. 1t
was unpopular for the whites to attend. Now
the GAR. have made it SO differest; hut there
is yet great deal to be done to make it as
respectable as the other side.
DO your influence, friends of THE Ma
TIosAL TRIBUNE. Contributions, be they ever
so slight, would help to buy flowers. pay for
band, etc.
Now is the time to begin thinking OF the
flowers we will need. We should each plant
some of those that will como into bloom by the
last of May; most roses in this State are
through blooming before that time SO are
many other flowers that in the North are Just
in their prime. Try and find out lust what
kinds of roses you may expect and plant them
then, you can depend upon psnsies, old plants,
and sweet-williams. pinks, poppies, and many
other ANNALS.
One suggests that we carry plants in pots
and put them out. That would be more last
ing. We could not set them out on the graves
at our National Cemeteries. for IL is all sod. but
the pots could be set on the graves, and the
Superintendent could plant them out in beds
devoted TO the purpose and afterwards he
would thank you. 1t would in part pay him
for the trouble you have made him.
kearhy Corps are caring for one woman
whose husband was Confederate soldier and
whose son was Union soldier She is quite
old and feeble, has not relative in the world,
and came here from West Virginia. We keep
up her life-insurance Chat will bury her), pay
her rent, and get her comfortable clothes fuel,
food, etc. She loves US. Life is more pleasant
for her since we came to bless her.
Others we help by times. There are many
calls, the city is slow, and we feel pride in
helping our own.
The Grand Army is steadily cultivating n
friendly spirit and disseminating the ideas of
National unity. kearny Post and Corps with
the ;. OF ", held an installation Campfire to
which the Confederate Camps were invited,
and they responded with a right good will.
There was an army supper and lively time.
The Confederate veterans are very nice to
us at such Reunions though ut other times
there is little intercourse. But these frequent
Reunions will bridge the gap between us.
JOURNAL 18th NATIONAL CONVENTION.
The Journal of 18th National Convention,
W.R.C., held at Louisville, KY, Sept IL, l3
and Ia, was out in time for distribution at the
earlier Department Conventions. 1t is con-
venient, condensed abstract of official proceed
ings and has excellent portraits OF Past Ma
al Walla