The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-05-20
OPEN TO VETERANS.
Efforts to Allow Them Adj
mission to W.R.C. Meetings.

MISSION 10 W.R.C. meetings..
Many Reasons Urged-National Convention
to Meet the Issue Squarely-NationaI Trib-
une In Corps Gatherings-Items of Inter-
est to the order.
Again and again, the past seven eight
years. memorials nave come before the Ma
tional Convention from the Western Depart
ments, W.RC., praying that comrades of the
Grand Army, by virtue of their membership
might become honorary members OF the
Woman's Relief Corps, and be allowed to be
present at will at all meetings Of the W.RC.
These memorials have never come before
Convention for discussion, as the committees
to which they have been referred have not re-
ported until late hour in the sessions, and
their unfavorable action has been sustained by
Convention without going into the merits OF
the question.
Again the memorial is being agitated in the
West, and 18th National Convention will be
asked to give the subject more careful atten-
ton than has been given by previous Conven-
tions. The memorial should come fairly and
squarely before Convention, in order that all
the reasons for the proposed legislation may
be properly presented.
Corps of the West, which moving in the
present project, is that in many of the towns
in the pioneer States the membership both OF
the Post and Corps is widely scattered through
out the country, that women cannot reach the
Corps unless accompanied by their husbands.
and that those husbands do not find it very in
teresting to hang around outside while their
wives are meeting in their snug little halls.
1t is urged that there are places where it will
not be possible for the Posts to hold together
much longer, and that many of the old sol
diers would esteem it pri vilege if they could
enjoy the comradeship they might find In
Corps meetings. Inasmuch as there are other
societies of women which will admit them to
snch meetings, it is scarcely to be wondered at
that they sometimes transfer their interest to
these, to the detriment Of the Womans Relief
Corps
Those who favor the memorial-and they
are not Mined to the West by any means
do so largely upon the ground that the Grand
Army have vested right in the Woman's Re-
lief Corps. and ought not to be excluded from
the meetings
This subject is proposed for discussion to all
members of the Woman's Relief Corps, by no
means excluding the comrades of the GAR.
The more it is discussed before National Con-
vention time the better the delegates will be
equipped for voting intelligently upon the sub
ject.
Let all articles be short and to the point, in
order that the subjectsshail be reached from
every point of view. Let those who expect to
write do so promptly, showing that they have
convictions upon very vital topic.
GOOD OF THE ORDER.
Word comes from many Corps to the effect
that their meetings are made more and more
interesting by having each week special read
ings, Rotations, and so on, under " Good of the
Order" In some Corps the flag salute is given,
and members exchange views upon the best
means of teaching patriotism not only in the
schools, but in the family as well.
1t is the custom in some Corps to read arti-
cles from THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE about what
other Corps are doing, or some article of gen.
eral interest," so that the members feel that they
are keeping up with the times, while they at
the same time are working assiduOusly for the
advancement of the cause.
Another way of advancing the good of the
Order is through the appointment of one or
more members to give all the information pos
sible concerning some branch of work in which
the Relief Corps is engaged. One week it may
be the subject of the National Relief Corps
Home, another the State Soldiers Home, or the
State Orphans Home. Or, it may be the An
derson Vile Prison fund aud what the Woman's
Relief Corps proposes to do with the property
now that it 10 in their hands; or, it may be
the National Council of Women and how the
w OmanS helIet corps may ADVANCE us WOIk Oh
patriotic teaching through the annual meet
ings aud the triennial sessions of that great
body Of women.
There is an immense deal to know If one
would be fully up in the work Of the W.R.C.,
and the average member is very slightly in
formed as to its range and scope when the work
is considered Nationally.
A HEADQUARTERS BULLETIN.
Mrs. Winans writes that the National mem.
befship has greatly increased in the Depart
ments the last quarter. and that good reports
come from all OF them of work performed.
Col. J. C. Winans is Chief of Staff to Com
will escort Gen. ClarksOn and National Pres-
dent Agnes Hit from Toledo to Chillicothe, i'll
a special train, where they will attend the
Ohio Encampment and Convention.
National President Hit visited National
Treasurer Isabelle T.. Bagley at her home,
GAINESVILLE, o., en- route to the West Virginia
Con vention. She was much gratifed with the
inspection of the National finances, and greatly
enjoyed the social pleasures of her visit.
National Institutng and Installing officer
Sarah ID. Winans writes that w. II. Seward
Post, Of juneau. Alaska. have now an auxiliary
Corps; Kate E. Laughlin, President. The Corps
was necessity, as there has been great suffer-
ing among the gold miners at that point. And
who but women could organize the band of
mercy winch VIII care I0r tneir necessities?
Far away from friends and home scarcely
known by name to those who are around them,
it is then that the old soldier learns to know
and love the Woman's Relief Corps and the
unselfish work of its membership takes Oh new
value
MASSACHUSETTS PROsPERING.
The last quarterly reports of the Department
of Massachusetts. W.R.C., made the following
handsome exhibit: Membership. 14,037; relief
in cash, $l.9lS.1S; in supplies, $6O9.50; turned
over to Posts. 81 912.40.
Massachusetts Corps the last quarter contrib
uted $S6.25 to the Andersonville Prison fund,
and $50 for Memorial Day in the South, to as
sist the Posts in a proper celebration of the
day.
The Corps of Salem and Danvers have added
largely to their relief fund by recent entertain
ments and the Corps of Brighton and Wey-
month are raising money for the tfalo En-
cam pment, the former to pay the expenses of
members and the latter to pay the expenses
of comrades of the Post.
Canton Corps have shown their respect for
Chaplain-in- Chief Mark B. Taylor by the pre-
sen alton to him Of an elegant sermon case.
at reception given by Corps 79, Brighton.
to Department Commander Dean and Depart
ment President Waterman the Corps surprised
the Post with handsome set of oak chairs
upholstered in plush.
ALL ALONG THE LINE.
The I4th annual Convention, Department of
Iowa, W.RC., will be held in Marshalltown,
June 8 and 10. Upon invitation of Col. Rate
kim Commandant of the Iowa Soldiers Home,