The National tribune., 1897-03-04

| From an Inmates Point of View-There ths
| War-worn Women Veterans Find Friend,
and sheIter-Gratitude of Army Nurse.
Outside Who Are Waiting for Their Pen
| sions.
| 4 HOME PICTURE.
We have had numerous accounts of the Ma
tional Relief Corps Home from friends and
visitors. but what do they think of it who are
making it their final abiding place before being
called up higher?
One of the interesting women of the Home
has told the story of the holiday season and
| its pleasures, and now another comes to tell o.
daily routine and attendant privileges.
Again, there is large class of Army Nurses
who have earned their pensions but are ex
cluded under the technicalities of the present
| law from receiving their just deserts lie
these, through the Home management. occa.
sional gifts are sent. and following this will be
found few brief notes expressive of their
| gratitude to their kind benefactors and sisters
THE HOME AS IT IS.
Miss NJ. L. Bartlett, member of the National
W.R.C. Home family, writes as follows:
| am q member of the Home family through
| brother who was in the 9th o. V. Cav. /
| have been here a year and i've months, and
| have learned by experience to understand and
| appreciate the benefits received.
| The National Relief Corps Home consists OF
three buildings; one, the old seminary, good,
substantial brick structure OF three Stories with
a basement and porch on two sides that is
delightful in Summer. The rooms and halls
| are nicely furnished, aud everything is home
| like. This is known AS the Wittenmyer Cot
tage, in honor of Past National President
| Annie Wttenmyer, whose interest in the
Home has never tagged since its inception.
There are 16 inmates in this building.
The building known as the hospital al
though not particularly used for this purpose,
is two-story wooden building. formerly used
as students boarding house. 1t has pleasant
porch in front and a number of well-furnished
| rooms. There arc seven inmates in this build
ing.
Between these two buildings stands the Ohio
Cottage bnilt by Ohio at cost of $35, 900. 1t
is three stories with basement, is lit by gas.
aud has all the modern improvements; toilets
and bathrooms each floor. On the second
floor are the parlor and library. opposite each
other, with folding doors opening into the hall ;
stairs. halls, and rooms are carpeted with brus-
| sells carpets.
The dining-rooms are commodious connected
by folding doors. They are in the basement.
and large entry, or arcade, leads from the
Wittenmyer Cottage to the dining-room. The
inmates. in passing through to their meals, are
notchilied by the cold.
The sleeping are all very pleasant,
each having, with three four exceptions,
two windows each. All the rooms have been
comfortably furnished by individual Corps or
Departments, W.R.C. There are 38 inmates in
this cottage.
Besides the furnishings of the rooms through
out the building many additions made by
the personal keepsakes and pictures Of the in
mates which give them the home feeling. All
the buildings are well heated by hot water with
radiators in all the rooms, halls and bathrooms.
The great delight in the National Home is that
We all have our own rooms sacred to us, which
we can arrange or decorate as taste dictates, and
while we have full liberty to visit all parts of
the buildings, our rooms are really our homes,
and we want the Home Board, the Relief Corps,
the Grand Army, all who labor for US, or take
an interest in US, to know how highly we ap.
preciate this privilege.
While the grounds are beautiful in Summer.
We are much shnt up in Winter, the grounds
being mile from Madison, the nearest village
but we have frequent gatherings and religious
meetings. lectures and entertainments, and
make and receive calls at our rooms.
There arc IL employees at the Home, includ-
ing the Super intendent and Matrons in addition
to the washerwoman, who comes two days in
the week. This makes quite family to super
intend. involving much physical labor, as we'll
as brain work but Mrs. Clara Hoyt Burleigh,
who is at the helm, has happy faculty Of get
ting through with it all, steering the Home
| ship with such steady head. clearing the rocks
and shoals with such deft hand that but few
ripples are on our ocean of life.
number of us are able to do our own IRON
ing and assist in the light work, but of course
| cannot be relied on permanent workers, since
were such the case we would not be here.
sA~sk z.C H. r.
abled from work, or from providing for them
selves home On account of old age, some on
| account Of the many hardships they have passed
| through, while others confirmed invalids,
though younger in years. Out of SO inmates Is
are over 80 years old. and others are approach
ing four-score. These are all mothers of vet
Grams.
Though it was not choice but the fatalities
of life that brought Us to the National Home,
yet we all feel we have found haven of rest.
The SHOWS of Winter are with us now and the
cold winds from the e-piled bays of Lake Erie
are whistling around u.s. but we feel that we
are sheltered.
Soon Spring will be here, and our doors and
windows will be open, and we can look over our
little l5-acre farm aud see beauty sprnging
therefrom and the sun will come back to us.
bringing the balmy breezes, and together they
will kiss in delight the foliage in grand old
trees. Our orchard will don it's dress of green.
with garnitures Of pink and white the grass
will spring into life again; our flowers will
bloom and our lawn be a delight to our eyes.
We have much for which to be thankful, for
although many of us are quite or nearly alone
in the world, bereft of kindred ties, you nv
dear sisters, in your W.RC. work are helping
to bring this comfort and sunshine into many
heart from which cry in the past has gone
up" have nowhere to lay my head" and we
thank you all so much
Dear sisters, may this thought so inspire Won
that your work and labor may be made easier.
We extend an invitation to all to visit us. and
hope that we may have the pleasure of seeing
many of your faces in our Home; home,
which. though not quite so dear to us as the old
one whore love united us with the golden chord
of sanguinity, yet ono we prize and love-
And we sometimes feel that those brave SOL
| der boys, our loved ones cover there" are
preparing wreaths of immortal glory to deck
| the brows of those who SO nobly work for their
| dependent ones. Love can never die, and
| surely love is lover there" We will say:
"Wave once again the old torn flag,
Beneath whose folds they fought
And shout from plain and mountain ora
The deeds they wrought"
FROM ARMY NURSE LETTERS.
ooh, how thankful l was to get such nice
present from the dear sisters of the National
| Home Board! l cannot tell you how badly l
needed it at this time. / am having very
| hard time yet this Winter. / am an invalid
aud my hands and feet are all drawn out of
shape with infiammatory rheumatism, and
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