Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1898-09-28
Thu WAUPACl HONE.
Where Soldiers, Their Wives and
Widows Are Cared For.
THE COTTAGES BUILT FOR TWO.

THE COTTAGES BUILT FOR TWO.
diers of the Civil War viii All BE Dead
The Cost of the Institution and the
Allowance Given by the Federal Gov
eminent -Conteutment and Peace Marks
the Beautiful spot on the Lake.
Madison, Sept 20.-If there be any
more peaceful spot than the Soldiers
Home, three miles from Waupaca, !
know not where to find it. 1t is a lit
| tie village in itself-over fifty buildings,
and forty-eight of them cottages for
! old married couples-oid soldiers and
| their wives, whose VIZ y ng days are
| over. in the sunset of lite, watching the
| fiery globe go down over Hicks lake
| from the yeranGa Of their homes, or
| sitting about the CHEEKY evening lamp
| as from distance they read of wars
| and rumors of wars and events in the
! great world, part of which they CAGE
We're and all Of which they saw, to
| quote a college classic
| Without this retreat they would be
| in the poor house; or, at least the man
would be in a soldiers home (as the
one at Milwaukee,, separated from his
| life partner Here they may be to-
| gether, and as one strolls about the for
est retreat, he sel3 many pretty pict-
ures of affection not dmmed by the
| flight of years, of married life enriched
and sweetened by adversely, poverty
and sorrow
Every day report is sent down to
| the G.. A. r. headquarters in the eapi-
| tai at Madison-for that organiza-
! ton has the naming of the executive
board that conducts the affairs of the
institution. a recent report showed 440
men and women on the grounds-27S
men and 49, women. They are divided
| into companies A, Il, G., ID, Il, with six
| ty-eight in the hospital. There We're in
addition seventy men and twenty
| five women, nearly all with leave"
| The women have d company of their
own, under a matron. The government
| is military, with commandant, adjutant,
| quartermaster, acquisitions, etc. The
veterans near an undress uniform, and
| no one is in doubt as to the nature of
| the institution.
| savcs Them from Poor House.
The aging soldier has his cares, but
/
not be added to it if he has an honora-
! bic discharge, dated now nearly thirty
five years ago. Most of them can earn
| their living in the years that remain
to them. or they have a nestegg to
draw Upon. Byron tells us that avar-
| ice is the vice % old age; and as the
years fit by there is a tendency on the
| part of all Of us to save against that
/ Jo, tot FOR 10
| Dor.
| But for eX-soldiers whom poverty or
ill-luck have shut out froi food and
| lodgings, the doors of many a home
! swings on easy hinges. AS one visits
| the Milwaukee home, with it's 1900 men.
| he wonders where are the women-the
wives of these men-and laments the
| absence of the refining influence of
woman. Soldiers at Waupaca will
elbow i'm their pension on riotous liv-
| ing, and there is a guardhouse as dis
| cipiine for folly: but the moral tone is
| markedly better at Waupaca than in
| the federal soldiers homes.
Pride of the G. A. II.
| The Waupaca institution was founded
| in 1887. The state owns the plant
| which is valued at $150000, and appro-
| PIRATES R5UU week LOT HldluleudICe
| To this the United States government
| adds s1G0 year for each male inmate.
In 1891 the state gave a lump sum of
| $50, 600 The G.. A. K. of the state and
the Womans Relief corps have given
| $50, 600, and many individual posts, cit
| les, and individuals, among them
| brewer baroRs" of Milwaukee, have
| given and furnished cottages which
ma. 4.
| in 1887 some forty of the inmates have
| passed away leaving places for others
| To fill. Twelve men and two women
| died last year. Nearly all are in the
| enjoyment of pensions; and while some
| part of it goes to support, the federal
| congress has put such safeguards
| around that precious document that its
| free enjoyment by the beneficiary is
| difficult to encrodch upon, as any one
may see by reading the conditions on
| the back. The picture on the front
| page of the annual report is significant.
! 1t represents soldier in the strength
| of his manhood, standing mustket in
| hand, amid the smoke OF battle, with
| shells bursting about him. There is a
| dauntless look upon his face. In the
| distance is the Capitol at Washington.
| This inscription appears:
| For what he was and what he dared,
! Remember him today"
| 1t costs about $50, 600 a year to oper-
| ate the Waupaca institution-an aver
| are of 1927 - rer member and with this
the lives of 400 or 500 people are glad
| dened who have a righteous claim upon
the republic and their fellow-country-
| men. The federal governments annual
A
| Pensions of from SO to 81.
| OF the men, according to the report
| dated Dec. 81. 1897, forty-three received
no pensions. The monthly pensions
| range from Sc to ST. month, seventy
| seven receiving the former amount and
| eight the latter. OF the seventy who re-
| ceive SIS a month. eight are widows and
| five of the ninety three who receive $12
| are widows.
| 1t is significant that the average age
| at death is gust trfle below 10-the
| palmist's three score years and ten. OF
| the 466 members on the day IF the re-
| port 500 were men and 157 wom
| en-. of whom thirty were wild
| ows The average age cf the men is
| 695 and 81 per cert. are foreign-born
| Only thirteen out of every 100 of the
1 men cannot TNdu anu NGlle- Inc ltE-
| mer occupa lions of the men show in
| finite variety ranging all the way from
| physicians 81 and teachers (2) to car
| penters t'Sy, farmers 40 and laborers
| 1867. OF the foreign-born of these 300
| men "a were Germans, 81 Irish and %
/ Canadians. Wisconsin turns shed over
!, 81 900 troops for the civil war and in
eleven years SI1 sold ers and 800 wives
| and idows have been cared for in this
| home-127 per cent. of the troops fur
| nished OF the men 63 per cent. en-
| listed from Wisconsin.
The Homes Pretty and Comfortable.
| The plant has uaterworks and cleo
| trio light, with fower house on the
| ground There is considerable variety
| in the cottages, which cost, perhaps,
| $500 or 5000 each, but there is not much
| upstairs" to them, for the occupants
| are too old and feeble for any unneces-
sary stair climbing. The trees are left
| in great numbers to garnish the
| grounds, and as one looks down Mil
| waukee street, for instance, the effect
is of row of summer cottages, pictur-
| esque in the extreme 1t suggests com
| fort and peace. and one almost wishes
he were an old soldier and had done
| his fighting. and that the time had
| come for rest and retirement from the
| turmoil of life. The dining room is
| common to all. The old people come to-
/ I