Evening star., 1898-02-18
Annual Convention National Society
Children American Revolution.
WHY IT WAS ORGANIZED D
Some of the Aims and Methods
Outlined.
THE PRESENT OFFICERS

The annual convention Of the National
Society of the Children of the American
Revolution will be held in this city COM
EIenCing tomorrow. In the morning there
will be informal reception to the mem
bers in the lecture hall OF the Columbian
University, 18th and H streets from 0 80
till 10. From 10 am. to Q pm. a business
meeting will be held at the same place A
business meeting will also be held at the
same place from 10 am. to 2 PM. Feb
rrary q. Washingtons birthday there will
be public patriotic melting at the Column
bia Theater from IL m. to noon At this
meeting Professor George Lansing Ray
n ond, Lh. D., of Princeton University, will
deliver an address. A patriotic melody;
Our Red. White and Blue" arranged by
Miss Emile D. Little of Rochester, N. Y,
will be sung by Mr.. Slaybaugh and chorus.
At this meeting gavel is to be presented
to the society. the handle of which is of
oak wood taken from the old north bridge
at Concord. Mass. bearing an appropriately
inscribed silver plate, and presented by Miss
Margaret Mulford Lothrop, the first men,
Der Of the national society and secretary
of the Old North Bridge Society, the first
local society organized. The hammer is
&C posed of wood from the homes OF
Presidents Washington, Jefferson. Madi-
son and Tyler, presented by members of the
society residing in Virginia. This is also
bound with a silver plate appropriately in
scribed.
Wednesday. February %, will be devoted
to historic sight seeing till pm, under
the guidance of careful volunteer guides,
From 3 to $50 pm. there will be re-
ception by the national officers to all men,
bers of the society and their friends in
the banquet hall of the Hotel Cochran,
14th and K strets. Thursday. February "a,
will also be devoted to sight seeing. Fri
day, February 25 will be grand field day,
when there will be an excursion to Mount
Vernon by boat and cars. At Mount Yer
non there Will be interesting exercises
around the elm tree planted there by the
society, the tree having been removed from
close to the old bridge at Concord Mass
Washington's birthday Mrs. A. L. Barber,
the vice president of the society, will give
a tea at her residence, Belmont, 14th and
Clifton streets. from to pm.
Founding the Society.
The founding of a patriotic society COM
posed of children and youth of llneal de-
scent from those who helped forward the
war of the American revolution was the
happy inspiration and the work Of its orig
inator, Mrs. Daniel Lothrop of Concord,
ommendation made by Mrs. Lothrop Feb
ruary %. 1895, to the National Congress
of the Daughters of the American Revolu-
ton, at Washington, d. c., and her earnest
the country might have a patriotic society
of their own, the National Society of the
Children of the American Revolution.
In cooperation with her husband, Mr.
Daniel Lothrop, the publisher, Mrs Lothrop
had long turned her attention to the idea
OF the national patriotic society for young
people, with branches in all the states
MIR. Lothrop had used his life to further the
those directions which could assist them In
patriotism and good citizenship; and as an
author, Mrs. Lothrop, who is world-known
and loved by her pen name of Margaret
Sidney, had spent good part of her life
IN the work of the advancement of the
young; therefore, on the death of her hus-
band she determined to take upon herself
as labor of love, this work that could
best assist young people to good American
citizenship. Mrs. Lothrop. as the regent of
the old Concord Chapter, d. A R., of CON-
cord. Mass, was invited to deliver before
the continental congress, d. A. r. Febrr-
airy. 1893, the address of response to the
address of welcome by Mrs. AdlaI Steven
son. the president general of the D. A. r
and she took this opportunity to incorpor-
ate her idea into her address-feeling that
IL was appropriate. practical work for the
mothers and sisters who were enrolled in
the membership of the D. A r. to assist
this movement. The practicability of this
appeal was Immediately recognized, and
and unanimously carried that the Society
or the Children of the American Revolu-
ton, as proposed by Mrs. Lothrop, be or
ganized. and the entire management Of the
organization be vested in her.
The First Step.
Her first step was to lay all the plans
and the constitution, as formulated by her.
before the national executive board
Daughters of the American Revolution. re-
questing that the cor stAption should be
voted upon article by article and mimeo-
graph copy given to each member of the
board. so that they might study it care
1ully and be ready to vote upon it on the
following day, which Was done.
The constitution was amended to make
Mrs. Lothrop's term as president four
years. and the plans and constitution were
then heartily Endorsed. with much appre-
ciatlon OF their strong, clear and admlra-
bic arrangement.
The National Society of the Children of
the American Revolution was incorpora ted
at Washington, u. c.. April IL. 1898. Its
hIst public meeting was also held with
that nice observance of the fitness OF
things that has characterized this work
from Its inception at the old South Meet
ing House. Boston. Mass. July f. 1888.
The list of famous Inen and women who
either addressed the audience, or sent their
messages to be read with hearty approval
of the work was long one, embracing our
most distinguished American citizens,
proud TO do honor to the occasion and the
cause.
The Objects.
The objects of the society are to forward
to patriotism and good citizenship not
only those who are eligible to membership
in 1t, bat also those who are not eligible.
The local societies are expected to urge AMI
invite to all public meetings all those chill
Gren who want to go, no matter what their
nationality is.
A uniform study of American history is
an important part of the society, as it is
claimed by very many persons well fitted
10 judge, that our young people knew more
of ancient and foreign history than they
DO of that of their own country. The inner
workings of the local societies will result
in the teaching of local history and of gov
ernment national and municipal, while
practical pleasure will be derived from
party excursions to historical points. 1t is
hoped by the founders that this will tend
to impress iEdeliby the great lessons of
cur national history, together with the
principles and institutions that made the
country what II is 1t is also one of the
official duties to find out ths boys and girls
who helped forward the cause of independ-
ence. There are many such buried in his
tory. One of the reasons for starting the
work is that it will tend to populariZe the
work of the public schools toward patriot
ism and good government; for those chill