The National tribune., 1902-10-09

compared with last year is as follows:
Number of Departments June 80,
lJUZ ID
Total number of Corps in Depart
menfs June 30, 1902. ......... 3,O17
ing June 30, 1902. ........... 2,s44
Total number Of members June
30, 1902 ................... 143,42S
Total number of members in good
standing June 30, 1902. ....... 119304
Total number Of Detached Corps
June 80, 1902. 2................ 62
Total number of members in De-
tached Corps June 80, 1902 -. 1894
Showing gross loss in member
snip OF J2S
And a net gain of members in
good standing ............ 1900
REPORTS OF OTHER NATIONAL OFFICERS.
The National Treasurer, Mrs. Sarah G.
Phillips, after giving long tabulated ac-
count, with pages of figures, expenditures
and per capita tax, etc, sums up her re-
port in one sentence: Total Assets, S15,-
39S.S5; liabilities, none"
The report of the National Chaplain,
Mrs. Emily l.. Clark, shows a growing in
terest in Memorial Day, with a larger par
ticipation of children and young people.
National Inspector, Mrs. Fanny E.
Minot, shows by her report that she has
been thorough and most conscientious in
her efforts to have the very necessary
work on inspection properly done. She
finds that there is a wide variance in the
methods of doing Corps work, and recon-
mends that the Rules and Regulations be
strictly followed. She is of the opinion
that the organization cannot prosper when
everybody uses her own Interpretation of
the rules.
The report of the National Counselor,
Mrs. Emma Stark Hampton, deals with
technicalities almost entirely, and the con-
STRUNG of certain laws. No knOtty cases
have come before her this year, and the
affairs of the National have been serene
and calm so far as contests are concerned.
The Patriotic National Instructor, Mrs.
Kate e. Jones, reports a revival of in-
terest in the patriotic work, which seems
to be widespread. She says:
every Department and nearly all de-
tached Corps have returned reports that
give practical results in many lines of
work heretofore disregarded because not
defined and understood. There is yet
room for greater improvement, but 1 am
proud of this report for the year ending
July, 1902.
From % Departments gather these
statistics: 5,S12 flags, 3,012 Declaration of
Independence Charts, LIZA Oleographs of
the Origin and History of our Flag, 2,215
Patriotic Primers, have. been placed in
Mercy formed. Massachusetts, Ohio. In
diana, Michigan and Kansas of the larger
Departments; Colorado Connecticut.
Maine, Washington and Alaska of the
smaller, have presented the most complete
reports in all lines of work."
The National Patriotic Instructor makes
one recommendation that will probably
nnn fcnIf 80 oil IL
der. There was an attempt made by the
Woman's Relief Corps to observe some
one Sunday during the year which was
called Citizens Sunday" and was to be
patriOtically observed. There was con-
tinual confusion between this Sunday and
Memorial Sunday, which is the Sabbath
which preceded Memorial Day. The Ma
tional Patriotic Instructor recommends
that the Day be abolished and it is
thought that the recommendation will be
adopted.
The report of the Senior Aid, Mrs.
Isabelle L. Bagley, is very full and replete
with interesting information for the mem-
bers of the Order. 1t shows that all along
the line, the members of the Woman's Re
lief Corps are taking deeper interest in
its welfare, and are reaching out con-
tinually to widen the horizon and enlarge
the membership. Mrs. Bagley has labored
indefatigably in this behalf, and it is said
that to her is due large measure of the
successes of the year. Mrs. BagIey was
National Treasurer of the Woman's Re-
lief Corps for five years, and it is said
that no woman in the Order has wider
acquaintance throughout the country.
REPORT OF SECRETARY OF W. R. c. HOME.
The report of the Secretary of the Ma
tiOnal Relief Corps Home Board is some
thlng OF an eye-opener. This Home was
located in Ohio by Mrs. Annie Witten-
meyer, Past National President, about
10 years ago. From the first it is said
that the Home has been a serious troubla
TO the Relief Corps. costing large sums
yearly, and that it had never been the
home of the class of people for whom it |
was intended. Primarily it was intended
for an Army Nurses home. but tine reports |
show that very few Army Nurses ever
were quartered there. 1t is said that the
Home buildings were miserably CON
structed, the drainage bad. the plumbing |
worse, and the present Secretary, in her
report declares that the sewage has al
ways been the bane of all difficulties. Some
Of the cottages could not be heated and
It is said that for this reason many of the
inmates took sick, and in many cases died
Of pneumonia and kindred ills. During
The life of the protector of the Home, sew
arai prominent Relief Corps women say, it
was iihPoSsiDit ~ get THESE InattcrS IN
vestigated. and all attempts to get them
before the National Convention were
baked by the intervention of Mrs. Witten-
meyer, who was sure that things would
work out right in the end.
AT the Convention in Cleveland last
Iear, Mrs. Agnes Hit. Chairman of the
Board of Directors of the Home, made
some startling statements in her report,
t is asserted. and insisted that the Ma
ional Convention take some action toward
getting rid of a very great burden. which
he National Home had become She said
hat the buildings were out of repair, the
inmates of the Home were very largely wo-
nen whom their relatives could take care
II and would not, and that general mis-
in the past had brought about
condition of affairs that was all but un-
The National Convention decided to
,resent the Home to the State of Ohio for I
State Home, as under the charter the !
Home when no longer used for its Iegiti-
aate purposes should revert to the State.
Tor some unexplained reason, it is said.
many members of the Department of Ohio I
bjected to this turning back of the Home |
property, and the measure failed in the
legislature. but it voted the Home the t