Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-02-14
STATE RELIEF CORPS
Annual Convention Begun at
State House, Yesterday.
Address Of State President Sawyer
and Reports Of Officers.
Beautiful Flag Service in Rotunda
Last Evening.


Under the gilded dome of the State
House in Representative hall. yester-
day morning. the annual convention OF
1.-THE Woman's State Relief Corps began
Mrs. n. /. Sawyer, State president
called the convention to order
:. The committee on credentials report
ed 200 members present. out of total
membership of 433 The following
officers of the State Corps We're pres
ent: Mrs. Emma Stephenson, Gardiner
vice president; Mrs. Julia McKeen,
Belfast, chaplain: Mrs. Caleb n.
Lang. Portland. secretary: Mrs.
Fidelia Wentworth, Portland, treasur-
err: Mrs Rose Merrill. North Turner,
conductor: Mrs. f. D. Winship Bidde-
ford. guard: Mrs. f. Fitzpatrick. Water
vile. past president; Mrs. Emma Nc
Donald. Pennington, Mrs. Harriet
Burr. Auburn. directors.
OF the presidents personal staff there
were present Mrs. Florence NJ. Wal
lace. China, inspecting officer and Mrs.
Francis S. Black, Gorham, senior
aide de camp.
The past presidents in attendance
We're Mrs. a. NJ. Sawyer, Portland
Mrs. Ella F. Beals. Auburn; Mrs. o. r.
Legrow, Portland; Mrs. s. l.. Pascal,
Camden: Mrs. j. d. Stanwood, VIM,
and Mrs. +. Gilpatrick. Waterville.
The reports of the State president and
| secretary We're made at the forenoon
session.
Mrs. \. l. Sawyer of Portland. in
her annual address in part says:
| Again we are permitted to assemble
i'll annual convention and lett our hearts
| blend together in giving praise to Him
who holds us in the hollow of His
hand for having enabled us to meet
again for the uplifting of the grand
| and ennobling principles of fraternity.
J charity and loyalty. What work more
| grand or noble can the women of our
| State he engaged in than the care and
protection of her heroes and their de-
| rendentS who may need assistance.
! Most societies can read their futures by
| their pasts but with ours. while the
star of hope still shines. and few
clouds appear yet must we because of
our very composition and nature of our
| work travel toward the setting sun.
many meet again who have met before
| to consider that which is for the good
of our noble order we love so well.
many. alas, there are whose forms we
carnot see. whose voices we cannot
| hear, whose wise counsels we shall
never have again. They have left us
| and a feeling of sadness comes over us
as we recall this fact and we revere
| ~.
the touch of a vanished hand and the
sound of a voice that is stilled.
1T is a pleasure to officially welcome
you to the capital of our State and this
our annual convention, and ! trust the
arrangements for your comfort will
prove pleasing to all. May we in this
/ twentieth convention of the W. S. r.
G. legislate wisely for our noble order
and its membership.
| May we realize as never before the
Importance of united efforts in our
| work and from this convention may we
return to our corps with renewed energy
| for our work and increased pride in
| our relation to that band of men with
| whom we have been so many years as
ISOLATED by the strongest and dearest
lies and for whose interest and COM
fort our noble order was founded.
| Especially let us work to enroll in
our ranks all who are now eligible
surely there are many who will unite
with us if we but exert our efforts in
urging them TO join and to this end let
us interest ourselves in those who
should be one with us and for us.
During my year l have made forty
official visits iwenty-seven of which
| were for the purpose of inspection. In
each corps as a rule l have found the
officers LEGALLY supported by the mem
bers. In some, however, there is a lack
iof interest; in many the members find
it hard to get out to corps meetings
because of failing health and
distance from place of meeting, but in
al is the sacred work of Memorial Day
faithfully and willingly performed and
the attendance large.
Another Memorial Day has come
and gone and ii is source Of gratifi-
cation that each succeeding day is
more generally observed than the one
preceding. 1t is with willing hearts
and hands that the members of the w.
:. K. c. unite with the posts of this
department in concentrating the he
1
in defence of our flag and country.
Their dead are our dead.
With each returning day is observed
with sadness the depleted ranks of
the G.. A. r. and the passing of that
band of heroes to join the larger bodies
of their comrades already camping
across the river. To the members of
the w. s. II. G.. this loss means only
sorrow and sadness in the homes where
the deeds of this gallant army will ever
lremain a sacred memory and whose
members will continue the sacred
work even after the last veteran has
been mustered out.
THE reports of the several State Of
Ulcers and committees will be made t.
this convention. giving full and com
lplete accounts of the work of each de-
partment and to which your attention
lis especially called.
There have been issued from head
quarters six general and three special
orders. Many dispensations have been
granted. good and sufficient reasons
being given for the same. l have writ