Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-13
A PATRIOTIC ORDER
WoMAN's RELIEF CORPS AIMS TO
PERPETUATE DEEDS OF
VETERANS.
Organization has for Its Object the
Alienation of Suffering Among Old
Soldiers and FamiIies.-Two Branch
es Here.-circuIar Prepared.

There are two branches of the Wo-
mans Relief corps in the city and both
have large membership. The w. R.
G. is the sister organization to the
Grand Army of the Republic and it's
principal object is the relief of suffer
ing among the veterans and their fam
lilies. The corps also assists in the
services on Memorial day, when the
graves of the late heroes of the Civil
war are decorated with flowers. The
organization has within it's ranks not
only the wives but the daughters of
veterans and this fact will insure the
life of the society and the perpetuation
of its aims.
Objects and Work of Order.
A communication has been prepared
by Lucie L. Lewis, national press cor
respondent of the order, in which the
objects and work of the order are
sketched. The officers of the local
corps are in receipt of the circular,
which is as follows:
All over our great country mem.
bers of the Grand Army of the Re-
public and the Woman's Relief Corps
have been observing their annual
memorial day. Each year the inter-
est in this sacred festival seems to
increase rather than to diminish, and
| it is right and just that it should be
| so.
"As these grand object lessons in
patriotism-the brave men who went
out from 81 to '65, and offered all
that life held dear to them, and life
itself, to save the union-as these,
one by one, drop from the ranks and
no one arises to fill the vacancies
the work Of the W. R. G. increases.
Patriotic Work Done.
"For over twenty years this organ
ization has worked side by side and
hand in hand with the Grand Army
of the Republic. And in this connec-
ton there has been some misappre-
hension as to the eligibility to mem
bership in the Woman's Relief Corps.
| AS in the dark1days from 81 to '65
the work of caring for the boys in
blue was not confined to their own
| families, but all loyal girls and won.
en- united to make bandage strip line
and do the thousand things which
alleviated suffering, and make life at
the front more bearable, so now all
loyal women are eligible and welcome
to the w. R. G. And certainly the
object for which all work so worthy
it seems strange that all women are
not interested in it. Acknowledged
since it's foundation as the true auxil.
! larry of the G. A. r., it has endeav-
ored to live up to its high calling, but
the women of this order do their work
so quietly and modestly that the re.
suits are sometimes undervalued
A Large Organization.
'It is the largest patriotic and ben
evolent society in the world, and has
spent thousands of dollars in it's work
but if the w. r. G. had never spent
a penny in relief, to the veteran sol
der or his widow, or orphan, if it had
never done one of the thousand things
| it has done to honor the dead, the
| living heroes, and to inculcate lessons
of patriotism in the young-it should
| still be credited as the power which
has uplifted vast army of women by
broadening their lives and widening
their infiuence-by teaching them to
think and express their thought. Abra
I ham Lincoln said: The Lord mus
have loved the common people, for he
made SO many of them,' and it is the
women of this class who have beer
helped and uplifted by the w. R. G
Flag is Saluted.
''The w. R. G. originated the teach
| ing of patriotism in the public schools
and over 100000 school children sa
lutte the flag as taught by our order
1.-THE first American institution thai
followed the army into the Philippines
was teaching the origin and meaning
of the flag, and the flag salute as
taught by the w. R. c., and now there
has come call from Honolulu to the
w. R. G. for the best way of teaching
patriotism.
"From the organization until June
/ 80, 1902, the w. r. G. has expended
for relief S2,347 ,95604.
During the past year the nationa
organization has expended for relief
| $3.50, O0s.91; for W. R. G. home, Sill,
263.71; for army nurses not in w. r
G. home, $3.50; for the Mckinley mem
orial fund, $1,000; for southern Mem
II orial day, $S55.45; for Sons of Veter
ans Memorial university, $127; fol
Andersonville prison property, $123.
80"