The National tribune., 1904-08-25

tnlngS, and tnat Is Wnat nappeneu 10 the
patriotic women who attended the Ma.
tional Encampment in Boston. 1t was too
much of a good thing. There was too much
of everything. The city is too big. Ii
spreads all over creation. or at least so II
seemed to the tired women who tried to
''hOOf'' it all over the city. so rich in his
tory that the ground fairly reeks with
"reminiscences which antedate Bunker
Hill. \ week is only n week-seven days,
and one must sleep and eat. Then. when
you take out two whole days and even
ings for Convention work, YOU have but
five days left-five days and despair, for
you simply cannot cover the ground, and
there you are.
Thus it was very tired lot of women
who gathered i'll fremont Temple. We'd
nesday morning, Aug. II, to answer the
gavel calls of the National President of
the Woman's Relief Corps. Mrs. Sarah ID.
Winans; so tired that they would have
been glad to sit still and listen to the pro-
ceedings if it had been possible to find out
what was going on on the PLATFORM; but
as they couldn't, they moved about and
talked in stage whispers. They talked and
moved about constantly. There is nothing
that will so quickly destroy ones interest
in Il Convention as to he unable to hear
and follow the proceedings.
RECEPTIONS.
Monday Afternoon and evening were
given over to receptions. These were
mostly held at the Eendome Hotel. where
the accommodations for Grand Army
crowds are absurdly inadequate. The re-
ception by the National President and her
staff to Commanderin-C Chief Black was held
in the banquet hall of the Vendome on
Monday evening. Aug. IL. The National
President. Mrs. Sarah ID. WinaGs, was as
sisted at this reception by her National
Staff ad Mrs John G.. Black, ahd 10y -
Past National Presidents. 1t was bril-
liant array of women. but all attempts at
receiving anybody had to be given up quite
early in the game. When the Commander
in-Chief arrived he had TO be escorted
around by side door, and even then was
unable to reach the side of Mrs. Winans.
and while she stood in one corner of the
room. COmmander-n-Chief Black stood in
another. unable to get through the inter-
vening crowd. The crowd was something
frightful. and hundreds of guests turned
away i'm despair. In fact. Il great many
of the receiving party never got within
shouting distance of the receiving line. so
i
number of policemen abont the hotel, and
they were supposed to he there to keep
order. but long before Monday night the
guests of the city learned that Boston
policemen are more ornamental than use
full
That same Monday evening the Depart
ment of Massachusetts. w. r. c., gave a
reception at the NendOme. Just one hour,
from = to was set down i'm the bond for
the length of time that the Department of
Massachusetts, w. II. c.. would stand in
line to receive its friends. The reception
began at O'Clock. and it wouldn't be
ended yet if the Department President.
Mrs. Annie NJ. Warne. and her staff of
splendid women had the endurance to
stand there and shake hands for two
weeks.
Everybody and his family called. You
saw there Grand Army badges. Loyal Lc-
gion badges. u ". u. and u. V. l.. badges.
The Naval Veterans paid honor to the old
Bay State. and prisoners of war, crippled.
wearing armless sleeves. blind-came to
shake hands with the Massachusetts wOm-
en- who had extended so lavishly the hos
ptality of the State to the loyal people
of the Nation. In that long line of bril-
liant. brainy women were two Past Ma
tiOnal Presidents. well beloved by all; our
own sweet. gentle Sarah E. Fuller. who
is practically the founder of the Relief
Corps idea. and the other our only and
original I.izabeth Turner. Beside her
stood Harriette l.. Reed, than whom there
is no more lovable woman in the Order,
though there are Puritan streaks in her
makeup that are as unyleldabe as the
oak beams of some of those twO-centnries-
old houses in Dorchester. where she lives.
And there was Miss Mary f. Elliot, who
has been Secretary of the Department of
Massachusetts for so many years and
Press Correspondent just as long. And
there were all those splendid Past Depart
DOrras Lyman-who is just as quantity
sweet as her name-Maria w. Going big
hearted and whole s0uled May G.. Deane,
Mary L. Gilman. and Miss Shute. a regu-
lar Priscilla sort of body. who played
the big pipe organ i'm fremont Temple till
giving YOU welcome. Then there was Mrs
Helen X. Blackmar. just about the proud
est woman in the great Auxiliary to the
Grand Army Of the Republic when in the
closing hours she was introduced to the
audience as the wife of the next Com
mander-in-C Chief. 1t is impossible to name
all these Massachusetts women in one
short story. however, because you would
run out of lauda tory adjectives. and there
were about 30 of them i'm the Convention
with 3S votes. But there were some miss
ing. and their absence was mOurned by
all. f. Florence Barker. first National
President. and Clare III. Burleigh have
gone hence.
Ii was great reception that the Massa
chusetts women gave that night. though
there were so many Of themselves that il
was next to impossible for anybody else
TO get into the room. They kept open
house all the week.
THE GRAND PARADE
On Tuesday occurred the event Of the
week. the great parade of the Grand Army
of the Republic. 1t was an ideal day and
the fast thinning ranks of the veterans
were much fuller than it was expected
that they would be: but the National off
GERS Of the WOman's Relief Corps, wear
led with their rounds of sightseeing and re
captiOns. remained in their headquarter.
at the Vendome and for the first time il
the history of the WOman's Relief Corps
the National President and her staff were
not on the reviewing stand with the Com
Chief, though seats had been re
served for them. Most of the Past Ma
tiOnal Presidents remained at the Vendom,
also, the windows of National Hea dquar
iers looking out on Commonwealth Ave
nue. where the parade formed. Many o.
the veterans expressed regret that SO lon:
as they were able to march i'm the heat tn,
members of the Woman's Relief Corp
could not sit upon the reviewing stands I,
give them welcome. The rank and file O
the order was there, however, and the,
sang and shouted themselves hoarse witt