Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-09-13
w. r. c. and Ladies of the 6. A. R
published by REQUEST

" oci1oACQ ny IOcQOCSCsJ
Commander in chief King of the G..
A. r. in making his annual report at
the national encampment at Denver
spoke as follows concerning the W. K.
G., the auxiliary Of the grand army
and the Ladies of the G. A. r., royal
association.
wOMAN'S RELIEF CORPS.
This noble auxiliary still maintains
its position as the right hand of the
Grand Army of the Republic. Very
few enterprises are undertaken by
Posts that those patriotic women are
not called npon for assistance, and
right royalty they give it. If a COM
rade is hungry, they feed him: if he is
thirsty they give him to drink: if he is
naked, they clothe him; if he is sick,
they nurse him; and when he dies,
they bury him. Even after he is laid
away in the silent city of the dead, he
is not forgotten by them. They pre-
serve his memory from oblivion; they
sound praises and make known his
virtues; they tell the story of his dar-
ing and his sacrifice; and they hold
him up before their children and their
chlldren's children as an example of
the ideal American citizen. Their love
for the flag he fought for is wonderful.
They teach the young to uncover their
heads in reverence when passing it.
They furnish thousands of school
houses with flags bought with their
own money. in order that the pupils
may learn to love the sight Of their
country's banner. All this and more.
too. they do and have been doing ever
since that 25th of July, 1883, when in
this same city of Denver the National
Woman's Relief Corps was founded.
During the % years that marks the
life of the order, they have expended
the magnificent sum of $2,5OO,O0O,
practically all of which has gone to
benefit the comrades of the Grand
Army and their dependent families.
During all these years their ranks
have been increasing until now they
number nearly 10000 members, and
as they are still growing in numbers,
it is safe to assume that ere many
years they will outnumber the Grand
Army itself. The stronger they are,
the better for the Posts to which the
local corps are attached. Already
their help alone enables many Posts
to retain their charters, and such a
condition of things is bound to in
crease until large portion of Grand
Army Posts will owe their existance,
as organizations, to the God Given,
Heaven-sent Woman's Relief Corps.
LADIES OF THE G. A. R.
The members of this loyal organ
ization are our wives, sisters daugh-
tiers, and, alasl! only in rare cases now,
our mothers. AS such, they would be
precious to us under any circum-
stances. Banded together as they are
in advocacy of the principles of Fra
ternity, Charity and Loyalty, they
become doubly dear to us. When it is
remembered that at the outbreak of
the rebellion the population of the
country was a little over 100000,
that in the 40 years since peace was
declared two thirds of those have
died, and that the present population
is about 06,O00,00O, many of them in
absolute ignorance of the history of
our country, it's wholesome laws and
beneficent institutions, who can say
that there can be too many associ-
ations whose main object is to teach
Iv1 f0 Met II
gratitude to the men who made the
nation great and the flag triumphant.