The Washington herald., 1912-05-27
D. A. R. WOMEN
PLEDGE GENTA DAY
Mrs. Anna Scott Block Starts Move
ment to Clear Debt on Con
tinsntal Hall.
COUNTRYWIDE CAMPAIGN
Is NOW IN PROGRESS
Penny Daily from 1900 Active
Members for One Year Will
Net $2sO,oOO.


bers, and a penny day from each viii
net S260.0O0 in the year.
/ Memorial Continental Hall was erected
4 at a cost Of S6T7, ,S17.gl, and the debt re.
naming is $4,000 1t is expected that
this will be cleared. with a substantial
balance left for the creation for e permG-
nent fund.
] To Mrs. Anna scclf Block, wife Of Col
| Willard T. Block. is given credit for tn4
novel plan now being carried out. She
suggested the penny-a-day campaign at
a meeting of the continental hall COM
mittee I'm April OF this year, and her
suggestion, embodied in a resolution. was
adopted at the annual congress held in
| Washington later in the same month.
offered Certificate Plan.
Mrs. Blocks activities in the lIquida-
tiOn of the debt were confined to this
plan. At the national congress OF the
| organization in 1911. she offered what is
known as the Block certificate plan for
paying off the debt and establishing a
permanent fund. In effect, 1t was the
| designing of beautiful and artistic certi-
fcatcs that could be sold at 81 apiece to
| every daughter and descendant. Her
plan was so simple and at the same time
| ed by the congress, and Mrs. Block was
appointed chairman of a committee to
carry out the idea.
In her report to the continental hall
committee last month, Mrs. Block pre-
sented the following suggestions:
Total disbursements on the building
and its furnishings were S577, ,Sl7.91. The
Present debt is approximately $4,000.
Tne certificate being sold under Mrs.
Blocks plan is printed on fine paper,
Il by Il inches, and shows in their proper
Colors the seals Of the thirteen original
States. the colonial flags and the in
sigma and seal of the society. In the
center Memorial Continental Hall is fine
ly engraved. making the certificate a
beautiful and artistic heirloom.
Space is provided under the engraving
Of the hall for the signature OF the hold
er. and blocks are indicated for the
transfer of the certificates TO FIVE sue
ceeding generations. providing authentic
proof Of descent from a revolutionary
hero.
Price Is 81 Apiece.
The price OF the certificate is 81 and in
addition five cents for mailing. Seventy
FIVE cents from each certificate will be
applied to the Indebtedness. The remain
ing twenty-five cents will be used TO pay
for the printed certificate. all printed
matter and stationary. stenographlc and
will write the name OF each daughter
her national number and also the names
Of four ancestors.
ITO issue 10000 certificates" said Mrs
Block in a circular issued recently, will
cost S25.OOc. II is not my intention to
retain the entire $4,000 from first sales
but when certificate IS sold / will re-
tain twenty-five cents and pay on our
national Indebtedness seventy-five cents
Whenever 700 certificates are disposed
OF l will retain twenty-five cents per
copy, or $3.50, for expense. as previously
set forth. and the society will receive
seventy-five cents each, or $50. to pay
one note and interest, as the trust COM
pany permits the payment OF 5000 at
any time
That the State chairman OF the Con-
tinentaI Hall committee be also ap-
pointed State chairman for the liquida-
ton and endowment fund and have the
chapter member for Continental Hall
made chairman for the liquidation and
endowment fund. and to appoint a COM
mittee. to consist OF one member to
each twenty-five daughters OF her chap
ter. This will give about 1900 workers.
who will personally explain the merits
Of the certificate, thus securing orders,
and report same to State chairmen."
In suggesting the penny-a-day plan.
Mrs Block said:
II all national officers, State and
chapter regents and delegates pledge
themselves to contribute one penny
day for one year, and through above
committee secure pledges from all men,
bers. this will create a fund sufficient
not only to pay the national indebted
ness. but a substantial sum for the en-
dowment fund. and each daughter will
receive three certificates OF descent"
Penny-n-dny Idea.
Mrs. Blocks penny-a-day plan met
with hearty approval throughout the or
ganization. In commenting upon IT, Mrs.
Mary S. Lockwood, regent OF the Dis
trict, said:
Il want TO ask every State regent to
forward this movement. A penny a day.
Sometimes when you are going to take
car. walk instead, and put aside five
cents, and that will save FIVE cents. Put
It in. That penny a day would pay OF
this debt. l think that IL is one Of the
best propositions that has been made.
The State regents or Mrs. Scott cannot
carry that on. 1t must be done through
out the States, getting as many as you
can to subscribe to it, and when you
come back here next year you won't
have any debt on this place. But 1 want
to tell you one thing more. II was not
this or the last administration, II was
not the administration before that that
put a debt on this building; the debt was
put on when we agreed 10 build a build
ing
After the plan had been fully explained
the congress adopted the following reso-
luton:
Resolved. That all members be asked
to pledge themselves to pay one penny
a day for one year, for which they will
receive their certificates Of descent, prop
eFIy engrossed and recorded; and that
each State regent be or appoint a MEM
Der Of the liquidation and endowment
committee and through the chapter COM
mittees secure the above pledge, and that
Mrs. James NJ Fowler be appointed by
the president general chairman Of the
above committee, who will transmit to
the chairman Of the liquidation and en-
dowment fund committee, Mrs. William
7. Block, all orders, who viii reduce the
debt from time to time whenever funds
aggregating $500 are available. Full re-
port is to be made t9 the twenty-seoond
A statement OF receipts and disburse-
ments from November, 1890, until August,
1911. shows that contributions from chap
ters for the erection Of the hall amount
ed to slsh0e2Iz, and from individuals