Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-08-24
| THE WOMANS SECTION
OF THE NAVY LEAGUE
Women Working for Patriotism
and National Defense.
MRS. GRIFFIN REPRESENTATIVE.
American Women Today Like Spartan
Women Ages AgO---Membership
Pledge.

Il A1NAAA
work of that body in arousing the wo-
men OF the United States to the neces-
sity in the present days of stress and
period to work for the ends of patriot
ism and national defense.
She will act I'm conjunction with a
body of over one thousand of the most
prominent women in every section OF
| the United States, numbering among
them Mrs. William Cunning Story,
President General of the d. A. r., Mrs.
Daisy McLaurin Stevens, President
| General. Daughters of the Confeder-
acy. Mrs. George Dewey Miss Anne
| Morgan. Mrs. Phoebe A. Hearst, Mrs.
Thomas A. Edison, Mrs. Alexander Van
| Rensselaer,. Mrs George Lauder Car
| negie, Miss Grace NJ. Pierce Registrar
ID. A. r., Mrs. Augustus p. Gardiner.
Mrs. Medill Mccormick, Mrs. Ralph
Beaver Strassburger, Mrs. George
Harvey, Miss Julia Marlowe and a
host of others.
The Woman's Section of the Navy
League is the first and only woman'e
organization in this country working
for the cause of patriotism and nation
al defense. 1t was organized by a
number of patriotic women in Wash
| ington, whose husbands were mem
bers of the mems national defense
movement exclusively their own. The
Sections call to the women of Amer
lea to rally to the cause of patriotism
| instantly struck a responsive key IN
| the hearts and imaginations of the pa
triotic women all over the country.and
the Section has spread like wild-hre.
Letters have been received from
prominent women all over the coun-
try, enthusiastically endorsing the
League, and memberships have been
pouring in at the rate of several
thousand day. AT present, although
the work has been in progress only a
a little more than two weeks, the Sec
tion has over ten thousand active
working members. and enthusiasm
runs high.
ut is time that the women of this
country freed themselves from the
stigma of standing for peace at any
price, lack of preparedness and ma
tional cowardice, and rallied to the
standard of patritism and American
lism. as did their mothers and grand
mothers in 1776 and 1872" says a typ
ical letter from Miss Grace NJ. Pierce,
Registrar of the d. A. r.
"The American women of today are
like the women of every other coun-
try, the fountain-head of true patriot
ism, true courage and true national
ism. The spirit of Dolly Madison,
Martha Washington and Nancy Hanks
still lives i'm the land. When the test
comes American women will tell their
husbands and sons TO 20 serve their
country and come back with their
shields on them just as bravely and
just as cheerfully as did the Spartan
women ages ago. / am with the new
woman's movement for patriotism ana
national defense heart and soul, and ]
think that such a movement should
have been started long ago.
Among others from whom enthus-
iastic letters have been received are
Mrs. George Dewey. Mrs. John A. Lo-
gan, wives of General Logan. of Civil
War fame, Mrs. Mary A. Lockwood,
founder of the ID. A. r.. Mrs. Douglas
Robinson. sister of Theodore Roose-
welt, and Mrs. George Lauder Carne-
gle. The Woman's Section hopes. be-
fore autumn. to pledge one hundred
thousand women to think, talk and
work patriotism. Americanism and
National Defense. To that end il is
sending out printed pledges to women
all over the United States When these
pledges are returned signed they will
be attached to a monster petition to
Congress for national defense. BY the
time Congress assemblies the Section
hopes to be able to present in the
neighborhood of half a million signed
pledges from women for national de-
fense.
The Woman's Section also intends
TO give gigantic, patriotic national
pageant in Washington in the Fall and
has offered a cash prize of $10O for the
| most scenario, the scenarios to be
| juded by a committee consisting of
David Belasco. Julia Marlowe, Col.
George Harvey, Mrs. William Cumming
Story and Mrs. Daisy McLaurin Stew
ems. Several thousand women and
children will take part in the pageant
in the Capital City and no effort will
/ be spared TO make il the most impress
sive affair of its kind ever given in the
nations Capital
In the various localities in which the
| Section builds up strong organizations
| other pageants will be held Boads OF
| Trade and Commercial and political
bodies of all sorts will be visited and
no effort will be spared to point out 10
| the lawmakers of the country the ne
necessity of providing national defense
and of adopting such measures as
shall encourage the growth of true pa
| triotism throughout the land.
The pledge of the woman's Section
of the Navy League is as follows
l pledge myself TO think. talk and
work for patriotism. Americanism and
sufficient national defense to keen the
| horrors of war from Americas homes
and shores forever.
In these days of world strife and
peril / viii strive TO do my share ia
awaken cur nation and our lawmakers
| to the dangers of our present unde.
| tended condition so that we may not
have to mourn states desolated by war
within our own borders.
In so far as l am able, 1 will make
nv home n center of American ideals