Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-04

now available in all OF the larger
cities.
T., The American College for Immi-
grants at Springfield. Mass, is also
under the patronage of the q. A. r.
chapters Of that state. Seventeen
different nationalities attend this col
lege, which gives academic and liter
airy courses and special course IN
American citizenship.
In helping the mountain schools OF
the southern states. the organization
spends annually fifty thousand dollars.
There are still more than million
people in the mountain districts of
the southern states who can not read
or write, many of whom are Ameri.
cans of the oldest and purest English
stock. OF the thirteen million foreign
born residents in the United States
over two and half million adults
cannot speak English and are not re.
ceiving any instruction. Half of this
number cannot read or write in any
language at ALL The ID. A. r. is now
making plans to eradicate as much
of this illiteracy as possible.
A movement in which all the chap.
! tiers of the organization are interested
is the marking Of old military roads
ard historic trails. The Daniel Boone
trail. the Pioneer trail or Mormon
trail" the Santa Fe trail and the
Kings highway have all been marked
with bronze tablets and monuments
by the daughters of the various states
through which they pass. Moreover,
efforts have been made to perpetuate
the history of every significant occur.
, renee during the Revolutionary war
by monuments Of one kind or another.
The charters of each state are sup.
nosed to investigate the history OF
their individual communities and hon
or the memory of any man or woman
playing conspicuous part in the prog
ress of the nation Thus the Mary
land chapters erected a bronze tablet
! to Francis Scott Kew at Fort Nc
Henry: the Illinois chapters persuad-
ed tie state legislature to buy Fort
Massac where they erected monu-
ment to George Rogers Clark, and the
District of Columbia daughters were
instrumental in bringing the remains
, of John Paul Jones to America. and
having the remains Of Major L'Enfant
inferred in the national cemetery at
Arlington.
Continental hall. the national home
of the D. A. r. here, was built by the
organization and is the only building
devoted to the public welfare not sub
sidized by government appropriations.
It Is a white marble building with a
pillared portico. facing wide expanse
Of park and situated between the Pan
American building and the National
Corcoran Art gallery. Among other
| things it contains valuable refer
ence library of American history, a
museum of historical relics and a large
assembly hall used for patriotic and
public gatherings. The hall Is al.
ready famous as the scene of the first
female indignation meeting of Ameri'
lean history. for here met the woman
suffragists from all over the country
on the third Of March, 1912, and made
their appeal to congress to avenge
the disaster to their parade.
While the D. A. r. has encountered
a, certain amount Of popular ridicule
owing to It's great respect for con.
spicuous ancestry, from this it may be
seen that the organization is doing
actual work for the progress of the
people as well as in keeping the rec.
ords of the nation.