The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-04-15

NAMING OF TRAIL HERE
Committee From keokuk Chapter is
to Take UP Matter Of the
Mormon Trail
Designation.

heOkuk CAdpteI, ~ "A. ~, met on
Saturday afternoon with Mrs. John w.
Hobbs at her home on North Second
street. The hostesses assisting Mrs.
Hobbs were: Mrs. A. c. Decker, Mrs.
H. Boyden Blood, Mrs. N. H. Pyle and
er, the regent, presided at the business
meeting A voluntary subscription was
taken toward the one hundred thous-
and dollar liberty loan which the ma
tional society D. A. r. expects to
take out in this present loan. Contri-
buttons are taken from all chapters,
the bond to be the property of the ma
tional society and to be used when
matured for the establishment of one
of the hospitals which the u. S. gov
eminent plans for crippled and incapa-
ciated American soldiers. The chapter
sent generous contribution of seeds
to the Piney Ridge farm, an agricul-
tural school in the south supported by
ID. A. R., and letter was read at the
meeting in acknowledgment of the
gift The regent appointed a nominal
Ing committee to place in nomination
at the next meeting officers for the
coming year. The committee is Mrs.
E. b. Newcomb, Mrs. A. G. Decker,
Mrs. r. M. Lapsfey.
Mrs. w. S. WINS, who Is a member
of the National Old Trails society, by
virtue Of having been one Of the pio-
neers who crossed the plains by wag.
on route, spoke in protest against the
Iowa society. d. A. R.. allowing the
pioneer trail to be named on the
markers. The Mormon Trail. Mrs.
WINS has been both persistent and con.
sistent In her protest against that
name. She speaks from personal
knowledge when she says that the
pioneers who crossed Iowa going to
Astoria Oregon, land called in those
days Astorians) blazed the trail and
that 1t was a we'll defined road before
the Mormons were driven out OF Illi-
nois and westward along the Historian
road. Mr.. Harlan. curator Of the
historical department, has based his
claim to calling it the Mormon trail,
that it was so named In the first
Iowa surveys and recorded as the
Mormon trail or Mormon trace. Mrs.
WINS and many others insist that sur
veyors do not write history. The re-
gent appointed Mrs. WINS and Mrs.
Lapsley to take up the question with
the state society, D. A. R., by CORE
spondence.
Mrs. w. G. Blood gave the report Of
the recent state conference held in
Ottumwa. 1t would be hard to imagine
more interesting report or one given
In brighter or more clever way. The
report was comprehensive in that 1t
covered the principal business transac-
tons. and gave also the social and pa.
triotic features of the conference
which was perhaps the best in the
Iowa society's history.
The program for the afternoon was
on War Poets and Poems, and was
In charge Of Mrs. ]. o. Boyd. She read
from the works OF Rupert Brooke. AL
len Segar, Dana Burnett, Robert Serv-
Ice, Theodosia Garrison and Rudyard
Kipling. She gave a brief character
sketch Of the poet and read one or
more poems by each. Most of the
poems were taken from book re-
Gently published-Treasure Of War
Poetry. Mrs. Boyds reading is de-
lightful and most satisfying. There is
never the least suggestion of 'elocu
ton: she reads and interprets the
poem in simple and clear way, and
always artistically. She said that the
most widely read poet Of the war is
Robert Service. although 1t is general
ly supposed that Rupert Brooke and
Allen Segar are most widely read. No
poet has even Appropriated the popu-
larity of Kipling's poems Of the SOL
der and the army which he has been
writing for the last twenty years or
more. Among the poems which Mrs.
Boyd read were The Soldier. and The
Dead by Rupert Brooke; The Rende-
vous With Death by Allen Segar, and
fleurette by Robert Service. It is
notable that in the poems Of this war
there is not suggestion Of humor or
OF cheer, but the whole tone is OF
grim determination, total absence Of
the fear of death, and a high resolve
that the world shall be freed from ty-
ranny and oppression. Critics have
cited the fact that all other wars have
inspired poems which have had a
spirit of cheer. good fellowship and
humor. No one finds a joke any place
In this war;