7 ^ '^^''% ^* .-^^' • 0' % ', o^^ ,0 c- o-' '^/. * » I \ " xN"^ ' sx*' .A' * <,v 1 -^ * 'o. = t ■< *«/■ ''o /. .^^: "^^^ ■^. <.^ : .^:^'■'^^- •^ /^ %'^^ >. vO- .--^"^ x"- ^ -T-, . if ^ \v- "^ /■ 15.-.'. .-^ ■- ' .i- -^i-V'.'/y- 3 ^/^<- .-^"^^ •^■' ' ' ■ '°-- .-0- ^ •^oo^ ,% r^ .^ -^ ^T ^0 o^ <^%' <<^^-^ ^■.•■ .^' ,0o V '■<-. '\^: -0^ ,0 o^ .\^'" '■>> \ .<. 0- .x^' ^.p^f:r^-,, ^;> ^ o> - %■ /■ ^■^ y^^ .0- •' r>:. a\' CO '4 •^^ ^.# % ?^ ,-0- ' * ' ^ o 0' '■ ^0^^'':%. ^- =:^-^H,^ ».- X*" '*-,, '-■ xOo^ /: \' . * oX ^\^^- s^^ ■% /^ A^ NATIONAL SOCIETY^ DAUGHTERS ?/'^^'^ AMERICAN REVOLUTION. ^ %x%. Alibi ®i'Sle'0tttstin. 2 ^ V ■ iwtiKiml MRS. ADLAI E. STEVENSON BRIEF HISTORY DAUGHTERS of the AMERICAN REVOLUTION Mrs. Adlai E. Stevenson /9/3. -■; » u ''Home and Country.'^ DAUGHTERS of the AMERICAN REVOLUTION u " An honest tale speeds best being plainly told," — Shakespeare, /, Affectionately Dedicated TO The Letitia Green Stevenson Chapter National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Bloomington, Illinois FOREWORD As the oldest living President General, in point of serv- ice, of the National Society, and the second to hold the high office, I deem it not inexpedient to review, in brief, the work of the organization. The necessity for a condensed history, touching only upon the more important points, has for a long time been apparent. My attention has more than once been called to this fact owing to the difficulty of obtaining easily authentic data. This review is not intended as an exhaustive history of the wonderful achievements of the "Daughters" within the past two decades. Such a work would take more years to complete than remain to me upon earth, and tomes of ponderous volumes that no mortal, in these strenuous days, could take the time to read. It may be that in coming years, when my pen is laid aside and my voice is still, that many of the "Daughters" will turn trust- ingly tO' these pages for facts, which I shall endeavor to make authentic. In a spirit of perfect fairness and entire impartiality, at peace with all the world, "with malice to- ward none and charity for all," I transmit to the future as well as to the present members of the National Society, these words of truth, in so far as I have been able to gather the facts. It has been my privilege in preparing this rec- ord to glean from "The History of the Origin of the So- ciety of the Daughters of the American Revolution, au- thorized by the National Board of Management, and pre- FOREWORD pared by Miss Eugenia Washington, and read at the x\t- lanta, Georgia, Exposition, October i8th, 1895." I have gathered facts and figures from the Smithsonian records, the American Monthly Magazine and from the "Early History," a booklet issued by order of the National Board of Management, November 8, 1908. Aside from the splendid achievements of the National Society in a material way, there is one feature of its com- prehensive work that appeals to me with especial tender- ness. The dividing line, which was so pronounced between the women of the North, and of the South, following the Civil war, has vanished before a fuller knowledge and a more generous appreciation of the worth and intellectual ability, each for the other. Letitia Grken Stevenson, (Mrs. Adlai Ewing Stevenson), Honorary President General N. S. D. A. R. Bloomington, Illinois, October nth, 191 1. Mrs. Stevenson is deeply indebted to the State Regents for comprehensive and valuable accounts of the work in their respective states. O'wing, however, to serious ill-health during the past two years, she has, to her great regret, been unable to utilize this valuable material and wishes me to express her obligation. These accounts have been bound and placed in Conti- nental Hall for reference. Letitia E. Stevenson. November i, 191 3. INDEX PAGE. Origin of the National Society of the Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution 7 Founders 21 Administration of Mrs. Benjamin Harrison 27 Mrs. William D. Cabell, Honorary President, presiding 1892.. 31 Administration of Mrs. Adlai E. Stevenson, 1893-94, 1894-95.. 34 Administration of Mrs. John W. Foster, 1895-96 44 Administration of Mrs. Adlai E. Stevenson, 1896-97, 1897-98. 49 Administration of Mrs, Daniel Manning, 1898-1901 64 Administration of Mrs. Charles Warren Fairbanks, 1901-05.. jt, Administration of Mrs. Donald McLean, 1905-09 82 Administration of Mrs. Matthew T. Scott, 1909-11 89 Mrs. Daniel Lothrop (Margaret Sidney), founder of the Na- tional Society of the Children of the American Revolu- tion, 1895 106 Mrs. John Murphy, founder of the Children of the Republic. . 114 Membership of the Daughters of the American Revolution, 1892-191 1 116 Chapter I. THE ORIGIN OP THE National Society oe the Daughters oe the American Revolution As in the life of every human being, there comes a crucial moment when definite action must take the place of indefinite purpose, so in the history of each organization which has made progress and achieved success, there must have been a time of supreme and emphatic assertion. It is a recognized fact, that there are unknown and in- explicable influences around and about us — that by some phsychological phenomena the same thought, and at about the same moment may be, and often is, active in the brain, and in the purpose of more than one person. This unique mental attitude, if it may be so called, seems to have been true, and in an emphasized degree, at the auspicious hour when the National Society sprang into ex- istence, as if touched by a magic wand. Not so, however, came life and power to the yet dor- mant impulses which were soon to awaken a widespread and lasting enthusiasm for active work among the Ameri- can women, descendants of heroes who rendered valuable service during the War of the Revolution. A few earnest women were pondering and planning. 7 8 THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. The public had learned to heed the warning voice of women bent upon reform along any line, and when significant words were uttered, or suggestive patriotic articles appeared in the daily press, they gave pause to many thoughtful men and women who had not before realized that reform in patriotic reverence and sentiment was an actual need in the Ameri- can heart and home. Soon this pondering and planning matured and devel- oped into full-fledged effort, and the National Society was the happy culmination. However, the Daughters cannot claim the distinction of being the first to endeavor to per- petuate and honor the memory of their ancestors. At the close of the War of the Revolution, the Society of the Cincinnati was organized, and still exists. The first wave of a later day patriotic inspiration, which swept from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Seaboard, came from the "Sons of the American Revolution," organized in California, Ottober 22, 1875, and composed of men and women, the latter called the "Daughters of the American Revolution." "The Sons of the Revolutionary Sires" was organized in San Francisco, July 4, 1876. "The Sons of the American Revolution" was organized in the east in 1889. As early as 1881, I find that there were murmurs of dis- content because the women of Revolutionary descent were not to be admitted into the "Society of the Sons of the Rev- olution," which Mr. John A. Stevens of New York pro- posed to organize at that date. It was not, however, until 1883 that Mr. Stevens effected the organization of the "Sons of the Revolution" in New York, and women were excluded. So far as I have been able to learn, Mrs. Ellen THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. 9 Hardin Walworth was the first to offer strong protest against this omission. On April 30, 1890, in Louisville, Kentucky, where a meeting of the "Sons of the American Revolution" was held, a vote was taken which resulted in the exclusion of women; and there was no hope of reconsideration. De- termination and enthusiasm, such as only women can know and express, was aroused. It did not take long for the patriotic zeal to kindle into a sweeping flame. Indeed, the smouldering embers of a renewed and enlarged patriotic sentiment had been manifesting themselves in various forms for years. It became apparent that if the women were to accom- plish any distinctive patriotic work, it must be within their own circle, and under their own leadership. The ardor and zeal of a few undaunted women never flagged, and their determination to organize a distinct woman's society be- came a fixed purpose. The first published appeal to the American women was in the form of a Review of the old Revolutionary story "Hannah Arnett's Faith," written by Mrs. Mary S. Lock- wood, and printed in the Washington Post, July 13, 1890. This article aroused very general interest and attracted the attention of Mr. William O. McDowell, the great great grandson of Hannah Arnett. The first step toward organization was a letter written by Mr. McDowell and published in the Washington Post, July 21, 1890, which is as follows: "Editor Post: I have just read with a great deal of interest the article in your paper of recent date on 'Women Worthy of Honor' 10 THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. "To me came the thought that it was the women of America that finished the Bunker Hill Monument; that it was the women of America that had formed the Mary Washington Association to finish the monument to Mary, the mother of Washington; that while patriotic undertak- ings sometimes have had to turn to Government for a fin- ishing appropriation in the hands of men, in the hands of women of America, patriotic undertakings have never failed I invite every woman of America who has the blood of the heroes of the Revolution in her veins to send me her name and address So soon as I can intelli- gently issue the invitation, a national committee will be ap- pointed to invite a meeting in Washington, D. C, for or- ganization by the adoption of a national constitution and the election of a board of officers, when I will pass the work entirely out of my hands into those of the Daughters of the American Revolution, William O. McDowell, 20 Spruce St., Newark, N. J." Miss Eugenia Washington, Miss Mary Desha, Mrs. Hannah McLaren Wolff, Mrs. Louise K. Brown, and Mrs. Mary Morris Hallowell, all of Washington, and Mrs. Roger A, Pryor, of New York, answered the call. Mr. McDowell replied promptly to Miss Desha, enclos- ing the addresses of those whose letters had reached him, and suggesting that a meeting be called at once for organi- zation, election of officers, etc., and arrangements made for a mass meeting on October nth, the anniversary of the discovery of America. Miss Desha notified the others. The- first meeting was held at the house of Mrs. Louise K. Brown in the last week of July, 1890. Five were present. Miss THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. 11 Washington, Miss Desha, Mrs. Wolff, Mrs. Brown, and \ Mrs. Ellen H. Walworth. After an informal conference, it was decided to defer action until autumn, and Mr. Mc- Dowell was so informed. But on July 30 he wrote again, insisting that they delay no longer. Enclosed in the letter were application blanks of the "Sons of the American Revo- lution," a constitution largely a copy of theirs, a plan of or- ganization and his own application for membership with a check for fees and dues. As it was to be a society of wo- men, the application was not acted upon, or the money drawn. The check is preserved and will have a place in Continental Hall. Upon receipt of this letter from Mr. McDowell another meeting was called at the Langham in the apartments of Mrs. Walworth, August 9, 1890. The call for this meeting August 9, 1890, was responded to by the three founders only — Miss Washington, Miss Desha, and Mrs. Walworth. The mooted question as to whether Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood was a founder has been definitely settled, and for all time, by Mrs. Lockwood her- self. At the meeting of the National Board of Manage- ment, November, 1908, the following resolution was offered and adopted : "That the President General appoint a committee of three to prepare from the highest official sources, such a his- tory, and that the National Board authorize its printing and distribution to every National officer. State Regent, and Chapter Regent of the Society." This motion, presented at the November meeting of the National Board, D.A.R. , contains the reason for a history that will be available for the entire society. Its adoption by that body gives the authority for its publication and dis- tribution. 12 THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. The result of the adoption of this resolution was the publication of the booklet called ''Early History," which contains the following authentic statement signed by Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood, as well as by the two founders and other members of the First National Board of Management: "As the meeting of August 9 was one of preliminary organization where officers were appointed and a constitu- tion adopted, it is a simple matter of law that the existence of the Society began at that time. This was recognized by the Congress of 1898, which declared Miss Eugenia Wash- ington, Miss Mary Desha, and Mrs. Ellen Hardin Wal- worth, the founders of the organization, awarding them medals as such. "Realizing the fact that before many years the first workers in this great society will pass away, and with them all opportunity for securing the true history of these early years, we, the officers of the First National Board, desire to declare the truth of the foregoing history and herewith sign our names." (Signed) Eugenia Washington Mary Desha Mary V. E. CabelI/ Mary E. McDonald Mary S. Lockwood Heeen M. Boynton Aeice M. Clark Mary H. L. Shields Frances B. Hamlin Lelia Dent St. Clair Henrietta Nesmith Greely Sue Virginia Field Sally Kennedy Alexander THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. 13 As there is still misconception regarding the four med- als awarded in the Congress of 1898 to Miss Washington, Miss Desha, Mrs. Walworth and Mrs. Lockwood, it is proper to state here that when in the Congress of 1897 a resolution was offered that medals be awarded the three founders, an amendment was carried that Mrs. Lockwood be considered a founder on account of her letter of July 13, 1890. A committee was then appointed to have the four medals prepared and report the following year. In the meantime the question arose as to the propriety of giving a founder's medal to any but the three women who had founded the society. This discussion resulted in having the fourth medal changed to commemorate the service for which it could properly be presented, namely : Mrs. Lockwood's letter of July 13. The Congress of 1898 approved this action, awarding her a medal for special service through the press, and Mrs. Lockwood endorsed the action of the Congress. (Signed) He^len M. Boynton, Chairman BZhh MerrilIv Drapdr Elizabeth M. Bowron. Signed by the two living founders, Mary Desha Eli^En Hardin Wai^wgrth." It was then and there, August 9, 1890, that the organi- zation, now so splendid in every branch of its development, was effected. No one who has not felt the depressing, wilting heat of a summer day in Washington, can quite realize the courage in calling a meeting of any kind in August, in the then almost forsaken Capitol. Nothing daunted by the absence of 14 THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. all Other invited guests, these three ladies, Miss Washing- ton, Miss Desha and Mrs. Walworth, proceeded to effect an organization and appointed a Board of Management as fol- lows : Miss Eugenia Washington, Miss Mary Desha, Mrs. Ellen H. Walworth, Mrs. Mary Orr Earle, Mrs. Hannah McLaren Wolff, Mrs. Flora Adams Darling, Mrs. Louise K. Brown, Miss Sophonisba P. Breckenridge and Miss Vir- ginia Grigsby. Miss Desha was chosen Chairman, Mrs. Walworth, Secretary, and Miss Washington, Registrar. It was decided to secure, if possible, Mrs. Benjamin Harrison for President. The next day, August lo, a letter was sent to her requesting that she accept that office. The three founders from that date, August 9, 1890, never faltered in their work of completing the organization thus happily launched. "A notice was published in the Washington Post of August 18, 1890, stating the purpose of the society, and the eligibility clause, and requesting women of Revolutionary descent to send their names to the Registrar, Miss Washing- ton, at her residence, 813 13th Street. Eighteen women signed the formal draft of organiza- tion in the following order : Miss Eugenia Washington, Mrs. Flora Adams Darling, Mrs. Ellen Hardin Walworth, Mrs. Mary Morris Hallowell, Miss Susan Rivere Hetzel, Mrs. Margaret Hetzel, Mrs. Mary V. E. Cabell, Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood, Mrs. Alice Morrow Clark, Miss Pauline Mc- Dowell, Mrs. Ada P. Kimberley, Mrs. Aurelia Hadley Mohl, Miss Floride Cunningham, Mrs. Caroline L. Ransom, Mrs. Emily Lee Sherwood, Mrs. Harriet Lincoln Coolidge, Mrs. Jennie D. Garrison, Miss Mary Desha, Secretary pro tern. THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. IS Mr. McDowell presided and prepared motions which were presented by members and adopted. The formal organization of the Society is officially dated October ii, 1890, the meeting having taken place at the home of Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood, at Strathmore Arms, on Saturday afternoon. The constitution, which had already been revised, was submitted and adopted. The appointment of Mrs. Benjamin Harrison as President General at the meeting of August 9 was unanimously confirmed. The Smithsonian reports give the following board as having been elected on October 11, 1890: President Generae Mrs. Benjamin Harrison Vice-President in Charge oe Organization Mrs. Flora Adams Darling Vice Presidents General Mrs. Wm. D. Cabell Mrs. H. V. Boynton Mrs. A. W. Greeley Mrs. P. P. Sinclair Mrs. G. Browne Goode Miss Mary Desha Mrs. Wm. C. Winlock Mrs. David D. Porter. Secretaries General Mrs. Ellen H. Walworth Miss Mary Orr Earle, succeeded by Miss S. P. Breckinridge. Registrars Miss Eugenia Washington Mrs. Alice M. Clarke 16 THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. ' ' Trejasurer Mrs. Marshall McDonald. Historian Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood. Surgeon Generai, Miss Clara Barton. Chaplain Generai, Mrs. Teunis Hamlin. Executive Committee Mrs. Cabell Mrs. McDonald Miss Washington Mrs. Hetzel Miss Desha Mrs. Lockwood Mrs. Walworth. An Advisory Board of six gentlemen was elected, namely: Professor G. Browne Goode (President of the Sons of the American Revolution), Professor W. C. Win- lock, Mr. Wm. G. McDowell, Gen. H. V. Boynton, Gen. Marcus J. Wright, and Mr. W. L. Gill. A motion was carried that the election of the first Board of Management be deferred to an adjourned meeting to be held at the resi- dence of Mrs. William D. Cabell, October i8. At this meet- ing of October the i8th, the colors of Washington's staff (dark blue and white) were chosen for the rosette, and a seal and motto were decided upon. The motto "Amor Patriae," proposed by Mrs. Walworth, was adopted on November nth, 1890, and was changed to "Home and THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. 17 Country" on December ii, 1890, in deference to Mrs. Darl- ing, who preferred it. On November 11, 1890, at a meeting held at Mrs. Cabell's house, Mrs. Harrison presiding, the Society accepted the seal already proposed. The seal, bear- ing the figure of Abigail Adams in costume of 1776 and seated at a spinning wheel, was suggested by Miss Mary Desha. The design presented and assigned to the Daugh- ters, was suggested to Dr. Goode by an old spinning wheel belonging to his grandmother now deposited in the National Museum. Mrs. Simon Bolivar Buckner, of Kentucky, Mrs. Adams, of Massachusetts, and Mrs. Henry, of Virginia, were nominated as State Regents. The clause "Mother of a patriot," was added to the eligibility section of the constitu- tion under a motion by Miss Desha, and at the suggestion of Professor Goode that "by this means the mothers could be honored and patriots having no descendants could be repre- sented." Resolutions which were adopted October i ith were discussed. The first was offered by Mrs. Harriet L. Cool- idge, "That a monument be erected in Paris to the memory of George Washington;" the second by Miss Desha, "That aid be given to the Mary Washington Association." A third was offered by Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood, "That the society should secure rooms, and later a fire proof building in which to deposit Revolutionary relics and historical papers ;" and a fourth by Mrs. Mary McDonald, "That life membership dues and charter fees be set aside for this purpose." On June 8, 1891, under an Act of Congress, the Na->. tional Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution j was duly incorporated and later on a charter granted. The | signers of the Act of Incorporation were Mrs. Caroline Scott Harrison, Mrs. Henrietta Greely, Mrs. Sara E. Goode, Mrs. Mary E. McDonald, Mrs. Mary V. E. Cabell, Mrs. Helen M. 18 THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. Boynton, Miss Eugenia Washington, and Miss Mary Desha. Mrs. Ellen H. Walworth was not in the city and could not be reached. Now we have the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, launched mainly through the in- spiration of patriotic women. Established without pre- cedent, without a home, without financial backing, and with but slight knowledge of parlimentary usage. Its success, however, assured, as it was, in the hands of loyal, courageous women with a firm purpose and belief in its ultimate estab- lishment. After the perfecting of the organization on October i8, 1890, at an adjourned meeting, all the meetings were held at the hospitable home of Mrs. William D. Cabell, until the removal of the National Board of Management to a small office over the old Riggs Bank. . There were monthly meet- ings of the Board at which the President General, Mrs. Har- rison, presided when able to be present, and in her absence Mrs. Cabell occupied the Chair. Perhaps the most notable and far reaching of the meetings over which Mrs. Harrison presided was that held October, 1891. "It has been publicly stated that the office of State Re- gent was not created until April, 1891, but the books of the Organizing Vice President General showed that letters had been written as early as November, 1890, asking promi- nent women in different States to serve in this capacity. The first five to be confirmed were Mrs. N. B. Hogg, of Pennsylvania; Mrs. Joshua Wilbour, of Rhode Island; Miss Louise W. McAllister, of New York ; Mrs. De B. R. Keim, of Connecticut; and Mrs. Wm. Wirt Henry, of Vir- ginia." "In October of this year. National Officers and State and THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. 19 Chapter Regents were invited by the President General to a conference which was held at Mrs. Cabell's house. Mrs. Harrison presided. Free discussion was invited and a full understanding was reached between the State and Chapter Regents and the National Board. An eloquent appeal for a Continental Hall was made by Mrs. Cabell. The next day officers and members were entertained at a reception given by Mrs. Harrison, in the White House. This was the first official recognition of the Daughters in Washington. There is no one held in more grateful remembrance by the whole National Society than Mr. Wm. O. McDowell. His name is indissolubly associated with the Organization, and the Daughters, so long as the Society exists, will hold in sacred memory his patriotic efforts in their behalf. His life has been spent in promoting historic enterprises. Through his effort the money was raised to complete the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. He assisted in organizing the societies of the Sons of the American Revo- lution and the Daughters of the American Revolution; and after great effort succeeded in "placing a flag on the highest point of the New Jersey coast, 'Never-Sink Heights'." While it was a woman, Mrs. Madge Morris Wagner, of San Diego, California, who originated the thought of sending the new Liberty Bell around the country, and "most of the work was done, and the money contributed and collected by women, all honor should be given Mr. Wm. O'. McDowell, who, by energy, patriotism and untiring devotion, made a dream a reality." This brief review would be incomplete without reference to the valuable services of Honorable George H. Shields, of St. Louis. General Shields was Assistant Attorney General during President Harrison's administration, and was living 20 THE ORIGIN OF THE D.A.R. in Washington during the pioneer period of the organization of the Daughters of the American Revolution. He was se- lected by the National Board of Management as its legal adviser, and to him was wisely committed the work of amending the Constitution. It is just to General Shields to state that comparatively few amendments have been adopted since his careful revision, about nineteen years ago. For such invaluable services he has the grateful thanks of more than 86,000 patriotic women. There are many other names which should appear upon the Roll of Honor of those who gave material and efficient aid during the early days of the history of the National Society, and which should not be omitted : Judge John Goode; Dr. Browne Goode; General Joseph C. Breckin- ridge ; Mr. A. Howard Clark ; Colonel Marshall McDonald ; General A. W. Greeley; and General Henry V. Boynton. Special mention should be made of Dr. Browne Goode, whose suggestive brain gave to the Daughters their beautiful insignia, a copy of his grandmother's spinning wheel, uni- que and most appropriate in its design. He died September 6, 1896, at his home, Launer Heights, Washington, D. C, beloved, respected and lamented by every Daughter. The National Society was great in its inception; was great in its organization; has been great in its achieve- ments, and its future is great in promise. Chapter II THE FOUNDERS. In taking a rapid, backward g-lance, it would seem as though unusual wisdom and guidance had been granted those whose privilege it was to formulate and bring to happy conclusion the now well established organization of, the National Society. It was a remarkable coincidence that the three recog- nized founders, Miss Eugenia Washington, Miss Mary Desha, and Mrs. Ellen Hardin Walworth, should all have been descendants of families distinguished in the annals of American history. These women were of an unusual type and rarely gifted. Their patriotism was beyond question. With keen insight into the need of a prompt awakening in American patriotic sentiment, they entered upon the uncertain path- way of stimulating reverence for the memory of the heroes and heroines of the Revolutionary War; the men and women who, amid indescribable suffering and personal sacrifice, freed the Colonies from British rule and secured for us and our posterity for all time, the blessings of liberty in the highest sense. They possessed in eminent degree the strong and sturdy characteristics of their forbears, courage, persistence, be- lief in themselves, and faith in whatever cause they espoused. They have each given with unstinted hand of all they pos- sessed, — of time, of strength, of means, — to the establish- 21 22 THE FOUNDERS ment and promotion of the National Society. Their services can not be computed by figures or in dollars or cents, but the monument of their works will be ever enduring. Miss Eugenia Washington. Miss Washington was the great granddaughter of Colonel Samuel Washington, the brother of General George Washington. She had the courage of her convictions, and nothing could swerve her from the course she deemed right. She would willingly have sacrificed life, and all that she held most dear, for a settled principle. The whole history of her brief stay among us proved her fidelity to friends and the cause she loved. Miss Washington's number is No. i in the National Society; so her name rightfully, and forever, stands at the head of the list. She was the first to reply to the letter of Mr. William O. McDowell to his appeal for the women to organize a separate society ; was the first Registrar General, and signed the formal draft of organization August i8, 1890, and was also one of the signers of the Act of Incorporation June 8, 1891. She filled many places of trust and responsibility on the National Board of Management. In 1898 she was awarded a gold medal as one of the founders of the National Society and was made Honorary Vice President in 1895. Beloved by a host of friends, honored and lamented by the Society she was largely instrumental in establishing, she died in Washington, D. C, on Thanksgiving Day, 1900. Miss Mary Desha. Miss Desha came from a long line of distinguished Revolutionary soldiers and statesmen. THE FOUNDERS 23 In a letter to Mr. William O. McDowell, she gives her ancestry in the following words : "My grandmother was the granddaughter of Col. John Montgomery, a Colonel in the Revolutionary Army, and my grandfather. Gen. Joseph Desha, of Kentucky, was the grandson of Joseph Wheeler, who served with Braddock as lieutenant, and was after- wards a soldier in the Revolution. My grandfather was with Mad Anthony Wayne in the Northwestern campaign and commanded the lek wing of General Harrison's army at the Battle of the Thames. So you see I come of good old fighting stock, and it has made my blood boil whenever I have seen the 'button' worn by the 'Sons' and felt I was left out because I happened to be a woman." Miss Desha was a forceful and emphatic speaker, of striking and handsome appearance, and inherited the intel- lectual power and marked personality of her ancestors. She was the author of the resolution : "That aid be given to the Mary Washington Association ;" was one of the eigh- teen women who signed the formal draft of organization, and the Act of Incorporation, and was one of the compilers of the booklet "Early History," published by order of the National Board of Management November, 1908; chairman of the first Executive Committee, and was elected Secretary pro tern of the historic meeting of August 11, 1890. She was the first Vice President General. She was made Honorary Vice President in 1895 and was awarded a gold medal as one of the founders in the Continental Congress of 1898. Miss Desha died in Washington, D. C, January 29, 191 1. Upon receipt of the news of her sudden death, the President General, Mrs. Scott, ordered the flag on Memorial Continental Hall to be placed at half mast. The body was 24 THE FOUNDERS removed from her home to Memorial Continental Hall, where the funeral services were conducted in a solemn and impressive manner. Rev. Dr. Wood, Pastor of the Church of the Covenant, and Dr. Taylor, Pastor of the Southern Presbyterian church, officiated. The Marine band played several national airs, and the auditorium was beautiful with flowers and flags. The remains were accompanied to Ken- tucky by Colonel William McDonald, one of the founders of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Mrs. F. M. Emmart. The last sad rites, which took place in the First Presbyterian church in Lexington, Kentucky, were largely attended by Miss Desha's old acquaintances, the Lexington Chapter D.A.R., the Bryan Station Chapter D.A.R., Sons of the American Revolution, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She rests among her kindred in the beautiful cemetery at Lexington, Kentucky. Mrs. ElIvEn Hardin Wai^wgrth. Mrs. Walworth is the daughter of Colonel John J. Hardin, of Illinois, who fell while gallantly leading his regiment at the Battle of Buena Vista. Colonel Hardin was one of an illustrious family ; was a representative in Congress, and the son of Martin D. Hardin, for many years an eminent Senator in Congress from Ken- tucky. Mrs. Walworth is a woman of unusual beauty and attractiveness in person and in manner. She is also a writer of many channing works upon historic and patriotic subjects; was the first editor of the official organ of the National Society, the American Monthly Magazine, and served as editor from the spring of 1892 until July, 1894. The resolution which resulted in the THE FOUNDERS 25 establishing of the American Monthly Magazine was pre- sented by Mrs. George H, Shields and adopted by the Na- tional Board of Management May 7, 1892. It was Mrs. Walworth who suggested the idea of having the portrait of our first beloved President General, Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, painted by Daniel Huntington and placed in the White House. Mrs. Walworth's efforts in this direction were successful and at the Congress in 1894, a beautiful portrait was presented to the Executive Mansion. She was the first Recording Secretary General and was made Honorary Vice President General in 1894. Mrs. Walworth was presented, as Founder, with a gold medal in the Continental Congress of 1898. Mrs. Walworth lives in the ancestral home at Sara- toga Springs. She is rarely absent from the Continental Congresses, and is the only Founder still living. Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood. Mrs. Lockwood deserves more than passing notice from any writer of the early history of the National Society. She gained deserved fame by awakening renewed interest in the heroism of women by her review of "Hannah Arnett's Faith." The old, old story touched a responsive chord in the breast of many American women whose thoughts had been aroused to the necessity of a newer, broader patriotism, and to the belief that women alone could, and must, do the awakening. Mrs. Lockwood was one of the eighteen women who signed the formal draft of organization ; she also signed the Act of Incorporation ; was the first Historian General ; and 26 THE FOUNDERS the second editor of the American Monthly Magazine, and served in that capacity from July, 1894, to July, 1900. She is a facile writer and from her pen have come many delight- ful articles published in the American Monthly Magazine and in other periodicals. She has served on the Board of the General Federation of Women's Clubs most acceptably. Mrs. Lockwood is now, 191 o, Regent of the Mary Wash- ington Chapter, District of Columbia, which is distinguished for never having fallen below 200 members ; two have been President's General, Mrs. Harrison and Mrs. Foster. Many National Officers and Chapter Regents have come from the Mary Washington Chapter. Mrs. Lockwood was made Honorary Vice President General in 1905, and was presented "For Service," with a gold medal of beautiful design in the Continental Congress of 1898. On October 11, 1902, Mrs. Lockwood broke the ground on which the Memorial Continental Hall stands. At the twentieth Continental Congress she was elected State Re- gent of the District of Columbia. MRS. BENJAMIN HARRISON Chapter III MRS. BENJAMIN HARRISON. First President General. Appointed October ii, 1890. Elected February 22, 1892-93. The appointment of Mrs. Caroline Scott Harrison as F'irst President General of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution was an inspiration. Her acceptance of the high office placed the new enterprise upon a safe and permanent basis and brought it before the public with the full endorsement of her personal and official approval. At the time of Mrs. Harrison's election to the office of President General, 1890, she was in failing health; the duties of the office even then were exacting and ardu- ous, and she did not consent to assume the grave responsi- bility until assured that she would be assisted, as far as pos- sible, in the discharge of the administration of actual work, by Mrs. William D. Cabell. It was a marked evidence of the sweetness and beauty of Mrs. Harrison's character that under all the trying conditions she should have lent the weight of her name, with all that that implied, tO' the fur- therance of the cause which she loved, and in which she had implicit faith, but which was still untried. As mistress of the White House, Mrs. Harrison's manifold duties pre- vented regular attendance upon the meetings of the Na- tional Board of Management; she was, however, present 27 28 ADMINISTRATION OF whenever health, and the imperative demands upon her time and strength, would permit. Her influence for the uplift and advancement of the National Society was always pronounced, effective, and cannot be over-estimated. Mrs. Harrison, with a peculiar charm of manner, delivered the address of welcome before the First Continental Congress, February 22, 1892, in the Church of Our Father, and pre- sided during the morning session. At this Congress Mrs. Harrison was elected President General for a second term, and if her life, so precious to the Daughters, had been spared, her term of ofifice would undoubtedly have been without limit. It was my privilege to have known Mrs. Harrison dur- ing General Harrison's term as United States Senator from Indiana. I was greatly impressed with her quiet dignity, blended with cordiality, and felt sure that behind the calm exterior there was force of character and decision which could be felt if occasion required. Mrs. Harrison was a woman of rare refinement and culture. She was a philan- thropist in the highest sense of the term, and a leader in the benevolent and charitable movements of the day in her home, city, and state. She was a prominent member of many literary clubs, was an artist of decided ability, and above all, was a devoted Christian woman, a genuine home- maker and home-lover, the highest tribute that can be paid a woman. Her influence for lofty endeavor and attain- ment was felt in every community where she chanced to be, and in none was it more pronounced than in Washington while she was the beloved mistress of the Executive Man- sion and the First Lady of the land. Her memory is re- MRS. HARRISON 29 vered by all who knew her, and her quiet womanhood lives as a beautiful example of an elevated and exalted character. Of Mrs. Harrison it can truly be said, that "She knew not the art of ill doing, Nor dreamed that any did." From the Smithsonian reports it seems that : "The very first record of patriotic work done by the National Society, D.A.R., appears in the record of the meeting of the organ- ization, itself, held October ii, 1890, when a resolution was passed, expressing the approval of the Society of a bill then before the Congress of the United States for the marking of historic spots, and the first work suggested by the young Society at this time was the raising of funds to aid the National Mary Washington Memorial Association. "This work was, however, not pressed until December, 1 891, when it was voted to send out a statement of the D.A.R. interest therein to each member, requesting contri- butions." This work was carried on with zeal and success during Mrs. Harrison's administrations. From the memoirs of Mrs. Harrison, written by her close friend, Mrs. C. C. Foster, First State Regent of In- diana, I quote the following : "Mrs. Harrison gave the first reception to the Congress in the White House. It was un- doubtedly Mrs. Harrison's leadership and powerful influ- ence that gave the National Society the great prestige it has held from the beginning. It was at this Congress, over which Mrs. Harrison presided, that the idea of a Continen- tal Hall was first broached. She was deeply interested in the idea of a national building for the Daughters of the 30 ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. HARRISON American Revolution. This was in February, 1891. In February, 1892, one of the last occasions upon which Mrs. Harrison appeared in public, was the reception she and General Harrison gave to the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. She wore an elegant pearl white satin gown, and was very gracious and courteous." This was the first official social recognition of the Daughters in Washington. It was an inexpressible sorrow to every member of the National Society that failing health prevented Mrs. Har- rison from active service after the early spring of 1892. Enshrined in the hearts of a loyal nation, on October 25, 1892, in the White House, her gentle spirit passed to its eternal rest. "Death is another life. We bow our heads, At going out, we think and enter straight Another golden chamber of the King's, Larger than this we leave, and lovelier." MRS. Vy/ILLIAM D. CABELL Chapter IV. MRS. WILLIAM D. CABELL Honorary President Presiding. 1892. It seems eminently meet that Mrs. Cabell should take her place among the Presidents General of the National Society, although it was not her honor at any time to have been elected to the high office. It is, however, true that during Mrs. Harrison's absence from the First Continental Congress, February, 1892, after the morning session, that Mrs. Cabell did preside over the remaining deliberations of that Congress with ease, elegance and ability. It is further true, that as President Presiding she occupied the chair, de- livered the address of welcome, and presided over most of the sessions of the Second Continental Congress, February, 1893, Mrs. Harrison having died in the autumn of 1892. It was also Mrs. Cabell's privilege, while Mrs. Harrison was prevented by long illness from giving close attention to the business of the National Society, to guide, with skilled hand, the frail bark over uncertain seas. After the ir- reparable loss to the Society in Mrs. Harrison's death, which cast a gloom over the nation, Mrs. Cabell was in fact Acting President General, with the title of President Pre- siding, through the Second Continental Congress in Feb- ruary, 1893. Under her wise guidance, and with the zeal- ous cooperation of an able Board, the interest in the Mary Washington Memorial Association grew, the subscriptions 31 32 ADMINISTRATION OF to the Continental Hall increased, and at the Second Conti- nental Congress the membership was 2,760, more than double the number of the previous year, with twelve State Regents and Thirty-five Chapter Regents. Mrs. Cabell was the first to make a spirited speech in the interest of the Continental Hall, and to urge the imperative necessity of securing an abiding place for the Daughters. With her as- tute intellect and keen discernment, her prophetic vision saw somewhat of the marvelous growth and phenomenal development of the new patriotic undertaking, and she real- ized that like all other enterprises, the need of a home or house was urgent. It would not be possible for the Daugh- ters to re-pay or wholly estimate Mrs. Cabell's all-compre- hensive efforts in their behalf; faithfully and with marked ability she followed the precepts and example of our First beloved President General. At the time of the organiza- tion of the National Society Mr. and Mrs. Cabell were conducting a large and successful fashionable school for girls in Washington. The daughters of many eminent statesmen were their pupils. The advantages were unusu- al and every opportunity was given the young ladies to gain an insight into the official life of Washington and to meet with distinguished people from every part of the world. With generous hospitality Mrs. Cabell opened her home to the Daughters, and at all hours of the day or night, gave them cordial welcome. All the early meetings of the National Board of Management were held at her beautiful home on Massachusetts Avenue, until a small office was se- cured at 1505 Pennsylvania Avenue, probably in the latter part of 1892. February 22, 1892, marked the beginning of the social prominence of the D. A. R.'s. On that even- MRS. CABELL 33 ing, Mrs. Cabell gave the first of a series of elaborate and brilliant entertainments. She was an adept in the art of entertaining, and no expense or trouble was too great for the accomplishment of her successful ambition along that line. Mrs. Harrison received the guests with Mrs. Cabell. The decorations were most lavish and appropriate, and the "distinguished guests, as they entered the flower-decked hall, passed through a double line of guards dressed in the Continental Buff and Blue." At the World's Columbian Exposition, in the Woman's Congress, Art Institute, in Chicago, May 19th, 1893, Mrs. Cabell presided at several of the sessions of the D.A.R. Congress, and on the opening morning delivered an elo- quent address upon **The Ethical Influence of Woman in Education," which held the rapt attention of the large audience. To her enterprise and untiring effort is due much of the success of the splendid program, so perfectly carried out, and of the D.A.R. exhibit, the first effort of the National Society in that direction. Upon motion of Mrs. Walworth, the National Board of Management created the office of President Presiding especially in Mrs. Cabell's honor. It is her's alone, and cannot be conferred upon another. The title of Honorary President Presiding, was con- ferred upon Mrs. Cabell at the Sixth Continental Congress in 1898. Chapter V. . ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. ADLAI E. STEVENSON 1893-94. 1894-95 The close of Mrs. Harrison's administration has aptly been called the end of the "pioneer period." From 1893 to 1898 may appropriately be designated as the formative period. The Organization was in a transi- tion state, passing safely from embryo to a mature body. The courageous women who had tided the uncertain enter- prise over hidden shoals and had anchored it in safe har- bor, were, in the main, the active officers who controlled the destinies of the National Society, at this date. Like the memory of a pleasant dream it all comes back to me in realistic form, the first Board meeting over which it was my privilege to preside, in March, 1893. Had it not been for the kindly services of Mrs. Simon B. Buckner, State Regent of Kentucky, I doubt if I could have found my way to the little upper room on the second floor, over the old Riggs Bank, 1505 Pennsylvania Avenue. A dark, steep stairway led to the now historic little chamber. In it were gathered the active officers of the Board, a few State Regents, and a few Vice Presidents General. The room was so narrow that there was barely seating room for the 34 MRS. STEVENSON 35 members of the Board around the long, plain table, which filled the center of the room. I was at once impressed with the earnestness of the ladies, with their ability to plan and execute, and with their willingness to do whatever the cause demanded, whether in physical or intellectual ef- fort. As I recall these, and later days of those strenuous times in the Society's life, I rejoice in the fact that to me it was given to have some share in the moulding and in the shaping of the character of the Organization as it is today. Without hesitation, it gives me satisfaction to state that it was then and under the auspices of these persevering, en- ergetic and patriotic women that the foundation was laid, deep and enduring, upon which the splendid superstructure now rests. As the objects of the Organization were not fully understood, and there was great doubt as to the ne- cessity or advisability of founding a national patriotic so- ciety upon purely sentimental grounds (as was said), the main object of the active officers during the earlier years was to disabuse doubting minds, to overcome prejudice and to start Chapters in every State and Territory under the leadership of State Regents who were to inaugurate a campaign of education. It was a period of committee making, both standing and special. Their effort embraced the scope of the work as it then existed, and through their active endeavor, the National Society was established upon a permanent basis. The National Society was young, but vigorous, when it made its first public appearance away from Washington, in the Department of Women's Progress, Auxiliary Con- gress of the World's Columbian Exposition, May 19th, 1893. After a lapse of seventeen years, I feel a thrill of 36 ADMINISTRATION OF exquisite pleasure as I recall the events of that memorable and brilliant occasion. The day was perfect, the audience immense, enthusiastic, and the interest intense. As the President General of the National Society, it was my honor to have presided over many of these most interesting meet- ings, ably assisted by Mrs. Cabell. Many suggestive and historic papers were read, in some instances leading to long discussion. Mrs. S. H. Kerfoot, Regent of the Chicago Chapter, extended cordial welcome. Mrs. Walworth, in her clear style, told of the necessity for an official organ, and gave the story of the first year's life of the American Monthly Magazine. Mrs. William D. Cabell, in inimitable manner, stated the "Ethical Influence of Women in Educa- tion." "One son at home Concerns thee more than many guests to come." "Education commences at the mother's knee." And sooner or later, the question will come, "Where is the flock I have given thee, the beautiful flock?" One of the most impressive addresses was delivered by Mrs. Joshua Wilbour, and her theme was, "The Continental Hall," as it was then called. She took a practical view of the needs of the Society and reminded the Daughters that they would require "quarters for officers, and a commo- dious hall for memorial occasions, committee rooms, and some rooms for small gatherings." Mrs. Wilbour, with characteristic generosity, urged that the Hall should be built large enough to include the Sons, a project which was then under consideration. It was her ambition to be able to say to visitors to Washington, "This is our Hall, built in honor of those who imperiled life and fame and ease MRS. STEVENSON 37 in advance of liberty." Mrs. J. C. Breckinridge supple- mented all that Mrs. Wilbour had said in an earnest ap- peal for "Our Continental Hall." The words of these ladies read like prophecy, so fully and completely have their hopes and aspirations been realized. An interesting paper was given by Mrs. Mary Duncan Putnam, State Re- gent of Iowa. "A National University," was her theme, and her appeal was strong, that Washington's favorite pro- ject should be carried out and that "the whole institution should be established upon a thoroughly non-sectarian basis and that the lecture halls should be opened as freely to Our Daughters as to Our Sons, so our Daughters may in- deed be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace." With the enthusiasm that characterized Miss Desha's every utterance, she addressed the vast audience upon The Columbian Liberty Bell. She was appointed by the National Board of Management to represent the Daughters upon the Columbian Liberty Bell committee, and was appointed by Mr. McDowell as Vice Chairman of that committee. On the afternoon of the 20th of May, General and Mrs. Martin D. Hardin gave a charming reception to Mrs. Wal- worth and the visiting Daughters. The first exhibit of the Daughters of the American Revolution was given at the World's Congress of Repre- sentative Women. The custom of having D.A.R. exhibits at expositions in which the Daughters participated, has since been universally followed. There was one at the Cot- ton States Exposition, at Atlanta, Ga. ; at the Pan- Ameri- can Exposition, at Buffalo; at the Louisiana Purchase Ex- position at St. Louis; at the Paris Exposition; at the 38 ADMINISTRATION OF Charleston and West India Exposition, and at the Alaska- Yukon and Seattle Exposition and the Jamestown Tri- Centennial Exposition, Va., 1907. Perhaps in the early days there was no object that ap- pealed more directly to the Daughters than the Mary Wash- ington Memorial Association, which had from the begin- ning been an object of undiminished effort on their part. The second recorded resolution, presented by Miss Desha and adopted October 11, 1890, and further discussed at the meeting of the National Board of Management, October 1 8th, 1890, when the organization of the National Soci- ety was completed, reads: "That aid be given to the Mary Washington Association." The prompt and generous re- sponse of the Daughters assisted materially in the work of erecting the stately monument which marks the grave of Mary, the mother of George Washington. It was appro- priate that the first great endeavor of the "Daughters" should have been in aiding another great woman's organi- zation in bringing to happy conclusion their purpose to erect a monument to the memory of a woman, by women. The Chapters and members at large contributed about three-fourths of the $ii,ooo.cx> secured. At length the time and occasion had arrived, and the Mary Washington Memorial Association had reached its goal. The ceremonies attending the unveiling of the monu- ment at Fredericksburg, Va., May 12th, 1894, were impress- ive beyond compare. The day was as faultless as a "rare day in June." The grass was green, the trees were in full foliage, flowers bloomed and the birds sang about the spot which was at length to be marked by an enduring memor- ial. The presence of Mrs. Chief Justice Waite, President MRS. STEVENSON 39 of the Mary Washington Memorial Association, the Presi- dent of the United States, Honorable Grover Cleveland, and Mrs. Cleveland, the Vice President of the United States, Honorable Adlai Ev^ing Stevenson, and Mrs. Stev- enson, the members of the Cabinet and the ladies of the official household, Mrs. Matthew T. Scott, the present Pres- ident General of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Governor of the Common- wealth and his staff, and the gifted Senator Daniel, the ora- tor of the day, all made the occasion one never to be for- gotten. All honor to the women who had exerted their best endeavor to perpetuate in marble, as well as in the hearts of their country-women, the memory of the distinguished woman who gave to America its immortal Washington. Another event of deep interest during my first two administrations was securing the funds to have a por- trait painted of Mrs. Harrison. It was in the early days that Mrs. Ellen Hardin Walworth proposed that the Daugh- ters should present to the White House a portrait of their First President General, as a testimonial of her distin- guished services. To Mrs. Walworth must be ascribed the credit and honor of securing, by indefatigable labor, the life size portrait, painted by the distinguished artist, Dan- iel Huntington, and finally placed in the portrait gallery of the Executive Mansion. It was my privilege to preside over the touching and impressive ceremony of the unveil- ing of the portrait, which took place at the "Church of Our Father," on the evening of February 22nd, 1894. The life size portrait was wrapped in an immense flag, and as the Star Spangled Banner floated out on the air, Mrs. Judge Putnam, of Saratoga, drew the cord and Mrs. Harrison 40 ADMINISTRATION OF appeared in perfect likeness, while the audience stood in silent reverence. When the portrait was removed from their presence to its future home in the White House, the audience again stood until it passed beyond the portals. It is now to be seen in the new Art Gallery erected during ex- President Roosevelt's administration. There is a subject to which I feel compelled to refer briefly. The By-Law^s, Article XI, Section 7, reads : "Chapters must not be named for living persons; and unless there is good and sufficient reason they should not be named for persons who belong to a later historical period than the one ending in 1820." Since the organization of the Society and during my first two administrations there were two Chapters named for living persons. The Mary A. Washington Chapter, Macon, Ga., was organized October 30, 1893, at the home of Mrs. Mary A. Washington, who was the Regent and for whom the Chapter was named. The Letitia Green Stevenson Chapter, Bloomington, Illinois, was presented to the National Board of Manage- ment for approval April 17, 1894; organized May 3, 1894. The amendment to the By-Laws, which resulted in the adoption of the new Article XI, Section 7, was not pre- sented to the National Board of Management until June loth, 1894. It was not approved until the meeting of the National Board of Management in October, 1894. This adoption of the amendment took place about a year after the Mary A. Washington Chapter had been organized, and six months after the Letitia Green Stevenson Chapter, (which was named for me), had been organized. So Ar- MRS. STEVENSON 41 tide XI, Section 7, could have no possible bearing on the legality of these two Chapter names. There has also been a slight shadow as to the legality of the name of the Caroline Scott Harrison Chapter. To the end that that doubt may forever be dispelled, it should be known that the Caroline Scott Harrison Chapter was organized February 21, 1894, eight months before the amendment went into effect, and this provision of Article XI, Section 7, could have no possible bearing upon the name of that Chapter. The first act which I recall as of vital importance, in which it was my privilege to take part, was signing offi- cially, an amendment to the Constitution, by which Article III, Section 2, as it now stands, was adopted at the Conti- nental Congress of 1894, and by which the lineal instead of the collateral line of descent, was established. This amend- ment was prepared by Mrs. Julia K. Hogg, First State Re- gent of Pennsylvania, and was presented to the States and Chapters through the National Board of Management, Just here I desire to refer to Mrs. Hogg and her be- nign influence upon the Board and in the Congress. She was a woman of the fairest type of personal beauty; she stood before the Board and on the floor of Congress unim- peachable in her integrity and with that calm dignity that commands respect and holds attention, and at the same time wins affection. To me she was a tower of strength, a cherished friend, a wise counselor, and where she led I could follow without fear. This amendment was by far the most important adopted in the history of the Organization. It eliminated the clause : "Mother of such a patriot," which was misleading and 42 ADMINISTRATION OF "has endangered the genealogical and historical records of the Society upon which its noble, patriotic and commemor- ative work is founded ; and the effort to honor our mothers of the Revolution has, through this clause, failed to be ef- fective by the possible admission of members without a patriotic ancestor, thus subverting the declared intention of the Organization. A loose construction of this clause is also calculated to lead the Society away from the objects for which it was established." This amendment was signed by me, as President Gen- eral of the National Society, and by Miss Eugenia Wash- ington, Recording Secretary General. There has been no Continental Congress since the Third that held for me the same unqualified interest. Every face was a study, every move an event, every day a page in his- tory, and the Congress a sweet memory of womanly cour- tesy and womanly forbearance. To the active officers and delegates. State Regents and Vice-Presidents General, who made the record of those happy days, I owe the recol- lection of a bright spot in my official life with the Daugh- ters in Washington. It was not within my power to be present at the Fourth Continental Congress. Mrs. S. H. Kerfoot, State Regent of Illinois, read my address of wel- come on that occasion. February 22nd, 1895, upon motion of Mrs. Keim, the following resolution was adopted : Resolved, That this Continental Congress of the Daugh- ters of the American Resolution, assembled in the City of Washington, District of Columbia, February 22, 1895, does hereby create the office of Honorary President General, MRS. STEVENSON 43 Daughters of the American Revolution, to be filled only and exclusively by retiring Presidents General. Resolved, That Mrs. Letitia Green Stevenson, the re- tiring President General, be asked to accept that honorary office. The increase in membership during the year 1893-94 was 1,950; during the year 1894-95, 3,488. Chapter VI ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. JOHN W. FOSTER Pkesident General 1895— 1896 It was not as a stranger that Mrs. Foster came to the high office of President General of the National Society. She had been the happy co-worker and sharer of the hon- ors bestowed upon her distinguished husband. At home and abroad, she had held prominent official and social posi- tions with dignity, and dispensed generous hospitality with gracious courtesy. As the wife of the Secretary of State, the most important office in the gift of the President of the United States, she endeared herself to the citizens of Wash- ington, as well as to the members of the diplomatic corps with whom the Secretary of State has important official relations. Mr. Foster was appointed Minister to Mexico in 1873; was transferred to St. Petersburg in 1880, and appointed Minister to Spain by President Arthur. The official duties which pertain to diplomatic positions are often perplexing, even annoying. Mrs. Foster, however, was a linguist of unusual ability, and was so thoroughly equipped and well versed in court etiquette that the social functions proved a pleasure. Her perfect acquiescence in every requirement, 44 MARY PA.RKE FOSTER ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. FOSTER 45 and the fulfillment of each duty made her an honored repre- sentative of the great American republic. In reviewing a life so replete with opportunity and rare association, it is doubtful if Mrs. Foster can recall with greater satisfaction any event than the honor conferred by the Fourth Continental Congress in committing to her guid- ance the welfare of its multifold interests and obligations. With fidelity and ability she pressed forward the work of enlarging the membership, and 4,023 Daughters were ad- mitted during the year. With special diligence she applied her exhaustless energy to renewed effort in the interests of the Memorial Continental Hall, and earnestly promoted all objects in which the Society was then engaged. During Mrs. Foster's administration, Chapters were organized in four States where none previously existed, namely, Color- ado, Louisiana, Texas, and the state of Washington. Perhaps Mrs. Foster's greatest achievement was estab- lishing upon a business basis the Society of the Children of the American Revolution. This work was proposed by its Founder, Mrs. Daniel Lothrop, at the Fourth Continental Congress, and under Mrs. Foster's care and encouragement, made marked progress. It was while Mrs. Foster was President General that the Daughters held a series of notable meetings at Atlanta, Georgia, in connection with the Cotton States International Exposition. It was at that time that the Atlanta Chapter received, as a donation from the State of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts State Building, "the first Colonial Mem- orial Hall acquired by any Chapter." It was at the Fifth Continental Congress, Mrs. Foster presiding, that Mrs. S. W. White, of Brooklyn, New York, 46 ADMINISTRATION OF presented her strong appeal in behalf of the Prison Ship Martyrs of the War of the Revolution. Mrs. White read, in detail, the story of the terrible sufferings and death of the Prison Ship Martyrs, which resulted in a large and ef- ficient committee being formed for the purpose of promot- ing the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument fund. During the fiscal year 1895- 1896 applications for mem- bership in the National Society were received from Gen- eva, Switzerland, and reported by the Vice President Gen- eral in Charge of Organization. A Chapter in Honolulu had been organized, and there were resident members in Paris, Naples, Samoa, China and South Africa. The Continental Congress of 1896 appropriated $100.00 for the restoration of the embankment at Jamestown, Va., thus rescuing from the encroaching waters the first colonial settlement on the continent. It was also at this Congress that provision was made for a library, a nucleus of one hundred and twenty-five volumes having accumulated. The ofiftce of Librarian General was created, and Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee was the first to fill the position. Another great step was taken, looking towards patriotic education. State and Chapter Regents were urged to secure legislation which might enforce study of text books in the public schools which would inculcate higher ideals as to citizen- ship. It was my great pleasure to have known Mrs. Foster most pleasantly for several years, but in a sort of far-away Washington fashion which often precludes close friendship in the official circle. However, nothing breaks the conven- tionalities so quickly as a trip, be it brief or long, as it may MRS. FOSTER 47 chance. And there is no surer place for its annihilation than in a launch on the much traversed River Thames. With a small party, guests of the eminent scientist, Mr. Henry S. Wellcome, we passed through many historic scenes, beautiful country estates, villages of thatched cot- tages; stopped at the Red Lion Inn, where is still shown the pane of glass, in one of the rooms, in which Shenstone inscribed his famous lines : "Whoe'er has travell'd life's dull round, Where'er his stages may have been, May sigh to think he still has found The warmest welcome at an inn." We spent the night at the old Raymead Hotel, at Maid- enhead, visited the quaint old church of the Vicar Bray of King Charles' time, and the old Alms House, and saw all the other places of wonder and antiquity along the famous River. The point of greatest interest was Magna Charta Island, near the banks of the Runnymede, where centuries ago the English Barons wrested from King John the Magna Charta. It was then, while enjoying Mr. Well- come's munificent hospitality, that Mrs. Foster revealed herself to the writer in all the charm of her faultless char- acter. Mrs. Foster declined renomination, although she was the unanimous choice of the Fifth Continental Congress to succeed herself. She lives in Washington, D. C. Her beau- tiful and hospitable home is the center of a delightful circle of friends, and is a veritable mine of oriental curios and antiques; she is often present at the annual meetings of the Continental Congress, and is always greeted with hearty applause. 48 ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. FOSTER The title of Honorary President General was conferred upon Mrs. John W. Foster at the Fifth Continental Con- gress, 1896. Chapter VII ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. ADLAI E. STEVENSON 1896-97. 1897-98. I need hardly say that it was most gratifying to me to be called in 1896 again to fill the office of President General of the National Society. I entered upon its duties and re- sponsibilities with renewed interest, and a fuller apprecia- tion of its widening influence and comprehensive possibili- ties. In Mrs. Foster's able administration, many new under- takings had been successfully launched and nurtured, and it was mine to endeavor to promote and advance them. The work of the National Society is accomplished through com- mittees. The President General appoints the committees upon authority of the Continental Congress, or by order of the National Board of Management. There are always in- numerable select committees, appointed by the President General, unless otherwise provided for, which cease to exist as soon as the committee reports. P'erhaps the most difficr.lL and perplexing task assigned the executive - head of the Organization is selecting these committees from so many equally capable w^men. In the National Society, the com- mittees have no official life until approved by the National Board of Management. Much of the success of the com- 49 so ADMINISTRATION OF mittee work depends upon the ability, character and gen- erosity of the chairman. No committee exists until called together by the chairman, and a Secretary elected from its members, if one is necessary. If the Chairman, for any reason, fails to call her committee together, Roberts says: "It is the duty of the committee to assemble on the call of any two of their members." During the past year, 1910 and 191 1, there were twenty- four standing committees, as I judge they may be called, and fully sixty special committees. It is not probable, with the rapid growth of the Society, that the committees will be fewer, but undoubtedly many more will be added to the list, making the work of the President General in, this one di- rection alone almost herculean. Of course, with the incoming administration of 1896, the Memorial Continental Hall was of chiefest consideration with the Daughters, and the ways and means for its promo- tion uppermost. For three years Mrs. Judge Henry M. Shepard, of Chicago, had heroically stood at the helm, and guided through difficult ways, the slow progress of accumulating funds for the one chief object of endeavor, the Memorial Continental Hall. So faithfully and efficiently had she performed the duties of Chairman that when it became my duty to appoint another Continental Hall Committee, Mrs. S'Vpard, somewhat reluctantly, consented to serve the Na- tional Societ) "^^r the fourth time, as Chairman of its most important committee. She is a woman of great executive ability, and has the rare gift of presenting a cause in the most charming manner. She visited many Chapters in dif- ferent states, and by her persuasive and eloquent appeals, and with the hearty co-operation of the other members of MRS. STEVENSON SI the committee, succeeded in increasing the permanent Con- tinental Hall fund in 1896 and 1897 to $5,772.82, By ag- gressive and concerted action, the now historic committee assumed a national character, and the scope of the work ex- tended into almost every State and Territory in the country. This strong committee consisted of the following ladies: Mrs. Henry M. Shepard, Chairman. Mrs. John W. Foster, Mrs. James S. Peck, District of Columbia. Wisconsin. Mrs. Joshua Wiebour, Mrs. F. K. Maddox, Rhode Island. California. Mrs. Wm, Dickson, Mrs. Burdette, Georgia. Vermont. Mrs. De B. Randoeph Keim, Mrs. Griscom, Washington. Pennsylvania. Mrs. Stranahan Mrs. S. F. White, New York. Mrs. a. H. HinklE, Ohio. Mrs. Tueeoch, District of Columbia. Mrs. Henry, District of Columbia. Mrs. Geer, District of Columbia. New York. Mrs. Frances W. Goddard, Colorado. Mrs. Daniee Manning, New York. Mrs. Ritchie, Maryland. Mrs. Fauekner, West Virginia. Sub-Committee. Mrs. K. K. Henry. Mrs. Jane S. O. Keim. Mrs. Mary Parke Foster. Mrs. Miranda B. Tulloch. Mrs. Augusta D. Green. 52 ADMINISTRATION OF The efficiency of this sub-committ''e, which was ap- jx)inted upon the recommendation of Mrs. Julia K. Hogg, cannot be too greatly commended, and its valuable services should not be forgotten. Its work was especially in Wash- ington City, and directed toward the effort tO' secure a site for the Memorial Continental Hall. It is to Mrs. Justice Stephen J. Field, that the American women are indebted for the thought, the persistent, and finally successful eff'ort to secure the funds for the monu- ment of Washington, to be erected in Paris, in 1900, as a gift from them, tO' France. She gave active service for ten years to the project so dear to her heart, and was ably as- sisted by Mrs. James McMillan, the wife of the distinguished Senator in Congress from Michigan. In reference to the abated interest in this enterprise, I quote from the Smith- sonian record : "It was during Mrs. Stevenson's term of office that interest in the statue of Washington, proposed to be presented to France, was re-awakened. About thirteen years before the foundation of the National Society, D.A.R.^ an association of American women had been formed for the purpose of presenting, in 1900, a statue of Washington, to France. The project was approved at one of the earliest meetings of the Board in 1890. But as the closing year of the century approached, and the sum raised for the statue was still insufficient, another appeal was made to the public, and a request came before the National Board, which was duly recognized, and the interest of the Society enlisted. Mrs. Stevenson appointed to this committee, after entering upon her office of President General, the most capable and influential women of the National Society. This gave the work the necessary impetus, which, from that time, went on most successfully." MRS. STEVENSON 53 "The result of this patriotic work was duly acknowl- edged at the unveiling ceremonies of the statue in the Place d'Irene, Paris, at the Paris Exposition, 1900, when the Daughters of the American Revolution were ofiEicially recog- nized." It was in 1896 that an earnest effort was made to unite the two Societies, the Daughters of the Revolution, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Upon a motion by Mrs. Brackett, "That the President General appoint a com- mittee to confer with a similar committee appointed by the Daughters of the Revolution, with a view of effecting this union," a committee was appointed to represent the Na- tional Society, and the joint committee met in Washington, October 6, 1896. However, no official action was taken. As a small beginning, in 1896, two prizes were offered for the best biography of Revolutionary women, written by members of the Society. Mrs. Florence E. D. Muzzy, of Bristol, Connecticut, was awarded the first prize, and Mrs. Clarke Waring, of Columbia, S. C, the second prize. The first Statute Book Committee was appointed in March, 1896, Mrs. Robedeau Buchannan, Chairman, This was a record book of rulings at that time in force. A D.A.R. committee had been appointed in 1892 to se- cure from the United States Congress a new Charter, hop- ing by it to give to the organization a more National char- acter than the first, granted under the laws of the District of Columbia. However, it was not until February 20, 1896, that a National Charter was granted by the United States Congress. It was signed by Grover Cleveland, President; Adlai E. Stevenson, Vice-President and President of the Senate; Thomas B. Reed, Speaker of the House of Repre- sentatives, and Richard Olney, Secretary of State. 54 ADMINISTRATION OF When I entered upon my official life as President Gen- eral of the National Society, after my fourth election to the high office, every effort was again bent towards increasing the Memorial Continental Hall fund. Mrs. Shepard was appointed Chairman, with much the same committee as in 1896, and served the Society for five years with fidelity and marked success. In reference to a method to secure a site for the Memo- rial Continental Hall, I quote again from the Smithsonian records : "The year 1897 was an eventful one in the history of the National Society. It was during that year that the President General, Mrs. Stevenson, appointed a committee to petition the United States Congress for a grant of land, 'whereon to erect the Memorial Continental Hall.' A bill passed both houses of Congress during the second session of the 54th Congress, 1897, setting apart for the permanent use of the National Society of the Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution a plot of land 200 feet square." However, perhaps fortunately, but to those who had worked so earn- estly to secure the site, a most disappointing discovery was made, and that was that the United States Congress had, by a mistake, granted a portion of the Washington Monument grounds, which must, by law, remain perpetually a public reservation. This unfortunate situation, however, did not in the least dampen or retard the ardor of the President General and her co-workers. In 1898 the fund was $11,- 231.98. You will recall that at the Fifth Continental Congress, Mrs. Foster presiding, Mrs. S. V. White of Brooklyn, New York, brought to the attention of the Daughters the deplor- able condition of the remains of the Prison Ship Martyrs, as they were found from time to time in the surf or im- MRS. STEVENSON 55 bedded in the sand of the sea-shore. The Congress, while greatly interested, took no definite action, and no committee was appointed. Hence, it became my duty, as well as privilege to appoint the first Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument Committee, with Mrs. S. V. White, of New York, chairman. This commit- tee, under Mrs. White's splendid leadership, erected a mon- ument at Fort Greene, N. Y., to the Prison Ship Martyrs. On May 7, 1897, at a meeting of the National Board of Management, the following resolution, offered by Mrs. El- roy M. Avery, was adopted : "Whereas, There is, in the British Archives, a list of all the men confined on the prison ships during the Revolu- tionary War, with many facts relating to said men, said lists being almost inaccessible ; and "Whereas, The United States has a new Congressional Library, which should contain at least copies of all docu- ments relating to our history ; therefore be it "Resok'cd, That a committee be appointed to take the matter under advisement and make plans by means of which copies of said lists may be secured." It was my privilege to have appointed the first committee on Prison Ship Martyrs list, consisting of the following ten ladies : Mrs. Elroy M. Avery, of Ohio, chairman ; Mrs. Newport, of Minnesota; Mrs. Fitzwilliams, of Illinois; Mrs. Hill, of Connecticut; Mrs. Slocum, of Colorado ; Mrs. Am- bler, of Florida; Mrs. Foster, of Indiana; Mrs. Burrows, of Michigan; Mrs. Amos G. Draper, of District of Columbia, and Mrs. Depue, of New Jersey. This committee, while working with single hearted and patriotic zeal, has not yet succeeded in securing from the Government the copied list of the Prison Ship Martyrs. 56 ADMINISTRATION OF Among the many movements inaugurated during 1897 and 1898, none was of more vital importance than the effort to protect our flag. In this great work there is one woman whose name stands pre-eminent in the annals of this patri- otic undertaking. I refer to Mrs. Frances S. Kempster, in whose loyal heart originated the idea that the "Daughters" should do their part toward protecting the flag. As the symbol of the authority, and of the power of the great American republic, the Star Spangled Banner should wave unsullied in its purity, not a star dimmed, nor a stripe marred. It should proclaim, by its silent presence, the pro- tecting power of each individual star, and each stripe, the mighty force it represents, and demonstrate that together we stand, women as well as men, safe under its sheltering folds. .' It stands to the everlasting credit of the Milwaukee .'Chapter, that it took the initiative in bringing to the atten- tion of the Continental Congress, D.A.R., and to the Con- gress of the United States, from the Daughters, the lack of reverence toward our flag, and the insults to which it had been subjected. Mrs. Frances S. Kempster, a member of \the Milwaukee Chapter, was the first Daughter to offer a strong protest against the use of the Star Spangled Banner for the purpose of commercial and political advertisement. At the regular monthly meeting of the Milwaukee Chapter, December 4, 1896, the following resolution was offered by Mrs. Kempster, and unanimously adopted : "Resolved, That the members of the Milwaukee Chap- ter of the Daughters of the American Revolution request all Chapters of this organization to unite with them in a peti- tion to the Congress of the United States, to enact a law providing penalties for any disrespect shown to the flag of MRS. STEVENSON 57 our country, and making it a misdemeanor to place upon or attach to the flag any poHtical or other device of any kind." Mrs. Kempster was appointed by the Milwaukee Chapter a committee of one to prepare and distribute circulars to each Chapter in the organization, requesting concerted ac- tion in securing from the United States Congress a prohibi- tory law, forbidding the improper use of the flag, and pro- viding punishment for those who should treat it with dis- honor. By December 12, 1896, these circulars had reached many thousand women, and had awakened in them a realiz- ing sense of the enonnity and the frequency of the outrages perpetrated upon the flag; and further, that there rested upon each Daughter a personal responsibility for its protec- tion. On February 27, 1897, Mrs. James Graham Jenkins, of the Milwaukee Chapter, presented to the Sixth Continen- tal Congress a memorial, prepared by Mrs. Kempster, and signed by seventy-seven Chapters; also, a bill drawn up by Mrs. Kempster, forbidding all forms of desecration of the flag. Both bill and memorial were enthusiastically endorsed by the Continental Congress on the same day. On July 9, 1897, it was my high privilege, by order of the Continental Congress, to appoint the first D.A.R. Flag Committee, which consisted of the following ladies: Mrs. Walter Kempster, Chaimian; Mrs. James G. Jenkins, Mrs. Henry C. Payne, Mrs. Julius H. Pratt, of Wisconsin ; Mrs. R. Ran- dolph Powell, Washington, D. C. ; and Mrs. John Ritchie, of Maryland. On December 18, 1897, the bill proposed and prepared by Mrs. Kempster was the first bill introduced into the United States Congress by the D.A.R. As no action was taken by the Congress upon the bill, Mrs. Kempster, earnestly assisted and sustained by her able committee, con- tinued to appeal, year after year, to the United States Con- 58 ADMINISTRATION OF gress, and especially to the judiciary committees of both Senate and House of Representatives. The bill has had varying fortunes in the Congress, having been passed by the United States Senate March 12, 1904; but it is still await- ing enactment as a national law. For many years Mrs. Kempster continued as Chairman of this most important committee, and is still a member of it. Mrs. J. M. Dickin- son, wife of the Secretary of War, is now its distinguished chairman. In her report given at the Nineteenth Continen- tal Congress, 19 10, she quotes from a communication re- ceived from Honorable R. O. Moone, of Pennsylvania, in reference to the present status of the bill, which was recently introduced by Representative Goulden, of New York. "In response to your request that I inform you of the status of the bill to prevent and punish the dese- cration, mutilation, or improper use of the flag of the United States of America, I write to say that a public hearing upon this bill was held on Tuesday of last week, at which there appeared before the sub-committee a very considerable dele- gation of ladies and gentlemen advocating the measure, and I feel justified in stating that a strong sentiment in favor of this measure was created by this hearing. I hope to report this bill, with some necessary modifications, to the full com- mittee on Thursday of this week, with a favorable recom- mendation, and I have no hesitancy in expressing my wish that it may be unanimously adopted by the Committee and reported favorably to the House, and that it may become a law during the present session of Congress." While this committee has not been able to compass all the reforms outlined in the bill, it has effected a radical change in public sentiment. Flag Day is almost universally observed. About thirty-five states have adopted laws pro- MRS. STEVENSON 59 tecting the National Flag, most of them with the stringent enactments contained in the bill. The United States patent office, several years ago, forbade the use of the National Flag, or the portrait of the President, or the coat of arms of the United States, in any trademark, to be issued, and fur- ther, all of that character heretofore issued were to expire and cease upon date of expiration of the term recorded. The regulations of the army and of the navy, are most strict. They allow no inscriptions on the flag, but place them on the bands about the flag staff. I am of the opinion that an au- thorized revision of the Federal Statutes, four or five years ago, gave some further protection to the flag. All other na- tions demand respect for their own flag, and that of other nations, with whom they are at peace. Surely the time has come when the American women can demand that the flag that protects them at home and abroad should be held in greatest reverence. On February 27, 1897, as the Sixth Continental Con- gress was drawing to a close, Mrs. T. Platte Foote offered a resolution prepared by Mrs. Joshua Wilbour, of Rhode Is- land, v/hich was amended by Mrs. Kate Kearney Henry to include the name of Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood, with the founders, and the original motion as amended, was adopted. The resolution is as follows : "Amended motion offered by Mrs. Joshua Wilbour, and passed, regarding the founders. Amendment of adding Mrs. Lockwood's name proposed by Mrs. Henry. ''Whereas, Miss Eugenia Washington, Miss Mary Desha and Mrs. Ellen Hardin Walworth did, on August 9, 1890, prepare the constitution and appoint the leading offi- cers of the National Society, which were confirmed at the first public meeting, on October 11, 1890, and did in the in- 60 ADMINISTRATION OF terval prepare, publish and circulate application papers and other appliances for organization, and thus initiated and es- tablished the Society, which therefore entered upon its suc- cessful career; and "Whereas, Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood inspired a general interest in this subject, thus founding, by her pen, in the ar- ticle published June 13, 1890, that she be recognized as a founder, and four medals be awarded to these founders of the Society. "Resolved, That these four founders of the National So- ciety of the Daughters of the American Revolution, viz. : Eugenia Washington, Mary Desha, Ellen Hardin Wal- worth, and Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood shall be, and hereby are, officially recognized as founders. "Resolved, That a committee be appointed by the Conti- nental Congress to prepare four medals to be commemora- tive of the work done by the said founders, the same to be designed by a skilled artist, and that said medals be form- ally presented to the said founders — Eugenia Washington, Mary Desha, Ellen Hardin Walworth, and Mary S. Lock- wood — to be retained by them during their lifetime, and at their demise to be returned to the Society, there to be depos- ited among the valuable historical mementoes of our Soci- ety; and be it "Resolved, That all expenses attending the procurement and presentation of said medals be paid from any moneys in the treasury not otherwise appropriated." However, at the Seventh Continental Congress, Mrs. Wm. Lindsay, chairman of the committee "To Select Med- als for the Founders," stated in her report that "This Com- mittee recommends that the portion of the resolution read- ing, 'to be retained by them during their lifetime, and at MRS. STEVENSON 61 their demise to be returned to the Society,' etc., be changed and that this gift be absolute/' This resolution was adopted. Most justly and appropriately by this enactment, the dispo- sition of the "medals" is at the discretion of the founders. As the Sixth Continental Congress failed to appoint a committee, it became my duty to do so. It was with a feel- ing akin to pride, united with joy, that I put pen to paper and appointed a committee "To Select Medals for the Founders." The National Society owes to Mrs. Joshua Wilbour, of Rhode Island, its heartfelt thanks for her reali- zation of the necessity for prompt action in reference to the speedy recognition of the enduring services of the founders and Mrs. Lockwood. It was Mrs. Wilbour who prepared the resolution which gave public and substantial recognition of the great achievements of the four distinguished women, whose nerve, steadfast and unalterable purpose, resulted in the establishment of the National Society. It was a happy thought, and one worthy of the grand woman who originated it. The response of the Daughters in the Sixth Continental Congress assembled, was quick and cordial. It was the consensus of opinion that there should be no further delay in the recognition of the patriotic work ac- complished by the founders and Mrs. Lockwood. The following committee was appointed to select the med- als : Mrs. Joshua Wilbour, chairman ; Mrs. William Lind- say, Mrs. T. Platte Foote, Mrs. Kate Kearney Henry, Mrs. Mary Sawyer Thomas, Mrs. Eliza M. Chandler White, and Miss Virginia Miller. Before the Seventh Continental Congress convened, when the medals were to be presented, Mrs. Joshua Wil- bour, chairman of the committee, on account of enforced absence from the country, resigned, and Mrs. William Lind- 62 ADMINISTRATION OF say, of Kentucky, was selected to fill her place. Mrs. Lind- say is an indefatigable worker and an enthusiast in what- ever she undertakes, and she, with her committee, brought to happy conclusion the work begun by Mrs. Joshua Wil- bour. Many beautiful designs were submitted by the chair- man, Mrs. Joshua Wilbour, and the committee, to the Na- tional Board of Management. The one accepted was of gold, crested with diamonds and sapphires, beautiful in de- sign and faultless in execution. Upon the medals presented to the founders was inscribed the single word "Founder" and upon the one presented to Mrs. Lockwood was engraved a pen and the single word "Service." The medals were de- signed by Gorham & Co., of New York City, and cost $1,000.00. It was a service of love, and I have yet to hear the first complaint or objection to the purchase. In the history of the organization there has not been a more beautiful, touching and impressive scene than the pre- sentation of the medals to the four distinguished ladies. As distinctly as if it were yesterday, I recall in detail every event of the interesting occasion. The Grand Opera House was filled to its utmost capacity with a brilliant assemblage of Daughters, diplomats, national officers, and distinguished guests. The stage was beautifully decorated with flags, palms, and flowers. Prof. Haley's orchestra played national airs, and thirteen beautiful young girls, representing the thirteen original colonies, acted as ushers, and added greatly to the charm of the occasion by their gracious courtesy. On the platform were seated the President General, the national officers, the founders, and the committee. The date of this ceremony was February 24, 1898, and at 8:30 o'clock p.m., I, as President General, called the meeting to order, and it was my great privilege to introduce Mrs. William Lindsay, MRS. STEVENSON 63 the chairman of the committee, who, with a grace and dig- nity pecuharly her own, was to make the presentation speech. At this auspicious moment the hghts were turned low, and the wondering audience was greeted by an im- mense insignia of the organization, brilliantly lighted, which descended from the ceiling, at the back of the stage, before the delighted assemblage. Miss Desha, Mrs. Walworth and Mrs. Lockwood ex- pressed in appropriate terms their appreciation of the gift of medals. Miss Washington, on account of illness, did not speak. She commissioned Mrs. Walworth to express her thanks, and to state that her medal would be deposited in the Smithsonian Institute. However, by act of the Seventh Continental Congress, the gift of the medals to^ the founders had been made absolute. Mrs. Lindsay, with the four la- dies, stood on the lower step of the platform and received the congratulations of the immense audience, as it passed before them, and the curtain fell upon the most memorable event in the history of the National Society. During the year 1896- 1897 the increase in membership was 5,782, a greater gain than in any previous year; and during the year 1897- 1898 the increase in membership was 5,097, and the total membership was 23,097. Upon being elected for the third time President General of the National Society, I, of course, resigned the compli- mentary title of Honorary President General. It was again conferred, for the second time, by the Sixth Continental Congress, 1898. Chapter VIII ADMINSTRATION OF MRS. DANIEL MANNING 1898-99. 1899-01 It was as the bride of the Honorable Daniel Manning, the distinguished Secretary of the Treasury in President Cleve- land's first administration, that Mrs. Manning made her debut into the Capitol. Mrs. Manning is a woman of attrac- tive personality, stately bearing, suavity of manner, and has the enviable gift of being able to associate names with faces, an important accomplishment in the social life of Washing- ton. With the enthusiasm of youth, she entered upon her official life, and without effort soon became a general favor- ite. It was during these halcyon days that I knew Mrs. Manning most pleasantly. After Mr. Manning's death in 1887, Mrs. Manning returned to her home in Albany, New York; she continued, however, her associations with her Washington friends. She was Vice-President General from New York at the time of her election. Her election as President General, 1898- 1899, was hailed with delight by hosts of acquaintances. At the Seventh Continental Congress the Constitution was amended, so that two years constituted a term for the office of President General, and two terms the constitutional limit. Previous to this amendment, one year was a term for President General, and two years the constitutional limit. 64 MARY MARGARETTA FRYER MANNING ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. MANNING 65 Mrs. Manning was the first President General to be elected for the two years term, and she was also the first President General to be chairman of the Memorial Conti- nental Hall ; she inaugurated the pleasant custom of visiting the Chapters, which has resulted in awakening greater inter- est in the organization. As representation at the Continen- tal Congress is limited, many members of the Society sel- dom, or never, have the pleasure of meeting its chief execu- tive, and the opportunity to greet her and hear her speak is eagerly sought. Upon the threshold of Mrs. Manning's career as Presi- dent General, she was confronted with serious conditions. The war clouds were gathering thick and fast. The horrors of Spanish persecution in Cuba had aroused the indignation of all civilized nations. The humanitarianism of the Amer- ican people could no longer endure the detailed reports of outrages upon the Cubans, not surpassed by the Spanish in- quisition. On April 21, 1898, the United States Govern- ment declared war against Spain. The call to arms met with a quick response, and troops were hurried to the front to compel, by force of arms, acquiescence in the demand for a surcease of horrors. Without delay and under the wise guidance of the Presi- dent General, at the April meeting of the National Board of Management, it was decided to offer to the President of the United States, and to the Surgeon General of the Army and Navy, the services of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The organization of the Hos- pital Corps was effected, with Mrs. Manning as ex-officio member of the Corps. A war committee was appointed, Mrs. Manning, chairman, assisted by Mrs. Alger, wife of the Secretary of War, and Mrs. Sternberg, wife of the Sur- 66 ADMINISTRATION OF geon General. Mrs. Anita Newcomb McGee, M.D., was made director of the Hospital Corps; Miss Mary Desha, assistant director; Mrs. Caroline R. Nash, assistant direc- tor; Mrs. Amos Draper, treasurer of the Hospital Corps. A sub-committee of the war committee was appointed by the President General, May 26, 1898; chairman, Mrs. Alger; Mrs. Sternberg, Mrs. Stakely, Mrs. Hatch, Mrs. Taplin, Mrs. Sperry, Mrs. Fairbanks, Mrs. Frye and Mrs. O'Neil. Mrs. Hatch was elected secretary of the War Fund. "On July 22nd a resolution was passed for the purchase of a steam launch, to be used as a tender to the Hospital Ship, Missouri, and to be presented in the name of the Na- tional Society of the Daughters of the American Revolu- tion, to the United States Government. The launch was new, and cost $2,500.00." One thousand women were sent out as nurses. Money and supplies were sent to hospitals in various parts of this country, and to Porto Rico and Manila. Shoulder to shoul- der the Daughters worked bravely, heroically and steadily, sending gifts of lint, clothing of every description, delicacies, pamphlets, newspapers, and everything that could be thought of to render less distressing the condition of the wounded soldiers and sailors. It was mainly through the office of the D.A.R. in Washington that these gifts were sent; however, in many places local organizations were formed, and the Daughters united with them and sent their gifts directly to the Companies in which they were personally interested. Many a suffering soldier and sailor found comfort and re- lief from the ministration of the nurses sent out by the war committee, and from the articles of bedding and clothing, as well as nourishment from food and delicacies. Happily, Cuba was speedily released from Spanish rule, MRS. MANNING 67 and in the stern arbitrament of war, the Daughters of the American Revolution, under Mrs. Manning's splendid lead- ership, proved a potential and munificent factor. A great bereavement had come to the National Society in the death of Miss Reubena Hyde Walworth, which oc- curred at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, Oc- tober 1 8, 1898. She, with her gifted mother, was among the first to enroll herself as a charter member of the Na- tional Society ; she was the aid and counselor of her mother while Mrs. Walworth was editor of the American Monthly Magazine. True to her patriotic instincts, she heard her country's call, and at the out-set of the Spanish- American War went promptly to the front as a nurse. Nothing could lure her from her tender ministrations to the sick and suffer- ing soldiers and sailors, until fatal illness compelled her to relinquish her arduous task. There were many touching tributes to her splendid character and achievements from the National Board of Management and Chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Society of the Children of the American Revolution, in which she was especially interested. Her brave endurance of hardships in the discharge of her duties as nurse, her heroic life, and de- votion to her mother and the cause of suffering humanity, have won for her the admiration and love of every Daughter in the organization. A stately monument is erected to her memory in Greenwood Cemetery, Saratoga. Upon the front of the die in bronze letters is this legend : "REUBENA HYDE WALWORTH, October 18, 1898. She served her country, not as man. But better still, as only woman can." 68 ADMINISTRATION OF From the minutes of the meeting of June 6 and 7, 1905, of the National Board of Management, Daughters of the American Revolution, National Headquarters, Washington, D. C, we find that the Government has given the Associa- tion of the Spanish- American War Nurses a plot of ground in the National Cemetery, at Arlington, and they have erected on it a dignified and appropriate monument. When the Twentieth Century was ushered in with the peal of bells, the clang of whistles and the roar of cannon, a new era had dawned upon the horizon of the Daughters of the American Revolution. War, with its inevitable record of death and desolation, was at an end. Two gratifying re- sults had been achieved : Cuba had been released from Spanish rule by the united efforts of the soldiers and sailors who had met face to face upon many a battlefield during the Civil War. In the Spanish-American War, the Blue and the Gray had unfurled and fought under the same banner, stood side by side as they met the foe, and together shared the honors of victory in happy comradeship. In these days of dire distress, the Daughters had proven their efficiency and their ability to stand like a solid bulwark behind the American Government and to bear with fortitude their share of active endeavor in the cause of liberty, and of right against might. They were now ready to enter upon an- other and more pleasing work. The successful efforts of previous years had culminated in completed plans for the unveiling of the statue of Washington, a gift of the Ameri- can women to France ; and of the statue of Lafayette, a gift of the American children to France, at the Paris Exposition, in 1900. The President of the United States, Honorable William McKinley, ''appointed Mrs. Daniel Manning to represent the MRS. MANNING 69 United States and the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution at the unveiling of the statue of Lafayette, and the presentation of a tablet for said statue, at Paris, France, 1900, and at the exposition there to be held, under the joint resolution of Congress, approved Feb- ruary 23, 1900." To represent the National Society at the Paris Exposition, the President General, Mrs. Manning, ap- pointed the following committee : Mrs. Adlai Ewing Stev- enson, Mrs. John W. Foster, Miss Eugenia Washington, Mrs. Ellen Hardin Walworth, Miss Mary Desha, Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood, Madame la Marquise de Chambrun, Mrs. Rob- ert Stockwell Hatcher, Mrs. Charles Carlyle Darwin, Mrs. Sara Thompson Kinney, Mrs. Mary P. B. Cameron. The former Presidents General, the founders, and the Franco- American Memorial Committee, constitute the above com- mittee. The Ninth Continental Congress appropriated two thous- and dollars to cover all necessary expenses, and authorized the committee to adopt a badge commemorative of the event. In the afternoon of July 2nd, 1900, Mrs. Manning gave a brilliant reception at the Elysee Palace Hotel, tO' which all the Daughters in Paris, were invited. Mr. French, the sculptor who designed the statue of Washington, and Mrs. French, received with the President General. Paris was resplendent in the National colors. The Red, White and Blue of America, intermingled with the tri-color of France. The Stars and Stripes floated over Eiffel Tower for the first time, and the American band, under its famous leader, Sousa, played America's national airs. Many residences and business houses were decorated with the national colors of the two republics, and France gave cordial welcome to the representatives of the North American republic. 70 ADMINISTRATION OF On July 3rd, the one hundred and twenty-fifth anniver- sary of Washington's taking command of the army at Cam- bridge, the statue of Washington was unveiled in the Place d' lona. Ambassador Porter presided, and addressed tHe audience in both English and French. When President Lou- bet spoke the entire audience arose and remained standing during the address. Mr. Gowdy made the presentation speech. Colonel Chaille Long made the dedicatory address and paid fitting tribute tO' Mrs. Stephen J. Field, wife of the eminent Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, who had devoted ten years to the work of securing funds to erect the Washington Monument, and to Mrs. James Mc- Millan, the wife of the distinguished U. S. Senator from Michigan, who' successfully carried on the work to comple- tion. Mrs. Manning, escorted by Major Huntington, and Mrs. John P. Jones, escorted by Colonel Chaille Long, stepped toward the statue, unloosed the cord, and the gift of the American women to France, appeared. The address of acceptance on behalf of the French Government was made by M. Delcasse, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The morning of the Fourth of July, 1900, shone bright and clear. The unveiling of the statue of Lafayette, the gift of the American children to France, was the event of the day. The impressive ceremonies took place in the Court of the Louvre, a small garden, now known as Lafayette Square. The gift to France from the Daughters of the American Revolution was a tablet to be placed upon the Lafayette monument, and bore the following inscription : MRS. MANNING 71 "This Tablet is a Tribute of the National Society of The Daughters of The American Revolution To the Illustrious Memory of Lafayette, The Friend of America, the Fellow Soldier of Washington, The Patriot of Two Countries." General Porter, the American Ambassador, again pre- sided with his usual grace and dignity, and fascinated his audience by the address of welcome, made in both English and French. Mr. Ferdinand W. Peck presented the monu- ment to France. Gustave Hennoeque, great grand nephew of the Marquis de Lafayette, and Paul Thompson, son of the projector of the monument, represented the school chil- dren of France. The statue of Lafayette, which was not in marble but only a plaster model, was wrapped in an immense American flag, which, when released by the two little boys, beautifully dressed in white flannel suits with sailor hats, revealed the heroic work of art. Mrs. General Sternberg, chairman of the Franco-Amer- ican committee, in her report to the Nineteenth Continental Congress, 1910, stated: "The completed monument was formally delivered to the French people through their duly appointed authorities, on July 4, 1908. The press urged, as we were led to believe for a time, that a replica of this mon- ument would be placed in a suitable position in the city of Washington. But I have not been able to discover, after much research, any recent authentic information On this subject." General Porter introduced Mrs. Manning, and the Paris edition of the New York Times says of her and her address : "Mrs. Daniel Manning, as she stepped to the front of the 72 ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. MANNING platform, presented a charming picture. Her gown was of white crepe, trimmed with old lace, and her white hat was trimmed with white feathers and roses. Across the front of her gown she wore a broad blue ribbon, a decoration of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her voice as she delivered her speech was perfect, and she could be heard from one side of the enclosure to the other. She talked possibly fifteen minutes, proved herself to be a past-mistress of the art of speech making, and was listened to with the greatest of attention." All Americans, and especially the Daughters of the American Revolution, will hold in sacred memory the 3rd and 4th of July, 1900. They were red letter days, and mark the grateful expression of gratitude to France for her con- tribution in the patriotic services of the young Lafayette in the cause of freedom, and in behalf of the oppressed colonies. As a tribute of appreciation of Mrs. Manning's splendid services, M. Loubet, the President of the French Republic, conferred upon her the medal of the Legion of Honor. In 1900 the Memorial Continental Hall fund had reached the amount of $50,366.07, and in 1901 the membership was 35,092. The title of Honorary President General was bestowed upon Mrs. Daniel Manning at the Tenth Continental Con- gress, 1 901. MRS. FAIRBANKS Chapter IX. ADMINISTRATION OP MRS. CHARLES WARREN FAIRBANKS President General 1901-03. 1903-05 Indiana may appropriately be called the Mother of Presidents General. Already she has given to the National Society three splendid women to guide and guard its wel- fare, and promote its progress, Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, Mrs. John W. Foster, and Mrs. Charles Warren Fairbanks, and "it doth not yet appear what we shall be." Mrs. Fair- banks had been fortunate in her training along every line, and was well equipped to fill the requirements as President General without embarrassment and with ability. She had twice been delegate to the Continental Congress, and had served three years as Vice-President General upon the National Board of Management. I recall distinctly Mrs. Fairbanks' first appearance upon the floor of the Continental Congress. She was a delegate to the Seventh Continental Congress in 1898. It was soon apparent that she had parliamentary usage at her command, was familiar with the subjects under discussion, and kept wrell in hand the proceedings upon the floor. She sat at the head of her delegation, immediately in front of the plat- form, and her "Madam President General" was pronounced in such a forceful, yet pleasing manner as to attract my fixed 73 74 ADMINISTRATION OF attention. I saw at once that she was destined to be a leader. She had a quick grasp of conditions, spoke with ease and elegance, and had the gift of repartee which gave a personal touch to her remarks. She was an accomplished parlia- mentarian, a necessity in the discharge of the duties of Presi- dent General. As the wife of the distinguished Senator in Congress from Indiana, Honorable Charles Warren Fairbanks, her social and official position made her a factor in the gay life of the National Capital. Her beautiful home on Massachu- setts Avenue was the rallying place for the Daughters, and her cordial hospitality won for her the regard and affection of the members whose privilege it was to know her during those delightful days. Nor was her hospitality confined to the members of the National Society. Her home, while Mr. Fairbanks was United States Senator and later when he was Vice President of the United States, was the scene of many brilliant gatherings of the notable people who make Wash- ington a city of unique interest. Mrs. Fairbanks entered upon her duties as President General with an intelligent understanding of the paramount interest of the organization at that time. She had perfect knowledge of the necessity for active effort in the execution of the now possible plans which had been in process of crystallization since the inception of the Society. Her ad- ministration may properly be called the constructive period. Into her hands was given the material which it was to be her privilege to convert into tangible form, that which in previous years had been the ambition and aim of the Daugh- ters. Mrs. Fairbanks began at once to push forward the actual purchase of a lot on which the Memorial Continental Hall should be built, and on which it now stands. She called MRS. FAIRBANKS 75 together the Memorial Continental Hall Committee at her home on June 4, 1902. At this date the Memorial Con- tinental Hall Fund was $82,190.57. It was at this time the initial plans for building were formally adopted. The site was purchased at a cost of $50,266.17. A committee on architecture, a sub-committee of the Memorial Continental Hall committee, was appointed by the President General, and consisted of the following ladies : Mrs. Charles W. Fair- banks, President General ; Mrs. William Lindsay, chairman ; Mrs. John W. Foster, Mrs. Caleb Churchman, Mrs. George M. Sternberg, Miss Ella Loraine Dorsey, Mrs. D. D. Colton, Mrs. S. V. White, Mrs. J. Heron Crosman, Mrs. De B. Randolph Keim, Mrs. A. G. Mills, Mrs. John G. Carey, Mrs. Daniel Manning, Miss Mary Desha, Mrs. Ellen Hardin Wal- worth, Mrs. James R. Mellon, Mrs. Miranda B. Tulloch, Mrs. Matthew T. Scott, Mrs. Robert S. Hatcher, Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood, Mrs. Joseph D. Bedle, Miss Eliza Titus Ward, Mrs. Charles H. Terry, secretary. Professor William R. Ware, of Columbia University, New York, was selected as expert, and General John M. Wilson and Mr. Bernard R. Green were invited to act as advisers for the committee. An invitation was sent to all interested in the work to be present on Saturday, October II, 1902, when the first ground would be broken for the Memorial Continental Hall. The time and the occasion had arrived for the first step to be taken towards the actual building. The day was dark, and it rained almost continu- ously, but that did not deter the Daughters from attending the impressive ceremony in large numbers. The tent which had been erected over the platform was crowded with the National Officers, State Regents from many distant states, and distinguished guests. The most noticeable of these were 76 ADMINISTRATION OF Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood and Miss Susan Riviere Hetzel, the only two who were present at the historic meeting- at the Strathmore Arms twelve years before. The President General, Mrs. Fairbanks, broke the ground with a spade made of Montana copper, the gift of the Montana Daughters; the handle was made of wood cut from the pathway of Lewis & Clarke as they wended their weary way through the western wilderness, part of which is now Montana. ''The handle is to be inlaid with wood from other historic spots, and adorned with silver and gold from the Montana mines and Montana Sapphires of blue and white, the colors of the Society." Mrs. Fairbanks delivered an inspiring address and then introduced Mrs. Lockwood, who broke the earth upon which the beautiful home of the Daughters now stands. A number of interesting addresses by State Regents followed. $492.00 was subscribed that afternoon to the Memorial Continental Hall Fund. A handsome slab of granite marks the spot where the ground was broken. Presented to the Daughters by Mr. J. Veihmeyer, who refused compensation when he learned the purpose to which it was to be applied. "A block of white marble was sent from the White House after the committee had obtained the slab, and it was kept to be used in the interior of Memorial Continental Hall. It bears this inscription : "From the home of the First President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution." October II, 1902, was a proud day for all Daughters. There was but one feeling, that of joy that the first great step had been taken towards securing a permanent home. On February 23, 1903, the Sons of the American Revo- lution presented to the Daughters a handsome flag, which was planted on the site where the ground was broken. This MRS. FAIRBANKS 77 flag floating over this ground secures the legal right of the Society to this property, as authorized by the District Com- missioners. On the afternoon of April 19, 1904, the ceremony of laying the corner stone of Memorial Continental Hall was performed. The Thirteenth Continental Congress was in session. The President General, Mrs. Fairbanks, preceded by the Minute Men, the National Ofiicers and State Regents, walked to the spot where the ceremonies attending the lay- ing of the corner stone were in charge of the Masonic order and were accompanied by Masonic rites. "The lighted candles on the four comers of the stone and the intoning of the service were most impressive. The gavel was the one used by George Washington in laying the corner stone of the National Capitol September 18, 1793, which was after- wards presented to Potomac Lodge, No. 5, and by them loaned for this occasion." Mrs, Fairbanks delivered an eloquent address. At the close of her speech the articles that were to be deposited in the copper box were wrapped and sealed by Mr. Fred D. Owen, who presented them to the Grand Treasurer, who placed them in the repository in the foundation. On October 11, 1904, it was again my pleasure to see Mrs. Fairbanks as she presided over the sessions of "Daugh- ters Day" in the Hall of Congress at the Louisiana Pur- chase Exposition. Mrs. Daniel Manning, President of the Board of Lady Managers, after making a beautiful address of welcome, introduced Honorable David R. Francis, Presi- dent of the Exposition, who paid a well merited tribute to women as a factor in the success of the Exposition. Mrs. Wallace Delafield, State Regent of Missouri, in a most charming manner introduced Mrs. Fairbanks, who gave. 78 ADMINISTRATION OF perhaps, the most succinct history of the Daughters that had been written. Mrs. Alice Ewing Walker, Vice President General, from Missouri, extended cordial greetings to the visiting Daughters. Mrs. Lockwood was next introduced as chairman of the committee on arrangements. Mrs. Adlai Ewing Stevenson was then introduced by the President Gen- eral, and delivered a five minutes speech, in which she re- viewed, in brief, the early days of the organization, and emphasized its phenomenal growth and future promise. Mrs. /Kinney, State Regent of Connecticut, the idol of her state, \ called attention to the possibilities of ''what may be ac- / complished when women work together with a high and (^ steadfast purpose towards a given end." Mrs. Tenney, " State Regent of New York, in felicitous terms brought words of cheer and greeting from the Banner State. Mrs. Lindsay, chairman of the committee on architecture, an un- tiring worker until the Continental Hall plans were com- pleted, addressed the audience in the delightful manner peculiar to herself. Mrs. Julius C. Burrows, President of the Society of the Children of the American Revolution, gave one of the most interesting talks of the occasion. She told in detail of the work of that most important branch of the National Society. Mrs. Tulloch stated that the active membership at that date was 41,068, and 698 Chapters. Mrs. Bedle, Vice President from New Jersey, represented her state with dignity and grace. Mrs. O. J. Hodge, State Re- gent of Ohio, gave a graphic sketch of the early struggle for independence in Ohio. She brought together in happy combination the Cavalier, the Covenanter, the Dutch, the Scotch-Irish, and the German Moravians, who were the pioneers of civilization in the west. Mrs. Rosa represented the National officers, and commended their faithful services MRS. FAIRBANKS 79 and noted the high order of talent they must possess to accomplish such fine results. "An American Hymn," the music and words both written by Miss Mary Isabella For- syth, Vice-President General of New York, was presented to the Daughters in the beautiful manner for which Miss Forsyth is distinguished. Mrs. Elroy M. Avery, the talented writer and able editor of our ofificial organ, the American Monthly Magazine, gave a brief "sentiment or prophecy," which brought the official proceedings of the very memora- ble day to a close. Many charming receptions were given in the afternoon and evening of October ii, 1904. With happy hearts and pleasant memories of the beautiful hospitality of the Daugh- ters and of the citizens of St. Louis, we returned to our homes, imbued with higher ideals of our obligations as pro- moters of a larger and broader patriotism. Mrs. Fairbanks' eventful and almost dramatic career as President General was drawing to an end, but before its close she was to perform one more memorable service for the Society. On April 17, 1905, at the Fourteenth Continental Con- gress, Mrs. Fairbanks dedicated the Memorial Continental Hall, in the presence of a large and most enthusiastic audi- ence. It mattered not that the building was incomplete. At last the Daughters, after years of arduous struggle, were literally under their own roof, and were at home. They had each and every one contributed in dollars and in cents, some in large gifts, others in contributions by states, of special donations, so that every Daughter felt that she had a per- sonal interest in our Home. At the dedication, Mr. Frederick Denison Owen was 80 ADMINISTRATION OF master of ceremonies, and his arrangement of every detail in managing the immense crowd was without flaw. "The whole inside was hidden under Garrison flags, evergreen wreaths, palms and roses; two Garrison flags draped the back of the stage, over which hung the Society's great in- signia, nearby two white medallions, lettered in blue, one bearing the legend "Home and Country" and the other in- scribed "Washington — Organized October ii, 1890." Be- low were five bars encircled in laurel wreaths, each inscribed with a Presidents General's name — Harrison, Stevenson, Foster, Manning, Fairbanks. On the three remaining walls were medallions; on the South being "Desha — Flag raised February 23, 1903 ;" on the east, "Lockwood — First turning of sod October 11, 1902;" on the north, "Walworth — Cor- ner stone laid April 19, 1904." The President General, Mrs. Fairbanks, and the Honor- ary President General, Mrs. Foster, followed by a guard of honor of the Minute Men, entered, and proceeded to the stage. After preliminary services, the President General de- livered her address of welcome, which is given in full later on. I can close this sketch in no more appropriate words than those used by Mrs. Fairbanks herself in a letter written in response to my request to know what she considered the most important event during her administration. Her letter is as follows: "I appreciate highly what you were pleased to say of the work, which I had the joy to be able to assist in performing while President General. I shall not soon forget, indeed I never shall forget, the steadfast, whole hearted, enthusiastic support of the devoted "Daughters" who came, at my call, to decide upon the purchase of the site for our building. MRS. FAIRBANKS 81 They came from Illinois, — our honored President General representing that state, — from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Indiana, Ohio, but it is needless to enumerate all the members of the coinmittee. My recollec- tion is that there were fifty-four members present and fifty- one voted for the purchase of the site upon which stands the only memorial to the men and women of the Revolution, erected by patriotic women. "The events of my term were possessed of the deepest interest and many of them of greatest importance to the welfare of our Society. "In answer to your inquiry as to that work which I con- sider of the greatest importance during my term, I will un- hesitatingly say that the selection and purchase of our ad- mirable site, the breaking of the ground, the laying of the corner stone, the building and dedication of Memorial Con- tinental Hall in the presence of distinguished guests and during the session of the Congress of the N.S.D.A.R. must stand pre-eminent." The title of Honorary President General was conferred upon Mrs. Charles Warren Fairbanks, by the Fourteenth Continental Congress, 1905. Chapter X. ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. DONALD McLEAN President General 1905-07. 1907-09 In looking back over the vista of years, there comes the memory of a scene never to be forgotten ; the center of the scene, one, radiant in the glow of youth, health and enthu- siasm; she is still young, strong and enthusiatic, and will never grow old, nor lose the ardor of intense interest so long as one stone rests upon another in the Memorial Continental Hall, or she has the breath to speak and proclaim its beauty and inestimable value to women of all ages and in all climes. I need not tell you to whom I refer; her name has been a household word and is interwoven with the warp and woof of the history of the Organization ; she was a charter mem- ber of the National Society and has attended every meeting of the Continental Congress since the beginning, I believe, and is known from the Great Lakes to the Gulf that bounds our Southern States, from the rock ribbed Atlantic coast, to the smooth waters of the far-away Pacific. Do you know her, Mrs. Donald McLean? It was with more than ordinary interest that I watched the proceedings of the Third Continental Congress, and tried to catch at a glance the personnel of each State as it re- sponded to the roll call. Perhaps there was no more striking 82 MRS. DO^fAUD McLEAN ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. McLEAN 83 incident than that Mrs. John Ritchie, Regent of the Fred- erick Chapter, Maryland, commissioned three years before by Mrs. Harrison, and her daughter, Mrs. Donald McLean, Regent of the New York City Chapter, should both have been present on the floor of the Third Continental Congress. It was an unusual and touching sight, the strong, forceful mother, and the equally strong, forceful daughter, both rarely gifted by nature and in attainment. Although Mrs. Ritchie had reared a large family and performed the duties incident to a hospitable home, she never shrank from assum- ing other responsibilities. She felt a keen interest in all the benevolent and patriotic undertakings of the day. She was a member of the Academy of Political and Social Science, was one of the executive committee of the Frederick Histori- cal Society, and one of the founders, and one of the Board of Management of the Key Monument Association ; and she was appointed by Governor Brown as a member of the Maryland Committee for the Cotton States Exposition, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia, in the fall of 1895. Mrs. Ritchie was a woman of exceeding beauty of person and charm of character ; simple and direct in statement, al- ways courteous and conciliatory. Her counsel on the Board was wise, looking toward the elevation and permanent ad- vancement of the Society. She allowed no personal consid- eration to effect her strict construction of the law, as she believed it to be. Her loss, by death, to the Society was irreparable, and her memory is a precious legacy of truth and of uprightness. But to return to the Congress. Miss Louise Ward Mc- Allister was the State Regent of New York, and Mrs. Don- ald McLean was the Regent of the New York City Chapter. I am gratified at this late date, and in this way, to again 84 ADMINISTRATION OF express to Miss Louise Ward McAllister my sincere appre- ciation of her many kind courtesies, and of her thoughtful consideration for the new President General, evinced in in- numerable delicate attentions. Mrs. McLean had only to speak, and the presiding officer was all attention, and so was the Congress, for she knew whereof she spoke, it was to the point, and sometimes em- barrassing to those less skilled in parliamentary usage. Mrs. McLean had been Regent of the New York City Chapter for ten years when she was elected President General, and is the only elected President General who has ever held the office of Regent. She had attained almost national reputa- tion before she came into the office, and was known to the Daughters throughout the country. Her inheritance from preceding administrations was one of intricate detail. The Memorial Continental Hall had been built and enclosed, but was not completed. It was her high privilege to execute what others had so ably planned, and to see that the tempor- ary roof was replaced by a permanent one ; that the pavilions or "wings, as they are known to the lay-mind," were fin- ished; that the chairs, so important to the comfort of the Daughters, were in proper position ; that the "Eaglets" (little sparrows that had found their home and nestled in the temporary roof) should be expelled; the dark and dubi- ous pathway of the plumber, the electrician, the furnace man, and all others who burrowed under ground, to ensure comfort and safety to the Daughters, were traversed, ex- amined and approved ; and other detail work in all depart- ments of the vast building properly adjusted and in working order, before the close of her term. When Mrs. McLean took the conduct of affairs into her hands, the $175,000.00, the accumulated funds of fourteen MRS. McLEAN 85 years, had been exhausted, save about $2,000.00. However, the expenditure was not without commercial value. The site for the Memorial Continental Hall had been bought, the foundation and corner stone laid, and the wall erected, with a temporary roof. $50,000.00 in cash was reported at the Fifteenth Continental Congress, and donations in personal gifts and from States and Chapters were received in large amounts. This amount was wholly inadequate to the de- mands upon the D.A.R. treasury. The President General, Mrs. McLean, was equal to the exigencies of the financial situation. With a courage that bordered on daring, she in- vested in a loan from the American Security & Trust Co. to the extent of $200,000.00. This enabled the Memorial Continental Hall Committee to meet its obligations and se- cure the completion of the most beautiful and perfect build- ing in architectural design and equipment in the National Capital. During the four years that Mrs. McLean directed the destinies of the National Society she gave encouragement and aid by personal visits in almost every section of the country. From the rising to the setting sun, from the North, where the Ice Kipg reigns, to the soft, sweet air of the Florida Everglades, her presence was known and felt, and all the Daughters, little and big, great and small, united in singing in her honor, "Maryland, My Maryland," in every village and town that she visited. Nor did she confine her indomitable energy to visiting Chapters and thus awak- ening interest in the organization generally, and in the Memorial Continental Hall in particular, but was a distin- guished guest and eloquent speaker on many historic occa- sions. "As President General, she served as an active Com- 86 ADMINISTRATION OF missioner from New York to the Cotton States Interna- tional Exposition, in 1895, and as an honorary Commis- sioner to the South Carolina Exposition. She made public addresses at both above named expositions ; also at the Ten- nessee Exposition, and at the Pan-American Exposition in 1 90 1, at Buffalo. Mrs. McLean was an active Commissioner and Vice President of the Commission from New York to the Jamestown Exposition. "In the President's General administration a Memorial building has been erected by the D.A.R. on a Jamestown Is- land in Virginia, which building is a replica of the old Mal- vern Hall, and will remain as a permanent 'Rest House'." Mrs. McLean had the honor and the pleasure of dedicat- ing the Portico of Memorial Continental Hall, April 17, 1907. Mrs. McLean has given in such graphic words her own brief story of her work as President General for four years, that it cannot be improved, and I add it to this tribute of her worth and achievements. The most important achievements of the D.A.R. during the administration of Mrs. Donald McLean as President General National Society D.A.R., she considers to be: The successful financing of a plan by which New Conti- nental Hall could be immediately and entirely completed. The practical completion of the edifice and the occupation of the Auditorium finished in every detail, at the Continental Congress 1909, the adjustment, at most unusual and ad- vantageous rates to the Society D.A.R., of a large and effi- cient insurance, all these things accomplished, under legal MRS. McLEAN 87 advice and with legal assistance, without one dollar's cost to the Society. Also, the founding of a Course of Lectures upon Ameri- can History to be delivered, at intervals in Memorial Conti- nental Hall, such foundation made possible by the voluntary and generous subscriptions, of certain members of the So- ciety and its friends. The Lecture Course has been named by the Continental Hall Committee, "The Emily Nelson Ritchie McLean Course." In 1907, Mrs. McLean represented the National Society D.A.R,, as President General, at the Jamestown Ter-Centen- nial Exposition (at the same time serving as an active mem- ber and Vice President of the New York State Commission). The D.A.R. built a permanent memorial on Jamestown Island, in form of a replica of an old Colonial Manor house ; and in October, 1907, Mrs. McLean presented this building in the name of the Society D.A.R. to the Society for the preservation of Virginia Antiquities, to be forever guarded and preserved as a D.A.R. Memorial, at the "Cradle of the English speaking race in America." At this same Exposition appeared a rare, valuable and interesting Loan Exhibit of Revolutionary Relics from all over the Union, placed and cared for by the Daughters of the American Revolution. In addition to the rearing of buildings' and the raising of moneys, Mrs. McLean's administration carried one spe- cial incident, replete with sentiment, viz. : the presentation of a great silk flag to the U. S. Naval Authorities and Gen- eral Horace Porter, in which banner were enfolded the re- mains of John Paul Jones, when brought from France to this nation for interment. 88 ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. McLEAN At the unveiling of the tablet to John Paul Jones, in the Hall of Fame, New York, Mrs. McLean made the dedi- catory address by invitation of the Chancellor and as rep- resenting the National Society D.A.R. She also made an address from the same platform as (then) Governor, now Justice Hughes, upon the unveiling of the noble McKinley Monument in Buffalo. Mrs. McLean was made Honorary President General by the i8th Continental Congress. MRS. MATTHEIW T. SCOTT Chapter XL ADMINISTRATION MRS. MATTHEW T. SCOTT. President General 1909-11 This Beautiful Tribute to Mrs. Scott was written by her close friend, Mrs. B. P. Marsh. Mrs. Scott was elected President General at the Eigh- teenth Continental Congress, 1909. The year 1908 was a time of anxiety and questionings in the ranks of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The organization had arrived at the critical point in its history. Great matters which had employed the talents and the best endeavors of the pioneers and of their worthy successors through all the years of its existence, had reached a climax and successful culmination was necessary to the good name, yes, to the very existence of the order. Who would be sufficient for these things? — the completion and occupation of the great Memorial Continental Hall ; the placing of the business methods upon a basis to conform to the large growth of interests; the management of the official magazine to keep pace with the enlarged circulation and increasing demand, and the elimin- ation of an accumulated deficit of $64,234.97. What woman with the leisure, the wealth, the business 89 90 ADMINISTRATION OF ability, the intellect and the culture, would possess the devo- tion to give herself in the spirit of the mandate: "He that would be chiefest among you, let him be the servant of all." To the surprise and delight of all those who knew her well, Mrs. Scott yielded to the demand and was trium- phantly placed in the office. In her, not one of the neces- sary qualifications was lacking. From the first, she placed all her splendid ability and energy, without reserve, at the service of the Society. How well she has not only occupied the position, but filled it, the records of her administration and the tributes of her constituents attest. Not a flaw can be found in her management of affairs, in her courteous treatment of her co-workers, or in her impartial justice of administration. Gentleness, firmness, forcefulness and a certain compell- ing power are qualifications which she possesses in a marked degree and it was possible to bring them into im- mediate bearing upon the situation on account of her ex- perience of four years as Vice-President General and her long service upon the various prominent national commit- tees. After incredible labor and patience it was hers to say to the Board of Management on April i6, 19 lo — "With a joyous sense of the goal reached, faith turned into sight and hope changed into fruition, we at last find ourselves priestesses in a temple Avhose votaries worship at a shrine dedicated to God, home and country." It was hers to be the first to stand as presiding officer in that completed "Temple of Patriotism," and to welcome the Nineteenth Continental Congress, to its home. Among MRS. SCOTT 91 her many apt and suitable utterances upon that memorable occasion, were these words : "Custodians of sacred, historic memories, and of noble traditions of public service, we stand as it were upon a moral and spiritual eminence, holding aloft the high ideals for which our fathers died proudly and gladly, with a smile upon their lips, and which must be preserved pure, unsullied and intact, if our nation is to retain the proud title which it gained in the Revolutionary days — that of being the politi- cal and moral leader of mankind. In the performance of this sublime office, my prayer is that we may keep our mo- | tives as pure as these white walls, and our deliberations and actions as harmonious as the perfect proportions of this symphony in stone." She assumed an open and resolute stand against taking part in any political strife, which might seek partisans in the order, announcing her determination rather to devote her efifort to the legitimate business of the organization and exhorting her constituents to take the same stand. She has inaugurated several new departures which im- prove the efficiency of department work, and has begun the reorganization of the business affairs of the Society in the effort to place it on the same plane as that of other corporate enterprises. The result will be that the Society will be saved a considerable amount annually, which is to go into the treasury to take up the notes due on the Memor- ial Hall. This valhalla is in an espe:ial way dear to Mrs. Scott, as her sister, Mrs. Adlai E. Stevenson, who was sec- ond and fourth President General of the Daughters, was the first to crystallize the endeavor to collect funds for its erec- tion. 92 ADMINISTRATION OF Mrs. Scott has enlarged the scope of the Society's ac- tivities by adding the problem of Woman's Welfare to the sociological problems already taken up as the special work of the Daughters ; and during her administration the Soci- ety has taken a leading part in nationalizing the movement — now become so popular — for a safe and sane Fourth. Difficult cases, requiring prompt executive action, have been disposed of without fear and without favor, but with such painstaking wisdom as to receive in each case, the grateful, sustaining vote of the National Congress. In filling the requirements of her office, being in eager demand by state conferences and special celebrations at his- toric spots, Mrs. Scott has traveled extensively in every quarter of our country, followed everywhere by the proud interest of her constituents as they recognized her fitness to represent them in everything that is womanly, high- bred, intellectual and patriotic. Two of the most notable occasions upon which she gained new honors for our organization were on July 13, 19 10, when she delivered the annual Paughters of the American Revolution address at Lake Chautauqua, and on September 6, when, in response to an unusually flattering invitation, she addressed the National Conservation Con- gress at St. Paul. It has been a marked feature of her administration that in every address she has so held up the high ideals and lofty purposes which animate her own soul as to lift her hearers and associates to a higher plane of patriotic en- deavor. She grasped that broad view of the work and duty of the Organization which led her to express her ambition for its higher good in such words as the following : MRS. SCOTT 93 "Mental and spiritual development must keep pace with the mighty strides in material progress." "Let us illustrate more and more as the years go by, how potentially as Daughters of the American Revolution we may enter into the life of our nation as an influence that works only for righteousness." As a result of her efforts she has been able to report to the National Board the condition of the Organization to be as follows : "Unparalleled growth in numbers, increased sense of cohesion and unity, undiminished devotion to the highest attainable ideals in home and nation." Mrs. Scott's personal interest in and enthusiasm for the education of the Southern Mountain Whites has given an inspiring impetus to this important work, which it has been her ardent desire to emphasize more and more as a vital and integral part of the D.A.R. programme. In an address delivered before one of the State Conferences, she spoke as follows : "A branch of our work which is just looming up is that of the education of the Mountain Whites of the South. Every mountaineer — child or adult — that, in our work for the Mountain Whites of the South, we help to educate to intelligent citizenship — and many of these are of Revolu- tionary ancestry — is a barrier raised against the anarchis- tic tendencies and unrest of our great cities; is a guarantee for the supremacy of the Caucasian race in America. I wish that every Daughter would read and take to heart Mr. Thomas Nelson Page's plea for the Southern Moun- tain Whites in his magnificent address delivered at Wash- ington, before the Nineteenth Continental Congress. I come of the old Virginia stock which first passed over the 94 ADMINISTRATION OF Blue Ridge and possessed the Middle West just in time to prevent it from becoming Spanish, French, or British possessions. But some of the pioneers of Washington's time have stayed right there, in that eagle's nest of pure Americans, where Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia meet ; in the mountains against which Cornwallis' hitherto invinc- ible invading column, after devastating the Carolinas, dashed itself to pieces, wiped out by volunteer mountaineers in that wonderful battle of King's Mountain, which no General planned or even heard of until it was over. It is for the descendants of these people that we plead. "Of the great need, in these rapid modern days, for the patriotic influence exerted by this Society, too much cannot be said. There is ever present danger, particularly in our own country, of forgetting tomorrow the lessons of to- day, and the glorious past of our illustrious nation. Our Society, composed as we are, of women, lineal descendants of noble sires, who rose in preservation of our nation's rights, our National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, perhaps more than any other influence that can be suggested, may keep alive these glorious traditions, and make our history so well known and its glowing past so vivid and so vital to the youth of today, that the noble influence of our resplendent past shall be ever farther reach- ing, in the swift growth of our country, and in the assimi- lation of other and stranger elements so constantly pour- ing in." In his address before the Nineteenth Continental Con- gress of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Mr. Thomas Nelson Page referred to Mrs. Scott as: "Your honored President, whom I have pride in serving as the MRS. SCOTT 95 best type of the American gentlewoman, high-minded, wise and filled with enthusiasm for the destinies of our country." Mrs. Scott has been an untiring and indefatigable worker, as the story of her stewardship proves. It had been the hope and expectation before she entered upon her offi- cial life, that the Memorial Continental Hall would be com- pleted and the offices removed from 902 F Street to the Hall. However, the delay always incident upon placing the finishing touches, proved true in the case of the official home of the Daughters, and it was not until March 28th, 1910, a year after Mrs. Scott's induction into office, that the removal to the completed Hall was effected. Mrs. Scott's record as President General has been phe- nomenal. In the two years of her first term, she has pre- sided over every meeting of the National Board of Man- agement, and also, over all special or called meetings of the Board. She has visited and made addresses at nine different State Conferences, namely : Indiana, Ohio, Ken- tucky, Georgia, Illinois, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia ; addressed the Chicago Chapter twice ; responded to the address of welcome at the banquet given by her home Chapter at Bloomington, Illinois, on her re- turn June 1 2th, 1909; delivered addresses before many other Chapters, made an eloquent speech at Chautauqua, N. Y. ; and at St. Paul, Minn., gave an exhaustive and mas- terly address upon conservation. On February 22, 19 10, she welcomed the Daughters to the completed Memorial Continental Hall ; spoke to the Sons of the American Rev- olution at their annual meeting in Washington; was the guest of many Chapters in Washington, always responding to the words of welcome. 96 ADMINISTRATION OF Mrs. Scott has welcomed two Congresses, given an ex- haustive report as Chairman of the Memorial Continental Hall committee to the Nineteenth and Twentieth Con- gresses ; also, reported in full the proceedings of the Na- tional Board of Management to both Congresses; made a number of contributions to the American Monthly Maga- zine ; and last, but by no means least of all, settled amicably for $28,000.00 the final account with Norcross Brothers Company, Of this most fortunate transaction, Mr. Mac- farland said to the Twentieth Continental Congress : "As a member of the advisory committee of the Continental Hall, and as your counsel in the recent delicate and difficult nego- tiations with the builders, Norcross. Brothers Company, I de- sire to say that I learned better than ever before the busi- ness acumen, the executive ability, and the sense of honor and justice of your Society as typified in the President General, Mrs. Scott. The settlement which we effected as just and as honorable to all concerned, could not have been reached if your President General had not possessed those qualities. On the contrary, the matter might have dragged its slow length along through the courts, and even to the Supreme Court of the United States, at the cost of years of time and thousands of dollars in money, against the interests of all concerned." Perhaps the most brilliant and elaborate reception yet given by any President General was when Mrs. Scott in- vited the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution to assemble in the magnificent building, Memorial Conti- nental Hall, on the evening of April i8th, 191 1, from 9 to 1 1 o'clock. The evening was notable not only on account of the elegance of the costumes, and the uniqueness of the MRS. SCOTT 97 surroundings, but especially so, on account of the distin- guished guests, representing every phase of official life in Washington, and almost every foreign country. Tw^ice the President of the United States, Honorable W. H. Taft, has acceded to Mrs. Scott's request, and opened both the Nineteenth and Twentieth Congresses, Mrs. Scott being the first President General from vi^hom a president of the United States has accepted such an invi- tation. Her introduction of Mr. Taft at the Twentieth Congress was in these felicitous words : "The greatest ruler of the greatest nation in the world honors us with his presence today, and graciously brings greetings to the greatest body of women on the face of the earth — the Daughters of the American Revolution." Mrs. Scott's administration has been a record breaking one, in point, especially, of donations to Memorial Conti- nental Hall, and of increase in membership. Donations April I, 1909, to March 31, 1910, inclusive, $24,326.02; donations, April i, 1910, to March 31, 191 1, inclusive, $29,238.85 ; making in all $53,564.87. Admitted membership April, 1910, 79,713; actual mem- bership, April, 19 10, 63,955. Increase for the year 6,955. The total membership given at the Twentieth Continental Congress, April 191 1, was 87,177; increase during the cur- rent year, 6,737. Actual membership 68,552, of which 1,674 officers and delegates were entitled to vote in the Congress, and 1,116 of these were Chapter and State Re- gents. From these figures it is estimated that the actual in- crease during Mrs. Scott's two-year term, was 13,692, On the evening of April 21, 191 1, Mrs. Scott was de- clared elected President General for a second term by a 98 ADMINISTRATION OF MRS. SCOTT majority of 148. She carried into office with her by sweep- ing majorities the entire National Board of Management, and it is safe to predict, that with a harmonious Board and with the great undertakings to be inaugurated during the two coming years, they will be the happiest and most suc- cessful of her official life. Mrs. Scott resides in Washington, and fittingly repre- sents our great organization in the social life of the Capitol. MRS. SCOTT AND MRS. STEVENSON Chapter XII ADMINISTRATION MRS. MATTHEW T. SCOTT Tribute by Mrs. Charles JV. Bassett, Historian General, N. S. D.A. R. The office of President General of the National Society, Daughters of the Ameii.an Revolution, calls not only for wide knowledge, fine intellectual gifts and a closely discrim- inating mind, but for a catholicity of sympathy and a broad good will. Mental ability and strength of moral character came to Mrs. Matthew T. Scott through descent. They are inherent in the pure blood which flowed vigorous and unim- paired in her ancestors; they are the blossoming of a life and educaiion refined by solid culture and inherited tradi- tions. Men and women who are worthy to be honored in and by this world are not those who seek for honors or recogni- tion. Actuated by the highest motive, driving first, last and always at the same thing, Mrs. Scott's supreme effort was to hold the National Society to its original purposes and objects ; to maintain it upon the pure lines of unadulterated patriotism and unselfish devotion to the ideal interests of civilization. Contributing all the wealth of her culture and her character to this one purpose, she subordinated everything 99 100 ADMINISTRATION OF to accomplish this high purpose. This was her mission to lis, and by following it with the exclusiveness and persist- ence that characterized her, it is clear to see that work so constructive, as well as so consecrated, followed so con- sistently for four years, has graven her name deep in the loving memory of her thousands of admiring Daughters. While many may come to us carrying plans and meas- ures to successful conclusions, may effect compromises and expedients, she has won the laurel ! She has carried a domi- nant moral principle into all our organized work. How few of us can realize the thought that goes to the right portrayal of a single action! Who knows how to analyze the mental mastery, the intense application, the brooding meditation that brought about such countless num- bers of wise counsels from her? They are better than marble for a monument, sweeter than flowers for a keepsake, for they give us an insight into the woman's spirit, and we un- derstand ! There were great questions and large affairs to be dealt with by Mrs. Scott. The final settlement with Norcross Brothers, the builders of Continental Hall, and Mr. Casey, who designed it. These matters were handled in such a masterly way that they won in the time of settlement a tribute from those concerned. Each new field of activity developed by a rapidily growing Society found Mrs. Scott ready for the duty or the pleasure, the ceremony or the self- sacrifice as they came. She enjoyed or performed without shirking, without complaint. The thousands of miles of travel with lavish hospitality and affectionate cordiality and enthusiasm — North, East, South and West — in all the State Conferences visited, as the official head of this organization, endeared Mrs. Scott MRS. SCOTT 101 to thousands of Daughters, and brought the magnificent work of the Society prominently before the cities in almost every state of the Union. It was always the Society that felt itself honored by its President General. There are no surprises to one who has arrived at eminence legitimately, and it was entirely natural that Mrs. Scott should be at our head and be at home there. In organizing so completely a system of division of la- bor and responsibility among all the officers and depart- ments, the complex duties of each office went on without jar or interruption. The Children and Sons of the Republic organization developed into strength and vigor. The little children who organized under Mrs. Neff of Cleveland as the Girl Home-Makers of America attracted the attention and gained the encouragement of our President General to organize ; while the department of Welfare of Women and Children and work for Mountaineers, a branch of Patriotic Education, have all had great results from persistent labor in their behalf. It is not difficult to understand from a read- ing of Mrs. Scott's countenance, of the presence of large and various capacities which rank her high as an executive. The great social graces of Mrs. Scott were shown to ad- vantage on the occasions of the opening of the National Museum (Smithsonian) with a reception to the Daughters, the reception given the United Daughters of the Confed- eracy by Mr. John Barrett, Director of the Pan-American Building, and on the occasion of the two magnificent re- ceptions given by Mrs. Scott as hostess, with Justices' wives, diplomats and most distinguished men and women of Wash- ington receiving with her in Continental Hall. These events mark that magnificence of hospitality of the Society's Presi- dent General, and have been the means of giving to our 102 ADMINISTRATION OF Hall, throug-h its queenly hostess, a place in the highest so- cial life of Washington. The National Board, under Mrs. Scott's masterly guid- ance, grew strong in its discussion of vital questions of policy, brave in its utterances when changes were necessary, wise in its counsels, courageous in its breaking away from precedents which hampered. The Magazine, which had an accumulated deficit of $64,000 when Mrs. Scott became President General, weathered the storms of indifference, antagonism and criticism sufficiently well to plan to release the Society by a contract to publish the Magazine outside the Society, and by the wise and careful handling of its own affairs through years of continued discouragement in launching the publication, it has saved the Society thousands of dollars of yearly loss. The establishment of new National Committees and the dedication of the Banquet Hall were events of significance, as they marked eras of growth and good will. The Old Trails Committee having taken a new significance and glory by wonderful celebrations of work done, and the National Committee on Historical Research being regarded as the most important development in the basic interests of the or- ganization, the Congress of 1912 saw the appointment of the Revision of the Constitution Committee. This Com- mittee was appointed to meet the demand of many, and was granted by that wise foresight of Mrs. Scott, who sought to enlarge by every means possible that sense of freedom and growth and right in the Chapters to decide the questions of their own needs before an open tribunal. The growth of the Society, unparalleled in its history, during Mrs. Scott's terms of office, renders the setting of a more definite policy of representation necessaiy. The MRS. SCOTT 103 frank exposition of fundamental principles, in which Daugh- ters could unite, has been so consistently the aim of Mrs. Scott as to win allegiance warm and genuine. With necessary business changes the President General, Mrs. Scott, graciously considered the comfort, convenience and expense attendant on the long journeys of distant Board members, and fixed the periods of regular Board meetings quarterly, with monthly meetings for the ordinary business of admitting members, etc. For this great thought and con- sideration of distant members, the Board was highly appre- ciative. The contributions were generous for payment of the debt, but the plans advanced for additional ways of raising money went slowly till the Congress of 191 3, when the Block plan, forwarded by Mrs, Scott and the Committee on the Penny-a-Day, destined to be known among all Daugh- ters — gradually awoke to some show of life and the aggre- gate of debt paid was surprisingly large and gratifying. A constantly growing interest in this certificate plan promises to eventuate in marking this work fostered by Mrs. Scott as one of the vigorous and perhaps final ways of clearing the Continental Hall from debt. In the legislative line two bills were introduced through Mrs. Scott's influence in United States Congress. Both measures were vital — necessary — and Mrs. Scott's quick, far-seeing eye realized the value of action and promptly asked Congress to raise the restriction on our real estate and personal holdings from one-half to one million dollars. The ' second bill provided for the purchase of the land adjoining | us in the rear of our building. Mrs. Scott's business ability, acumen and foresight have thus realized for the Society all the advantages possible to accrue for us through the gen- 104 ADMINISTRATION OF erosity of the United States Government, or in case of fail- \ ure to receive said land for a gift, has secured the low price of $1.25 per foot for land offered to others at $2.50. The day is not distant when the Organization, knowing that offices so generously and wisely performed for the good of all, will recognize these great services at their proper value. We are too near them now to know their import. Mrs. Scott has ever used every faculty she possessed to forward the interest of this Society. She has put all of her vitality, all of her knowledge, into service for the common good. The outcome is not yet, but the outcome is as sure as the sprouting of a sound seed in good soil. In one re- spect the biography of such a woman is easy, in that the like speaks for itself ; rich in faith, rich in mind and heart, rich in character, and in the affections of all who knew her and were worthy of her affection. A ready, comprehensive speaker, armed at all points, marshalling her facts, presenting her arguments with con- summate skill, she was a gift to the Society in her scholarly equipment. A woman of wealth, her constant generosity and aid in times of financial depression in the Society marked her as a helper and friend. Mrs. Scott's administration was vigorous, in the highest degree efficient, patriotic and success- ful. She enjoyed an exceptional devotion, respect and af- fection, as was attested in the farewell occasion of her presiding, when expressions of regard, resolutions, thanks and gifts of rare value were showered upon her. Mrs. Scott cannot be judged except by results, and when this conclusive test is used upon the administration now closed, Mrs. Scott's name will be spoken with highest praise, and deepest appreciation. She believed in the National So- ciety and stood by it with a fervor and energy of patriotism MRS. SCOTT 105 which will enshrine her name in the history of the Society, as well as in the hearts of all its members. In the return home to that western city which claims the sister so loved and so honored also with the highest office in the National Society Daughters of the American Revo- lution, Mrs. Adlai E. Stevenson, Mrs. Scott found there in the welcome of friends, the assembly of neighbors, the hon- ors paid them both as "home folks" and their tributes of loyalty and remembrance the most touching and beautiful of all plaudits. Towns and villages throughout the world cherish with pride the fact that they have sent out men and women who have moved the world with speech and song, with picture and with sculpture, but it marks an era in our national life when the culture and dignity of our American women in public, patriotic service are so fully apprehended that they become the glory of our cities and their citizens. To be loved, respected and honored by one's early friends and neighbors when returning from conquests in the wide, wide world, to rest again in the old home amidst its quiet and its comforts, is to earn life's sweetest reward. It is worth all the years of travel, of toil, of struggle, of effort for the common good, to be at the end of the day as these two gracious women, our beloved Presidents General, Mrs. Adlai E. Stevenson and Mrs. Matthew T. Scott, are, reunited as sisters, within their blessed family circles, among home friends, with the loving thought of thousands of Daughters all over this broad land holding them in memory, as the standard bearers and defenders of the ideals which we have inherited as a priceless legacy of the past. Chapter XIII MRS. DANIEL LOTHROP (Margaret Sidney) Founder of the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution, 1895 It was small wonder that from Mrs. Lothrop's loving heart and sympathetic nature should have emanated the beautiful thought of organizing the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution. The conviction that such a move was a necessity, and not a sentiment, had taken deep root in her alert brain. None but a woman full of tender solicitude for the youth of our country and con- cern for their future development along patriotic lines, would have given the subject the serious consideration which demanded unremitting effort and great sacrifice of time and strength. Mrs. Lothrop's fortunate environment and habit of life, early led to serious reflection upon the necessity of implanting in childhood, settled principles and fixed trend of thought. The atmosphere in which she was reared was instinct with child love, and Mrs. Lothrop's ar- dor in child development was not lessened by her marriage to Mr. Daniel Lothrop : "He was a pioneer in publishing books and periodicals especially adapted for young people; he was called the children's friend." Mrs. Lothrop's home is the old mansion in historic Con- cord known as "The Wayside." When the house was oc- 106 WKF-it- V« ^^ ' tt ^^^^K MRS. LOTHROP MRS. LOTHROP FOUNDER C. A. R. 107 cupied by the Alcott family it was called "The Hillside." The name was changed to "The Wayside" before Nathan- iel Hawthorne bought it, and it still retains the suggestive name. We do not know that it is the veritable "Little Brown House" for which Mrs. Lothrop was always looking, in which the Pepper stories originated. We can, however, readily imagine "The Five Little Peppers, and How They Grew," "The Five Little Peppers, Midway," and "The Five Little Peppers, Grown Up," at the various stages of existence, all clustered lovingly around the hearthstone of the fair woman in whose life they had filled such a large place. At home and abroad Mrs. Lothrop finds herself the ob- ject of admiration and affection, not only of the children of myriads of households, but of thousands of mothers, who bless her for the natural and true interpretation of child life. It is not, however, of the noted author, so singularly gifted, that we write; it is of the revered Mrs. Lothrop, whose pronounced efforts resulted in the resolution adopted at the Fourth Continental Congress, February 22, 1895. It /ill be of interest to read Mrs. Lothrop's appeal before the ^^ngress. It is as follows: "The time remaining to us to complete the work of this Congress is so brief that the few- est words possible must be used to bring forward this great and important cause of the children and youth. "The children and youth of America have a right to demand the opportunity to secure all those rights and priv- ileges that help forward to a perception and adoption of those American principles and institutions for which their 108 MRS. LOTHROP ancestors fought and died. On whom does this responsi- bihty rest, that will see to it that the children and youth have these rights and privileges which, by reason of their youth, they cannot claim and provide for themselves? "Surely the women of America are, by their God-given offices of mother and sister, set apart to do this very work ; and the Daughters of the American Revolution are again set apart from all other mothers and sisters because of their membership in this sacred cause for which the Soci- ety works. I appeal for the children and youth of America and I add to my appeal this resolution : "Resolved, That the Society of the Children of the American Revolution shall be organized and adopted by the Daughters of the American Revolution." The resolution that followed this appeal was: "Re- solved, That the Society of the Children of the American Revolution shall be organized and adopted by the Daugh- ters of the American Revolution. "Resolved, That upon the organization of the Society of the Children of the American Revolution it be placed in charge of Mrs. Lothrop, Regent of Old Concord Chapter, who proposed and originated it." The second notice I find of the children's organization is as follows : "National Society, Children of the American Revolu- tion." One of the first important measures of the Board of 1895 was the acceptance of the Constitution of the Society of the Children of the American Revolution, which was submitted to the Board at the April meeting by Mrs. FOUNDER C. A. R. 109 Daniel Lothrop, of Concord, Massachusetts, President of the Society. Next, Mrs, Lothrop read the constitution of the Chil- dren of the American Revolution. April 5 — Constitution of the Children of the American Revolution amended and accepted. Then came the Charter of the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution : "National Society OP THE Children of the American Revolution. The National Society of the Children of the American Revolution vi^as incorporated under the laws of congress applicable to the District of Columbia, April ii, 1895, and by such incorporation, 'The Head- quarters, or chief office, of said National Society, was fixed in the City of Washington, in the District of Columbia.' Honorary Presidents, Elected for Life, Mrs. Daniel Lothrop, (Founder) Concord, Mass. Mrs. George M. Sternberg, Washington, D. C." Mrs. Lothrop served as President of the National So- ciety of the Children of the American Revolution for six years. According to the records, "the first branch of the So- ciety was formed at Concord, Mass., on May nth, and the first public meeting was held July 4th, 1895, at the old South Meeting House in Boston. At the close of the first year's work, the membership was 318, with 58 Societies." One of the earliest Societies to be formed was the Sam- 110 MRS. LOTHROP Liel Ward Society, of Westerly, R. I., organized in August, 1895, by Mrs, Lothrop. This Society, co-operating with the William Latham Society, of Stonington, Conn., placed a tablet upon the Whitfield Elm, in commemoration of the historic occasion when the Rev. George Whitfield preached in 1747, from a platform built under this elm. A brass tablet was erected September 7, 1904, to Lieut. -Col. Samuel Ward, for whom the Society is named. Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, who was the grand-daughter of Lieut.-Col. Samuel Ward, delivered the address. One of the oldest Societies in the organization is The Little Men and Women of '76 Society, Brooklyn, N.Y., organized in October, 1896. This Society, during the Span- ish-American War, contributed to the Woman's National Relief Fund, the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument Fund, and to the Home of the Friendless Women and Children. Little Men and Women of '76 Society are the proud own- ers of two loving cups, offered for the largest contribu- tion to Memorial Continental Hall fund. In Washington Heights Park, Wilmington, Delaware, there is a drinking fountain, erected by the Blue Hens Chickens Society, at a cost of $300.00, erected to the mem- ory of Lieut. Clark Churchman, Delaware's son, who was killed during the Spanish-American War. On February i, 1896, in San Francisco, at the home of Mrs. S. Isabelle Hubbard, the first local Society of the Chil- dren of the American Revolution was organized, with twenty-eight charter members. The name submitted and adopted was the Valentine Holt Society of the Children of the American Revolution. This name was in honor of the thirteen year old lad who rendered valuable service in the FOUNDER C A. R. Ill War of the Revolution. With bravery and fearlessness he delivered the messages sent through him by Capt. Ben- jamin Farnham, for whom he was courier. His pathway was beset by marauding bands of Indians, and the still more dangerous English troops. Valentine Holt came of good old Revolutionary stock. His great great grand- father, Valentine, reached America from England about April 6th, 1635, and took a prominent part in all colonial enterprises, and left a long line of distinguished descend- ants. "Our little thirteen-year-old hero in his 77th year filed his application for a pension for unrequited services performed 64 years previously. He lived to round out his four score years." "At the close of this first year, a badge was awarded to the Society at the annual convention in Washington for special patriotic work. "To Valentine Holt Society was awarded, at the an- nual convention of the National Society Children of the American Revolution, of 1906, the loving cup offered by Mrs. George W. Baird, a National Vice President, to the Society contributing the largest sum during the year for Continental Hall. "The long service of Mrs. A. S. Hubbard, President of Valentine Holt Society, of San Francisco, California, deserves commendation. Mrs. Hubbard organized the So- ciety in 1896, served continuously as its President until the earthquake of 1907, after which efforts were made, but without success, to bring together again its widely scat- tered members." It was a delight to the Daughters to again greet Mrs. Lothrop at the Nineteenth Continental Congress. She was 112 MRS. LOTHROP there by invitation of the President General, Mrs. Scott. She captured the large audience by her rare beauty and with her charm of manner. On Mrs. Lothrop's return from Europe in 1906, she brought as a gift to the Daughters, a book which she desig- nated as the Roll of Honor Book. It was made of the finest Venetian leather, and by special order, heavy white paper was made for it, suitable to the purpose for which it was to be used. For $50.00 any Daughter of the Amer- ican Revolution, and any Chapter of the American Revo- lution, and any member of the Children of the American Revolution, could be enrolled, the accumulating funds to be given to Memorial Continental Hall. The Book was kept open at the Nineteenth Continental Congress until Friday afternoon, April 22, 1910, when it was enclosed in a mahogany box, upon which Mrs. Lothrop had previously had inscribed an appropriate inscription. In closing her splendid presentation speech, she said : "I wanted it to show the record and title of each member who was enrolled. I also wanted to enroll the special thing that each member has done outside in the great work of the world's progress, so that we could all turn to that and say : 'It is not for the sake of exploiting ourselves or our work as Daughters, but it is to show that we did other work in the world's great broad field outside.' " At this date, February, 19 10, there are 130 active Soci- eties and nearly ten thousand children have been enrolled in the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution. FOUNDER C. A. R. 113 The National Society of the Children o£ the American Revolution is now an independent organization, but holds the closest relations to the parent Society, and most of the local Societies are under the care of the local D.A.R. Chap- ters. Chaptfr XIV. MRS. JOHN MURPHY Founder Children of the Republic When I think of the Children of the RepubHc and its objects, a sweet memory arises of the gifted woman who first suggested that patriotic work among the children of aliens should have place upon the calendars of the National Society. Mrs. John A. Murphy, of Cincinnati, was the Founder and the first Chairman of the Committee. While Mrs. Murphy is properly accredited to Ohio, and her life work mainly accomplished there, yet it must be admitted that both she and her beloved work have become national in character and effect. No one who had ever come under the fascination of her exceptional beauty and bewitching vivacity could forget her charm or resist her appeals in be- half of the cause she so earnestly espoused. Her sudden and untimely death were recognized as a serious drawback to her cherished undertaking, and her loss was felt to be a personal one to every member of the Society whose privi- lege it was to have known her. Mrs. Murphy's mantle has fallen upon the shoulders of her daughter, Mrs. Edwin S. Gardner, Jr., of Tennes- see, who is Chairman of the Committee on Children of the Republic. At the Nineteenth Continental Congress Mrs. Gardner gave the fifth annual report of this committee. 114 MRS. MURPHY FOUNDER C. R. 115 At the Twentieth, she reported ninety Clubs in fourteen states — too small a number altogether for the size of the organization. By her quiet dignity, perfect poise, and fa- miliarity with her subject, Mrs. Gardner won all hearts at the Congresses, and she is often spoken of as a President General possibility. MEMBERSHIP OF THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOIyUTlON 1892— IQII. MEMBERSHIP PAGE February 1892 1306 Smithsonian Report 39 February 1893 2760 Smithsonian Report 41 February 1894 4710 Smithsonian Report 42 February 1895 8198 Smithsonian Report 42 February 1896 12218 Smithsonian Report 44 February 1897 18000 Smithsonian Report 47 February 1898 23097 American Monthly Magazine 564 February 1899 27432 American Monthly Magazine 567 February 1900 31 192 American Monthly Magazine 490 February 1901 American Monthly Magazine 432 February 1901 35092 American Monthly Magazine 441 February 1902 American Monthly Magazine 1107 February 1902 American Monthly Magazine 993 February 1903 American Monthly Magazine 1 161 April 1904 47445 admitted American Monthly Magazine... 291 40264 actual American Monthly Magazine April 1905 51662 admitted American Monthly Magazine... 222 42804 actual American Monthly Magazine April 1906 56028 admitted American Monthly Magazine... 705 45636 actual April 1907 60698 admitted American Monthly Magazine... 723 49553 actual April 1908 66436 admitted American Monthly Magazine... 207 53784 actual April 1909 72757 admitted American Monthly Magazine . . . 238 58024 actual April 1910 79713 admitted (Proceedings of the 60 63510 actual 19th Congress.) 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