the women of the North and South; caused many of them to study the constitution of their country and parliamentary law; rescued from oblivion the memory of many heroic women of the Revolution; examined and certified to the 1,000 nurses sent by the Surgeon General's office to the Spanish-American War; raised $300,000 in money and sent 56,000 garments to the hospitals during that war; contributed $85,000 for a Memorial Hall in Washington, D. C. It has organized children's societies and taught them love for the flag and all it means; made foreign-born children realize what it is to be American citizens; offered medals and scholarships for historical essays by pupils in schools and colleges; helped erect the monuments to Lafayette and Washington in Paris. By requiring careful investigation of claims to membership the society has caused many families to become re-united who had been separated by immigration to remote parts of the country, and has stimulated a proper pride of birth — not descent from royalty and nobility but from men and women who did their duty in their generation and left their descendants the priceless heritage of pure homes and honest government. The society has 600 chapters and over 36,000 members.
The Society of the Daughters of the Revolution was organized Aug. 20, 1891, to perpetuate the patriotic spirit of the men and women who achieved American independence; to commemorate prominent events connected with the War of the Revolution; to collect, publish and preserve the rolls, records and historic documents relating to this period and to encourage the study of the country's history.
Through its State organizations it has marked with tablets historic places; promoted patriotism by gifts of historical pictures to public schools; helped to bring about an observance of Flag Day through the general society; given prizes to various women's colleges for essays on topics connected with the War of the Revolution; raised $5,000 to erect a monument at Valley Forge in memory of Washington's Army. The present work is the establishment of a fund to be loaned in proper sums to girls trying to make their way through college. It has nineteen State societies and 3,200 members.
The Colonial Dames of America were organized in New York City, May 23, 1890, to honor the brave men who in any important service contributed to the achievement of American independence; to collect manuscripts, traditions and relics and to foster a true spirit of patriotism. A hereditary society was deemed the most effective for this purpose. It has made a collection of valuable manuscripts, pedigrees, photographs and books; effected restorations in the old Swedes' Church at Wilmington, placed tablets in Baltimore, to Washington, and in Kingston, N. Y., to Governor Clinton. Historic tableaux have been given in the city of New York, with readings of original papers and lectures by historians. The publication of the "Letters to Washington" from the original manuscripts in the Department of State, has reached its fourth and last volume. For the sick and wounded in the Spanish-American War the society
