American Monthly Magazine VOL. XXXV. WASHINGTON, D. C., JULY, 1909. No. 1. ADDRESS TO THE EIGHTEENTH CONTINENTAL CONGRESS ON THE ELECTION TO THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT GENERAL, MRS. MATTHEW T. SCOTT Madam President General and Ladies of the Eighteenth Continental Congress: I am overwhelmed with the warmth of your reception and with a sense of the high honor you have conferred upon me. I shall be content if only one fold of the mantle of my great predecessor falls upon me. [Applause.] But I pray you, ladies, envelop me in the folds of another mantle, that of your charity for my shortcomings, and let your constructive imagination read into my character all those qualities which should be the splendid endowment of the woman who aspires to sit in the exalted chair of the President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution. A splendid administration has drawn to a splendid close. Its glorious sunset ravishes our senses and dazzles our vision. But yonder crescent and morning star shines with subdued radiance to usher in, we trust, the dawn of another day. [Applause.] Great things have been achieved; greater things are before us. In this our marble palace beautiful we have made stone speak our patriotism and gratitude to unsung heroes and heroines whom shaft nor tablet commemorates. Now the bugle call rings out to build monuments, temples out of human lives, moulded from the touch of our sympathetic hands, uplifted from the inspiration of our teaching and example. No greater power for good exists in this land than that which resides partially dormant in the Daughters of the American Revolution, our beloved and magnificent organization which, without partizanship, without sectarianism, without sectionalism, but with a constantly broader outlook, higher ideals, with a platform broad as fatherland and tender as motherland, moves on hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder in its grand work for home and country, for God and native land. Looking into your friendly faces I feel an electric thrill of sympathy and strength. It is a current of your strength transmitted to me; strength which will bear us together, you and me, upward and onward to the heights, [applause] heights where duty becomes pleasure, where theory is translated into practice; and that means service, service to God, service to our generation. [Applause.] WELCOME TO MRS. MATTHEW T. SCOTT By Letitia Green Stevenson Chapter. On June 12th, a day historic, the Letitia Green Stevenson Chapter welcomed home its beloved president general, Mrs. Matthew T. Scott. The reception and banquet at the Illinois Hotel was an event memorable in the history of Bloomington, as well as in the annals of the chapter. The brilliant and distinguished company was made up of men and women who have figured prominently in the affairs of state and nation. They had gathered to pay homage to a woman, who, by her noble character and loving service, has made her name the symbol of all that is beautiful and good a woman whom to honor is a privilege. The guests gathered in the parlors of the hotel, where Mrs. Scott received, assisted by Mrs. A. E. Stevenson, honorary president general; Mrs. John C. Ames, of Streator, state regent; Mrs. Caroline F. Kimball, regent of Letitia Green Stevenson Chapter; Mrs. Sain Welty, vice state regent; Mrs. George Elwood McGrew, of Chicago, state treasurer; Mrs. Edwin S. Walker, of Springfield, state historian; Mrs. Noble Shumway, of Ravenswood, state registrar; Mrs. Drayton Bushnell, vice-president from Iowa. The banquet hall, with its great flags at either end, was an old time garden of box trees and roses. From time to time the orchestra touched on patriotic themes that brought the company to its feet with cheers. At last the sound of music died away, the hum of many voices ceased, and expectant faces were turned toward the speakers' table to catch the words which would interpret the meaning of the occasion. Then Mrs. Benjamin P. Marsh, the mistress of toasts, smiled and said, "Behold, the conquering heroine comes." With apt allusions and brilliant sallies of wit, Mrs. Marsh introduced the speakers, who voiced a loving welcome to the president general. "The National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution," was the subject assigned to Mrs. Adlai E. Stevenson, honorary president general. Mrs. Stevenson possesses a native dignity of manner and person which lends a charm to anything which she says or does. When she recounted the work and purposes of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, there was an unconscious recollection in the mind of each of her auditors of the fact that she herself had been the second president general of the organization, the same office to which her sister, Mrs. Scott, has now been chosen. Speaking in particular of the choice of Mrs. Scott as the head executive of the society, Mrs. Stevenson said, in part: "As vice-president general of the National Society, she carried weight with her every word; as president of the Woman's Club of Bloomington, her work met with cordial and hearty approval; but her crowning glory is the office she now fills with distinct ability. Ability to criticise and to find fault, is of small value, but the power to create and to take the initiative is of vast importance, especially in so responsible a place." Then addressing the guest of honor, Mrs. Stevenson said: "Your election, Madam President General, was not only a just and great personal tribute, but an evidence of the estimate placed upon high standards in womanhood and capability along all lines. The great office of president general is no sinecure. The obligations are manifold, and the organization has grown in the flight of years to be one demanding large business experience and financial power." "Now, Madam President General, into your skilled hands and into your keeping we commit the sacred interests and welfare of seventy-one thousand and more Daughters, who by their loyal support have made you head of the great organization. "We know that you will keep the troth-that what we have committed to your care is safe, and believe that your efforts will be crowned with abundant success, and that your reward will be the love and reverence of every Daughter." The state regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution is Mrs. John C. Ames, of Streator, who on this occasion responded to the toast "Illinois." Mrs. Ames was introduced as the woman who had distinguished herself in making the nomination speech for Mrs. Scott at the National Daughters of the American Revolution Congress. Those who heard her on this occasion could well believe that her eloquence and charm were powerful factors in winning the victory for the Illinois candidate for the presidency general. She possesses a grace of address and clear and resonant voice which carried her words to the ears and hearts of her auditors. In closing her beautiful little talk, Mrs. Ames said: "I must not stop to tell you of all the things Illinois has to be proud of, for there are many. We are here for the twofold purpose of welcoming home our president general and a counting of our blessings as Daughters of the American Revolution, of which we think she is chief. Thrice welcome, then, president general, to your state, your home, and your chapter." "Look in our eyes And read your welcome there From east, west, north and south After Mrs. Marsh, the toast mistress, had created among the banqueters a general wave of good humor by her witty references to Chicago, she introduced Mrs. George Ellwood McGrew to welcome the guest of the evening in the name of the Chicago Chapter, of which she is vice-regent. Mrs. McGrew is also state treasurer. She spoke in a charming manner of the Chicago Chapter and its relation to the other local chapters in the state. The more serious work along patriotic lines which the Chicago Daughters are trying to do was dwelt upon by |