WOMAN'S RELIEF CORPS Red Book CONTAINING THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE WOMAN'S RELIEF CORPS Auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic AND DECISIONS AND NOTES THEREON Adopted by Twenty-third National Convention REVISED EDITION, MAY, 1914 BOSTON, MASS. GRIFFITH-STILLINGS PRESS 1914 A1 PREFACE. T the Twenty-first National Convention of the Woman's Relief Corps, held in San Francisco, Cal., August 20-21, 1903, the Committee on Report of National Counselor, in accordance with her Recommendation "that the Decisions of all National Conventions should be properly compiled and classified for easy reference," approved the following Recommendation: That a committee of three Past National Presidents be appointed to compile these Decisions, and that each Past National President be consulted regarding Decisions of her Conventions, so that the work may be made as perfect as possible. This was unanimously adopted, and the National President, Lodusky J. Taylor, appointed the undersigned committee. For various reasons it became necessary to defer the completion of this work, but a brief report of progress was submitted to the Twenty-second National Convention held in Boston, Mass., August 17-18, 1904. The report was accepted, and the following Recommendation unanimously adopted: That all necessary expense incurred in preparing and publishing the work be rendered on itemized bills, and paid by the National Treasurer on approval of National President. The subjects included in the Rules and Regulations will be found arranged in alphabetical order in the index. Decisions and opinions are placed under their proper heads. If a more exhaustive examination is deemed necessary, references are made to the pages of Journals where they may be found in full. Realizing the importance of preserving the early history of our Order, the "Introduction" in former Red Book, by Past National President Kate B. Sherwood, with additional matter, has been placed in this book. The name of Red Book is familiar to all, and was given to the first compilation of laws by an honored National President, Annie Wittenmyer, now deceased. Many of her notes, explanatory of points of law, are so clear that the committee feel justified in inserting the same. The Red Book is a counterpart of the Blue Book, the standard authority of the Grand Army of the Republic, and the committee deem it advisable to issue the book under its former name. Respectfully submitted in F., C. & L. MARY L. CARR, EMMA R. WALLACE, HARRIET J. BODGE, Committee on Compilation and Publication. CONCORD, N.H., June 17, 1906. The following compilation of Decisions of the several National Conventions, as prepared by the Committee, is hereby approved as directed by the Twenty-third National Convention. See Journal, 1905, p. 340. This revision of the WOMAN'S RELIEF CORPS RED BOOK by the Twenty-fourth National Convention is hereby approved. Attest: MARY R. MORGAN, National Secretary. ABBIE ASENATH ADAMS, National President. PREFACE TO JANUARY EDITION, 1912. The Twenty-Seventh National Convention of the Woman's Relief Corps, upon recommendation of National President Mary L. Gilman, constituted a "Standing Committee to be known as the Committee on Rules and Regulations, to whom shall be referred all proposed changes and amendments to the Rules and Regulations, Ritual, Service Book, blanks and all other forms used by authority of the National Convention,the members of such committee to be elected, one for one year, one for two years and one for three years, and annually thereafter, one for three years." In accordance with such decision the following were elected: Mary L. Gilman, Harriet J. Bodge, Mary L. Carr. At the Twenty-Eighth National Convention, consequent upon the resignation of the Chairman, Mary L. Gilman, Mary L. Carr was elected to complete her unexpired term and Jennie Iowa Berry, retiring National President, was elected third member. On recommendation of National President Belle C. Harris, the Twenty-Ninth National Convention assigned the committee to the work of publishing a "Red Book" which should contain all laws and decisions to date. In preparing this edition (January, 1912) the original plan of construction has been closely followed and an endeavor made to place all decisions and explanatory notes directly below the law to which they refer. Owing to the large number of new decisions to be entered, the committee, not desiring to change in form the book so |