Twelve chapters have formed since March 1st which are entitled to representation according to the Constitution. The dues of the Regents who organized were paid to March 1st. The dues of the members to be represented were paid prior to March 22d and the fiscal year. I, therefore, ask the courtesy of this Congress to have their date of organization recorded and grant them a seat in this body. Chapters organized after March 1, 1912: David City, Nebraska; Regent, Mrs. Dóra S. Bennett. Ganowanges, New York; Regent, Mrs. Grace P. Carpenter. Mersereau, New York; Regent, Mrs. Caroline V. R. Wright. Thirty-Ninth Star, South Dakota; Regent, Mrs. Maria L. Gove. Richard Arnold, Washington, D. C.; Regent, Mrs. Mary St. C. Blackburn. Samuel Gorton, Washington, D. C.; Regent, Miss Mary Elizabeth Smith. Little John Boyden, Washington, D. C.; Regent, Mrs. Sarah A. Clemons. Mount Hyalite, Montana; Regent, Mrs. Ella Clark Martin. Lake, Spirit Lake, Iowa; Regent, Mrs. Clara H. Brownell, Chapter at Georgetown, Ky.; Regent, Miss Katherine S. Bradley. Pawnee, Nebraska; Regent, Mrs. Carrie P. Bryson. Lucy Fellows, Iowa; Regent, Miss Amy E. Gilbert.

The following chapter had but 11 members March 1st, but as one new member was added at the March 6th Board meeting, making the required 12, I would ask that they be allowed representation: Daniel Chapman, Illinois.

Respectfully submitted,

FRANCES INGRAHAM MANN, Chairman Credential Committee.

MRS. MANN. Ladies, this I will read, coming from our Treasurer General:

April 15, 1912.

Madam President General and Members of the Congress: Your order of the Twentieth Congress, which reads, "After the first meeting of the Board of Management in March, no new chapters shall be authorized, nor Regents appointed, nor transfers granted until after the adjournment of Continental Congress of that year," has caused a vast amount of discussion, inasmuch as by the order, chapters have been authorized by the March Board.

I have the following order in my office:

"After the March Board meeting, transfers can be made from at large to be used only in the organization of such chapters as have been authorized by March Board meeting, representation to be decided by Congress."

If the Congress wishes these chapters to have representation, the chapters are formed and ready for representation. On the contrary, if the Congress decides that these chapters cannot have representation during this Congress, their formation will not be effective.

Very respectfully,

LULU R. HOOVER.

MRS. MANN. The report with its recommendations and request is respectfully submitted. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. Ladies, you have heard the report of the Credential Committee. What will you do with it?

MRS. NORTON. I would move that the report of the Chairman of the Credential Committee, with its recommendations, be accepted. (Seconded.)

THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. Are you ready for the question? It has been moved and seconded that the report of the Credential Committee, with its recommendations, be accepted. (Motion put and carried.) We will now have the roll call. Ladies, there are some greetings and notices which the Official Reader will give to you before the roll is called, because after the roll is called, probably many of you will retire, and we want you all to hear these.

(Announcements of State meetings, greetings and the following telegrams were read by the Official Reader :)

MRS. MATTHEW T. SCOTT,

President General, N. S., D. A. R.,

The Arlington, Washington, D. C.

Deeply appreciate your letter just received.

New York, April 11, 1912.

My heart too broken. Wish you every blessing of success. Loving greetings to all.

Utterly unable attend Congress.

EMILY N. R. MCLEAN.

Del Monte, California, April 14, 1912.

MRS. MATTHEW T. SCOTT,

President General D. A. R.,

Memorial Continental Hall, Corner 17th and D, Washington, D. C.

Dear Members: I have been hoping to be with you all at this Congress, but I cannot return from California before summer. With heartfelt affection, you have my best wishes and prayers for the work you will lay out for the coming year. May God's blessing be with you all.

MRS. DANIEL LOTHROP,

Founder Children American Revolution Society.

MRS. MATTHEW T. SCOTT,

Boston, Mass., April 14, 1912.

President General, N. S., D. A. R.

Deliver at 9.30 A. M., Memorial Continental Hall, Washington, D. C. The Mass. D. A. R. Founders' Club sends loyal greetings to our beloved and honored President General, Mrs. Matthew T. Scott, and the members of the Twenty-First Continental Congress. MRS. LUCY A. FAY,

President.

THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. Ladies, Mrs. Donald McLean is in deep sorrow. The beloved of her soul, her eldest daughter, has died recently from an illness contracted in the Philippines, and I do think we ought to rise in sympathy with this deeply bereaved woman, who has sent us such a beautiful telegram. (Congress arose in silent sympathy.)

(The Official Reader, after reading a few announcements, called the roll of those entitled to vote at the Twenty-First Continental Congress. See Appendix A.)

THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. Ladies, a request has been made that the "TwentyFirst Continental Congress rise in silent recognition of the passing away of Clara Barton, and in appreciation of her life work for suffering humanity. (Signed) Mrs. Fanning, authorized by the Western Reserve Chapter, Mrs. W. C. Boyle,

Regent." (Congress arose.) We will now have the report of the Program Committee, Mrs. Jamison, Chairman.

MRS. JAMISON. Madam President General and Members of the Twenty-first Continental Congress: The Program Committee has the honor to submit to you this program, of which you probably have copies. I would like to say, Madam President General, that this, being the twenty-first Congress of our National Society, we thought it would be of interest to reproduce the cover of the program of our first Congress. This is an exact copy-a fac-simile-of the program of the first Congress of our National Society. It is of additional value to us because there is only one copy of that program in existence, which was kindly loaned to us to copy.

The President General explained one matter that I should also like to incorporate in my report; that is, we made a change in the time of our formal opening exercises from the morning to the afternoon. This was to enable the members of the Congress to secure their badges and have their own seats for this occasion. This seemed the only way to meet the numerous requests, the almost numberless requests, to have some plan evolved by which Daughters coming here from all parts of our country should not be crowded out from their own opening exercises. This seemed to be a way and was most decidedly worth trying. It is also of interest as having been the order of the opening exercises of our first Continental Congress. That was the order of the program of our first Congress, so is not really an innovation. We have simply gone back to our old methods. I have the honor to submit this program for your attention. (See Appendix B.) THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. You have heard the report of the Chairman of the Program Committee. What will you do with it?

THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. Now, ladies, we will sing "The Star Spangled Banner." Our Precentor will sing the verses and we will all join in the chorus. Then a motion for a recess will be in order and at the expiration of the recess we will reassemble here at 3 o'clock, when the formal opening of the Society will be held. MRS. ORTON. Madam President General: A question of information. Is it understood that the Daughters will be in possession solely here this afternoon, or will the general public be admitted?

THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. The public will not be admitted this afternoon and for once we are going to have an exclusive meeting of our own. (Applause.) MRS. DAY. Two more delegates have arrived for the Tennessee delegation. MRS. PATTON, of Maryland. Madam President General: May we ask that our Precentor be officially introduced to us? We are so glad to welcome one of our Daughters as our leader.

THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. Ladies, I have been asked to introduce formally our Frecentor, Mrs. Ralph Barnard, of Washington, D. C., who is a Daughter of the American Revolution, and a daughter of a Daughter.

(Mrs. Barnard was then presented to the Congress, and the Congress joined in singing "The Star Spangled Banner.")

THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. Ladies, will some one make a motion now for a recess until 3 o'clock this afternoon?

(Upon motion of Miss Waples, duly seconded, a recess was taken at 12.40 P. M. until 3 o'clock.)

MONDAY, AFTERNOON SESSION, APRIL 15, 1912.

The formal opening of the Twenty-first Continental Congress on Monday afternoon was marked by the beauty and dignity, the pomp and ceremony, of a great occasion of state. Auditorium and galleries of stately Memorial Continental Hall, filled with handsomely gowned women, decorated with flags and patriotic emblems, and fragrant with the loveliest flowers of the spring, presented a brilliant and never-to-be-forgotten scene. The boxes were filled with distinguished friends of the Daughters, and a notable company of men and women occupied the platform. A stir of anticipation ran through the assemblage as the clear notes of a bugle call sounded. This swelled into a splendid demonstration of enthusiasm, as the President General, on the arm of Dr. Parker, President General of the Sons of the American Revolution, passed down the aisle, to the strains of patriotic music; preceded by her beautiful pages and accompanied by former President General, Mrs. Foster, escorted by Mr. John Manson; former President General, Mrs. Fairbanks, escorted by Mr. Bernard Green; and Mrs. A. W. Greely, escorted by Professor Libbey, of Princeton, Secretary of the Sons of the Revolution.

The President General's gavel called the Congress to order; again the bugle call rang out; the Marine Band played "The Star Spangled Banner"; the great audience rose to its feet, and prolonged and deafening applause welcomed the entrance of the President of the United States.

THE PRESIDENT GENERAL. Ladies of the Twenty-first Continental Congress: I desire to assure the President that whatever the attitude of the Canadian people may be toward the question of reciprocity, the women of this country are overwhelmingly in favor of that great principle. They always have been, and ever will be, willing to meet him and his sex half way. In truth, so thoroughly imbued are we with this great idea, that even a suggestion of annexation does not daunt

us.

As a matter of fact, from the beginning of our first, to the end of our second childhood, if there is any one word that is dearer to the feminine heart, even than the word "reciprocity," it is probably the word "annexation."

Ladies, it is my great privilege to present to you, the great apostle of reciprocity between nations, solidarity between classes, inter-dependence between the sexes, and peace and amity between all the races and peoples beneath the sunthe President. (Applause.)

(The Marine Band played "The Star-Spangled Banner.")

THE PRESIDENT. Daughters of the American Revolution: I am here to discharge the pleasant annual duty that falls to the President of the United States of welcoming the beauties of spring and the beauties of the Daughters. (Applause.) They come together, and the sweet association of the two things makes you very welcome.

I hope that your deliberations this year may be as useful as those which you have had in the past. Your numbers indicate that the interest in what you are to do is as great as it ever has been. You are here to stimulate the memories of, and the respect for, those men who made this nation possible and who laid broad its foundation in the Constitution of the United States; and you are here, if I

understand, to uphold the principles of that Constitution, and to insist on their preservation as long as this nation shall endure. (Applause.)

We have reached a time in the history of politics in this country when we have to take down our copies of the Constitution and our copies of the Federalist, and of the history of the growth of our institutions, and renew our vows to the principles that were there embodied in our governmental structure, to insist that they shall not be departed from, but that they shall be maintained in their vitalizing force to continue our pursuit of happiness and the guaranties of our institutions for the maintenance of liberty regulated by law. (Applause.) I am saying these things not because I believe it is necessary to say them to you to convince you of the soundness of such principles, but because I know they are with you always, even in your prayers, and that you believe them as thoroughly as I do. (Applause.) But it does not hurt to repeat your prayers. It does not hurt to repeat your creed, whether it be a religious creed or a political creed.

Now, I have said all that I can say. I am glad you are here. Every time I see a Daughter on the street, I feel like taking off my hat and shaking hands with her and giving her an individual welcome, even though it can not lead to the union or to annexation to which your President has referred.

You are very welcome. I hope you may stay as long as you can, and enjoy, as I know you do, the beauties of this Capital that bears the name of the greatest American. (Applause.)

(The band again played "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the President left the hall.)

(Mrs. Fowler, Vice-President General of Indiana, in the chair.)

THE PRESIDENT GENERAL, Ladies of the Twenty-first Continental Congress: Just twenty-one short years ago there met in this, our National Capital, a small group of noble and far-sighted women, whose view reached back into a glorious past, to dwell with admiration and love upon the heroic achievements of the mighty dead; and whose prophetic glance, likewise, swept forward into the formless void of the future; seeing there, also, a majestic panorama vision of generation after generation of devoted Sons and Daughters, working out the exalted destiny of a common country. These women were the beloved and honored originators of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolutionthe mighty organization which, in less than one generation, has sprung from that small beginning.

Ladies, I regret to state that there are people in this land who still persist in misunderstanding our aims and purposes. There are those who, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, decline to see in us anything but a species of mutual admiration society, for the promotion of "pink teas" and ancestor worship. To them our chapter meetings, as well as our State Conferences and National Congresses, seem to be mere inconsequential gatherings of a semi-social nature, for the purpose of reading the minutes of the last meeting, and electing officers for forthcoming ones. To them our patriotic principles and efforts are merely a cloak to hide our real purpose, namely, the furthering of the paltry, tawdry ambition of the alert among us to gain admission to the social citadels of the elite. What a fatuous and flimsy travesty upon our unrivalled Society is this nightmare of the destructive imagination!

Our great organization has never done anything, and I feel sure never will do anything, to furnish a basis in fact for such uncharitable and unworthy suspicions.