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Women's Club Work.

In club work the women of Shreveport lead. Shreveport has two large chapters, the "Pelican," and the "Shreveport Chapter, 1776-1908" and a chapter of the "Daughters of the Revolution." It was here that the first civic league in the State was formed, and in season and out of season, the women of Shreveport have preached the gospel of civic betterment.

Here also is the headquarters of the State Mother's Congress; the Women's Prohibition League, the Women's National Rivers and Harbors Congress, and the State Forestry Association. And here, six years ago, lead by Hypatia Club of Shreveport, the State Federation of Women's Clubs was organized.MRS. HATTIE HARRIS WILLIAMS, Historian.

Colonial Daughters Chapter (Farmington, Maine).—Colonial Daughters Chapter, No. 17, of Farmington, Maine, completes a year of successful work.

Colonial Daughters Chapter, of Farmington, Maine, was organized June 25, 1908, with forty-eight charter members. Mrs. Lillian M. Paine had been appointed regent, a most fortunate selection, and other offices were duly filled with capable women.

The organization was formed auspiciously, the State regent, Mrs. Charles A. Creighton, being present and a very pleasant banquet with post prandial speeches, poems, etc., following the business exercises.

During the first year the chapter has increased greatly in membership and at the end of its first twelve months numbered seventy-eight with others on the list of candidates. The chapter has had the sorrow of parting with its vice regent, Mrs. Henrietta K. C. Lowell, whose death, which occurred in March last, has been previously reported.

Meetings for business, with interesting literary programmes and social pleasures, have been held monthly with occasional special meetings as the many-sided interests of the chapter seemed to require. The literary programmes have been of a high order, consisting of essays, historical, biographical and geographical articles on the State of Maine, particularly in the Revolutionary period. These heavier parts have been relieved

by entertaining letters from absent members, by music, usually by refreshments, and often by words of greeting from some visiting Daughters of the American Revolution. Our social, business and executive meetings have generally been held at

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Regent and Organizer of Colonial Daughters' Chapter, Farmington,

Maine.

the spacious home of our regent, while our regular meetings, by the courtesy of the late principal, Geo. C. Purington, of the State Normal School, have been held in one of the handsome rooms of the Normal building.

Among special gatherings have been a lawn party to celebrate the eighty-fifth birthday anniversary of the eldest member, Mrs.

Mary B. Norton; a farewell reception at the home of the regent, to a prospective bride, who was soon to go to the Philippines for her wedding; a picnic outing at the summer home of Mrs. Mary C. Adams, Wilton; and last, but by no means least, a pilgrimage of twenty miles over country roads to the grave of Mrs. Elizabeth (Nichols) Dyar in the town of Freeman, and of whom I will speak a little later on. The same day the company visited the graves of Mr. and Mrs. Winch, also in Freeman. and marked the spot with the flag, as both Mrs. and Mrs. Winch did noble service in the Revolution. On one occasion the chapter had the great pleasure of entertaining Mrs. Julia A. (Coffren) Woodman, of Wilton, a "Real Daughter," and a member of Frances Dighton Williams Chapter, of Bangor.

During the early months of the chapter's existence a lecture by the Rev. W. H. Morrison, of Brockton, Massachusetts, was given under its auspices. The subject of the lecture was "Lafayette, the Friend of Washington," and it was an interesting coincidence that an ancestor of one of the Farmington Daughters of the American Revolution was the officer detailed to escort General Lafayette to the headquarters of General Washington when the former first came to America. The young officer was John Lyon. His descendant is Miss Isie Linscott.

Washington's birthday, or a date as near it as could be made available, was made the occasion for inviting our gentlemen friends and a very enjoyable evening resulted. Many of the ladies and a few of the gentlemen were dressed in Colonial costumes, old time music was rendered, old fashioned dances were danced, old style refreshments were served.

As a means of revenue Colonial Daughters Chapter has published a cook-book that has been very favorably received and is having a good sale. It soon paid for the expense of publishing and promises considerable profit. The Chapter is ambitious of owning a home of its own and of establishing an antiquarian museum. With this in view many busy fingers are plying needles and otherwise preparing for a fair in the near future. The proceeds will be laid by for the purpose named.

The committee on Historic Landmarks and Research have been remarkably active and energetic, and with the coöperation of other members of the chapter have located the graves of

upwards of sixty Revolutionary soldiers. In several cases the history of the hero has been published in the local paper. It is the purpose of the Chapter to secure before the summer ends government headstones for several who have no such memo. rials.

The story of Mrs. Elizabeth (Nichols) Dyar, mentioned

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above, is of unusual interest. She was living in Boston when the war broke out and with her own hands mixed the paint and applied it to the faces of the men who disguised themselves as Indians before they went to the Harbor to throw the unwelcome tea overboard. A picture of Mrs. Dyar's tombstone at Freeman, Franklin county, Maine, is found herewith.

Colonial Daughters Chapter during its first year has bought,

framed and presented to five schools copies of the Declaration of Independence. It has sought to encourage the youth of the public schools to study American history and in coöperation with the State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, has offered prizes for historical essays.

Colonial Daughters Chapter has paid for its charter, has made contributions to Continental Hall in Washington, and other good causes, has purchased a full set of Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Books, which are kept in the public library, and has a good round sum in the treasury with which to begin another year and to aid in other patriotic and beneficent works the chapter has in contemplation. The chapter, under the inspiring leadership of its regent, has aroused much interest not only among its members but among many others in the study of local history, and in some places a pride to make the old burying grounds more sightly has been awakened. All familiar with the work the chapter has accomplished and the influence it has acquired its first year feel that it was not organized in vain.

Our regent, Mrs. Paine, has attended the annual meeting of the State organization, the field day gathering also and was present at the entire session of the National Congress in Washington last April, bringing back to us in each case such vivid reports that we were made to realize we are a part of the larger organizations of State and Nation and have a hand in the great work they are trying to perform. To further aid us in keeping in close touch with the great National order fourteen copies of the AMERICAN MONTHLY MAGAZINE are taken by the Chapter. One of these goes direct to the public library for the benefit of all of the patrons.

The first year of Colonial Daughters Chapter closed with a picnic dinner, June 24, followed by an entertaining programme of music, recitations, etc. The election of officers resulted in the reëlection of all the general officers except the vice-regent. whose death necessitated the choice of another, Mrs. Alice B. Steele, who is admirably fitted for the position. The committees are many and so arranged as to give every member a place on one or another. In this way every person is made to feel she has a work to do and is essential to the success of the chap

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