Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 28.djvu/236

 Southern Historical Society Papers,

to the regular business of the annual session ; the latter portion to the exercises commemorative of Robert E. Lee. A beautiful fea- ture of the evening was the presentation of the Cross of the Legion of Honor to Dr. Palmer by the Daughters of the Confederacy.

MRS. WM. H. DICKSON,

who has presided over the Association with so much dignity and ability and under whose administration the Chapter has increased to such splendid proportions, opened the meeting with a few eloquent remarks on the character of the occasion that had brought the ladies together. Mrs. Dickson said:

We meet to-day, ladies, in annual session to hear the yearly re- ports of our officers and chairmen of committees, to elect officers for the coming year, and to celebrate the birthday and eulogize and memorialize our beloved hero, Robert E. Lee.

There was a burst of applause. Then Mrs. Dickson called for the annual reports of the officers and committees.

MRS. D. M. SHOLARS.

who has filled with such ability the office of Secretary, presented the following excellent report:

To the President and members of the New Orleans Chapter of the U. D. C. : In discharging the duty imposed upon me as the Record- ing Secretary of this Association, I have thought it well at the outset to quote in this report Article 2 of the Constitution of our Chapter, which declares the purpose for which the Association was organized, and is as follows, to-wit:

"The objects of this Association are memorial, and to that end educational, literary, social and benevolent. To collect and preserve all material for a truthful history of the Confederate States, and to honor the memory of all men and women who served that cause."

I shall undertake in this report in as brief and concise a form as possible to show how nearly this Chapter for the last twelve months has served the purpose for which it was organized.

The initial work of the year was the provision made at the first regular meeting for the entertainment of the State Convention held in this city on March i to 3. Fifty-five dollars was appropriated towards an entertainment for this Convention.