1868, MAY 14 MAY 14, 1918.

NANCY MARIA SMITH-GEO. D. CHAFEE.

Dear Friend:

By the figures at the top of this sheet it is shown that Rie and I will have been wedded a half-century when that last date arrives.

Fifty years ago we did not look so far ahead, but for a time past we have hoped we might live to see it, and now it seems probable we may see our golden anniversary.

We have thought of the event much and planned for it a little.

In our minds' eye we have looked forward to the day as a time when all the kith and kin, old friends and new ones from near and far, great and small, might meet us at our home.

This dream of ours has had a painful awakening, by the rude shock of a cruel, unholy, terrorizing world war, that reaches its bloody talons into every household, tearing away the best, brightest, most capable of our young manhood and womanhood, wounding and lacerating the hearts of older people; attacking the farm, the store, the shop, the office and the school, halving the larder and commandeering the income of all.

The cry of the Red Cross, the Y. M. C. A., the K. C. and kindred charities for help and more help, added to the urgent, imperative demand of our government for billions of dollars, are together so great, so insistent, so needful now, that all purely personal matters must yield to them.

This concatenation of regretful things overshadows us all, and we surrender our desire for a gathering of kith and kin, and friends, but will be most glad to see any and all who can come on that day, or later, or, if anything prevents coming, we will appreciate a greeting by post.

At our sixtieth or seventy-fifth anniversary we hope you all may come and meet with us on the lawn of Kaskia Woods, that wars and rumors of wars shall have ceased, and together we may sing "Peace on earth, good will to men.

Kaskia Woods, Shelbyville, Ill.

Sincerely,

GEO. D. CHAFEE.
No presents.

MEMORIAL HOSPITAL DEDICATED AT SHELBYVILLE, ILLINOIS.

The Shelby County Memorial Hospital was dedicated at Shelbyville, Illinois, on July 4, 1918. The dedicatory exercises were held from the steps of the hospital. B. P. Dearing, acting chairman of the board of trustees, presided. The audience, in which nearly every section of the county and various creeds and classes were represented, occupied seats in the shade.

The program of exercises was as follows: Prayer by the Rev. J. E. Kieffer of the Lutheran Church; the singing of "America" by the Glee Club and audience; a brief address by Dr. R. C. Danford of Pana; reading by William C. Eddy; short talks by Rev. J. M. Heslin of the Catholic Church and Rev. N. H. Robertson of the Christian Church, the latter of whom read President Wilson's four-minute Independence Day message to the people; a solo by Miss Dorothy Bolinger; an address by Dr. J. J. McShane, representative of the State Board of Health; a reading by Miss Winifred Douthit and solo by Mrs. Hazel Eddy-Gault. Before the benediction by Rev. J. A. Tracy of the Presbyterian Church, Rev. M. G. Coleman of the First Methodist Church conducted a moneyraising campaign. Four thousand dollars were needed, and a third of it was subscribed, the largest subscriber being Mrs. H. M. Scarborough, already a generous donor, who contributed an additional $500.

Prior to this solicitation, however, Dr. W. J. Eddy announced that Colonel Dudley C. Smith of Normal, a former resident of Shelbyville, had given the hospital $10,000 as an endowment fund in memory of his mother, Mrs. Nancy Fitzgerald Smith, to be known as the Nancy Fitzgerald Smith Endowment Fund, provisions of the gift being that it should be continually loaned on real estate mortgages or invested in government bonds, and one free bed maintained.

This is the second gift of $10,000 received by the hospital from Colonel Smith. His first donation of $10,000 was received early in the year, and like the second, was for endowment purposes. Colonel Smith was present at the dedicatory services, and after the announcement of his generous gift, responded to a request to address the audience.

Prior to the exercises the hospital was thrown open for inspection, and for an hour was thronged with people, most of whom were getting their first glimpse of its interior in its finished condition.

In the receiving line were Mrs. W. C. Kelley, Mrs. C. E. Keller and Miss Mary Seaman, members of the board of trustees of the hospital; Miss Lela Van Pelt, the matron, and Miss Leona McCracken and Miss Gussie Newkirk, local trained nurses. In several of the rooms that had been furnished by churches or other organizations there were hostesses and the members of the board of trustees acted as guides in showing the various rooms and departments to the best advantage.

DONORS OF FURNISHINGS.

The hospital is comfortably and attractively furnished, certain individuals and societies having shares in the opportunity to equip the rooms with one, two or three beds.

In addition to these rooms are the operating room, maternity, bath, linen and other rooms, and in the basement the kitchen, dining room and other apartments, including the laundry and a contagious disease ward, which is entirely shut off from every other room in the building, entrance to which is only from the exterior. Mrs. H. J. Hamlin furnished the dining room.

Another gift, not in cash but representing considerable value, came to the hospital from John Berchtold of Sigel, a former resident of Shelbyville. Mr. Berchtold, who is the patentee of a window shade fixture, has equipped every window of the hospital with this fixture-something like sixty-five sets.

MUCH FOR LITTLE.

The wonder of those who inspect the hospital, particularly of builders and medical men, is that so much has been accomplished at such little cost. Approximately only $26,000 has been put into the structure itself, while the furniture represents an outlay of something like $4,000 and the electric elevator $2,000, and the cost of the fixtures adding somewhat to the total.

The success of the project, which was begun two years ago in a systematic campaign for funds, is due in large measure to the indefatigable work of the board of trustees, which consists of the following named men and women: Mrs. W. C. Kelley, Mrs. C. E. Keller, Miss Mary Seaman, B. P. Dearing, V. E. Mullins, Theo. Roessler, J. W. Coventry, O. W. Walker and W. E. Killam. An advisory council of three men of the medical profession-Drs. H. E. Monroe, W. J. Eddy and Theo. Thompson- has cooperated heartily with the board, and from the untiring work of the trustees, with the financial support of the people of the city and county, has come the splendid institution that will care for the sick and injured, under the competent direction of Miss Van Pelt, who has impressed all who have met her as capable and efficient and withal a charming woman.

LETTER FROM LIEUTENANT DINSMORE ELY, WHO WAS KILLED IN FRANCE.

A letter from Lieutenant Dinsmore Ely, who was killed in France in the aviation service in the Toul sector on April 21, 1918, was received by his father, Dr. James O. Ely of Winnetka, on April 30, 1918.

The young officer closed his letter with these words: "And I want to say, in closing, if anything should happen to me, let's have no mourning in spirit or in dress. Like a Liberty Bond, it is an investment, not a loss, when a man dies for his country. It is an honor to a family, and is that a time for weeping? I would rather leave my family rich in pleasant memories of my life than numbed in sorrow at my death."

On Sunday, April 28, 1918, the parents of the dead soldier held a funeral service at their summer cottage at Donaldson, Wisconsin. The family gathered together the boy's personal belongings and placed them in his canoe. His woods' pack, his fishing tackle, his guns and blankets were placed in the canoe and covered by evergreens and flowers gathered by his mother. Over all was placed an American flag, and the canoe with its precious cargo was towed out into the little lake,

which was a favorite resort of the young soldier. Then it was sunk beneath the quiet waters.

The letter, with its pathetic prophecy and admonition to his loved ones, came as a message from the brave young spirit which had taken its flight.

Lieutenant Ely was buried by his comrades at Versailles.

When our army is made up of such valiant and serene souls as was this young man, it can not fail of its purpose, which is help all the people of the world help themselves and make the world a safer and a better place in which to live.

ADDRESS OF CHARLES M. SCHWAB IN THE INTERNATIONAL AMPHITHEATRE AT THE

STOCKYARDS, CHICAGO, JUNE 28, 1918.

At a meeting held under the joint auspices of the State Council of Defense, the National Security League and the Illinois Manufacturers' Association on Friday evening, June 28, 1918, Charles M. Schwab, "the Nation's warship builder," told an immense audience-a greater number of whom were workers in the industrial plants of Chicagoabout the plans for the launching of ninety big ships from the several shipyards of the United States on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on July 4. Mr. Schwab spoke to the audience on the duties of American citizens, from the most influential man or woman down to the humblest citizen or boy or girl, not only in time of war, but in the reconstruction times of peace to follow the winning of the war.

Mr. E. N. Hurley of Chicago, who, with Mr. Charles A. Piez, also of Chicago, is associated with Mr. Schwab in the national shipbuilding plans, gave an earnest and patriotic address. Mr. Piez also addressed the meeting and gave some figures as to the amount of tonnage which had been sunk by the enemy's submarine warfare, and the amount which England and America is able to produce to offset these losses.

Mr. Samuel Insull, chairman of the State Council of Defense, presided over the meeting and introduced the speakers.