The month of May, 1898, had not passed before relief committees had organized for the purpose of looking after the families of those soldiers of the National Guard who decided that their duty to the State and the country demanded their presence at the front, and little ones at home were left without a bread winner and protector.
The members of this Relief Committee were Mayor E.J. Turner of Rutherford, Mayor William McKenzie of East Rutherford, Rev. J.Y. Hubach, and Messrs. Charles Burrows, Oscar Gunz, William H. Smith, James Leyland, Cornelius Collins, Edward A. Jeanneret, James A. Morgan, William H. Taylor and P.B.S. Hodges. This committee received a total of $1,218.64, all of which was spent in the good cause.
Sunday, July 10th, a Service of Thanksgiving took place at Grace Episcopal Church. Special prayers were offered for sick and wounded soldiers and sailors, and for those who mourned dead heroes. It was in accordance with the proclamation issued by the President, and the sermon by the Rev. Henry M. Ladd, was along National lines, emphasizing the duties of the Christian soldier. After the presentation of the offering, the congregation and clergyman read antiphonally the psalm for thanksgiving after a naval victory, singing at its close the "Gloria in Excelsis." The service closed with the prayer of thanks for victory at sea, and a prayer for peace, followed by the Benediction.
It was a stirring service, and to have taken part in it was the event of a lifetime, and not likely to be repeated. Services of like nature were held in all the churches.
Tuesday evening, July 26th, a number of kindly volunteers, under the auspices of the Relief Committee, gave an entertainment in the Armory, which netted about $150. It was an excellent one, combining serio-comic drama with highly cultured singing and pleasing tableaux. The names of these devoted friends were as follows: "A Quiet Family," Messrs. George H. Whitman, James A. Morgan, Mrs. Mary Davis, Miss Lizzie Davis; orchestra, Mr. Louis Baxter and others; Grace Church choir, Mr. Charles H. Sunderland, leader, Mrs. T.N. Glover, Mrs. McAvoy, Mrs. Sunderland, the Misses D. Stevens, B. Stevens, Fanton, Williams, Reece, Johnstone, Smith, Elliott, Semken, Cosse and Haywood, and Messrs. Douglass, Barrows, Elliott, MacAdee, Parker, Critchley, Ahrens, Burns, Brown, Green, Shaw and Wilkins; tableaux: Miss Maude MacHarg, Mr. Wilkin Bookstaver and the rest of the company.
Another entertainment took place Thursday, July 28, which was very successful, the net proceeds being $91, and was sent to Jacksonville to provide better food for the sick of the company. The entertainment was managed by Mrs. W.E. Fullagar, who took considerable interest in the welfare of the company (she and her husband being with us at Jacksonville and Pablo Beach for nearly a month). Those taking part deserve to have a place in this narrative, and they follow: Mrs. M. Casta, Mr. Louis Baxter, Miss Mae Games Amery, Mr. L. Botting, Miss Nettie Dannheim, Mr. Arthur H. Hargrave, the Concordia Maennerchor of Carlstadt, Miss Mabel Taylor King, and six members of the Kirmess "Hornpipe Dance." Captain Ely, home on furlough, told anecdotes of camp life, which were very interesting. Another entertainment took place the week we arrived home, the proceeds of which were given to the Relief Committee.