Show ADDRESS SS TO THE IV OMEN WOMEN OF AMERICA in the capital olour of our coi col country we have hyve tilis dy organized a central society for the suppression of extravagance tte the diminution 0 of foreign eign imports and the practice of economy in all our docial re relations lations to this ibis society we have bave given the name of the ladies national covenant Coven its ita object is a good and gen 1 serous rous one which should inspire a spirit of patriotism worthy of women who aie are the a great nation for fos this eo beocity city we bave have an example and precedent at once au ati gust and encouraging I 1 I 1 in 1770 the women of massachusetts actuated by the same impulse that ineR inspires ires us assembled in the city chy of boston aa as we have met here and resolved to serve tiie tile country by an effort of self sacrifice far greater than we are calif d upon to make T IONA lona zy precedents on the gih of Febi february uary three hundred ma trong each he mistress of a household met as we do now and signed a predie to at stain from the use of tea the greatest luxury of the j time add and the very life of all the social gath brings for which our new egland england ancestors were so famous three days later twice that number of blooming young girls met in the same place ani and signed like pledges from that brave assemblage of women non imbor tation societies c drang sprang up that produced an effect upon the mother nother country almost equal to that created by the success of our revolutionary a aliea mies during all the terrors of the war these noble women held firmly to their pledges and by their earnestness awoke the 8 apathy and operation cooperation co of every sister colony in the land I 1 1 I he spirit thus aroused ex extended itself to imported goods of all kinds and every hearthstone was ivaa turned into an independent maru manufactory factory THUS it was that the flax wheel the hatchel and the me hand band loom became sublime hist instruments of freedom in the bands cf american women the house mothers of seventy six not only kept their pledge of importation non but with their oin hands bands wrought from the raw material mate matei ial ilal the garments abic themselves their husbands jand and children the pledge which they took and add kept so faithfully evoked not only great seif self sacrifice but bard bard toil sach stich aa as the women of the present day sc arcey dream of had they not endured and labored while their husbands fought we should have had bad no mighty union to pray and sti struggle buggle C ur tor now invocation TO EMULATE THEIR we weil the women of 64 ba havethe have the same bame object to attain and the same duties to 1 which were BO so nobly accomplished by the women ot 16 shall we not follow their C example y and take up cheerfully the lesser leaser burdens that the welfare of our coutry demands they gave up the very comfor 9 of lite ute with outa out a marmut murmur can we refuse when a ot of feminine vanity is alone required can uan we hesitate to yield up luxuries that are so i unbecoming when the very earth trembles meni mend un der our feet fr trani trank the tread of armed men going d down own to battle and almost every roof ehg throughout hout bout the lahd land shelters some mother lamenting t the he son gon on who has baa fallen gloriously with his Is face to the foe or a widow whose husband lies buried so deeply among the masses of slain heroes that the rhe will never learn where to beek seek for bis his grave I 1 EXAMPLE erom THE CLASSICS when the wife of a great prince whose husband wa absent at the beige if af troy troys was urged by her friends to put on her royal robes and be cheerful she answered bly my aly husband is udder ui der den the walls of troy shall I 1 adorn my hair while be he wears a helmet t shall I 1 dress in new robes while be he carries arms nol not my raiment shall be like ilke hla hia hard labors and in s sadness lii will ill I 1 bats pass the time oi this mournful war 11 patriotism isto is beautiful in all eyes and was shared alike by the lady of cabi cabic casic ca el bic sic c story and the mother of the he revolution clad in her homespun dress and steadily IV ipg more than thlin household duties dulieb compare the spirit of these women with the reckless rec klebs klees extravagance 0 ance which has marked the duration of this terrible struggle for the union and the contrast is indeed humiliating still the women of america are not unworthy of their I 1 ancestors thoughtless they may pay be and luxuriously extravagant from long iong habits of prosperity but cruel and unjust beverl ap peau peal to their reason reison and gentle feelings and i i the wamen amen of this day will prove themselves capable of as noble deeds as ever marked the i a ruggles struggles of the revolution convince thea them of the ibe rin rih their thoughtlessness is producing and the remedy is certain 1 foral loral REASONS II 11 I 1 it has baa not yet been sufficiently impressed d upon them that the encouragement of extravagant importations is injurious to the public 1 good to impress this vital truth upon the women of the union we have entered into this solemn covena t not only la ourselves to a general a system stern of economy in oar our persons but holding boding it as a duty to impress upon others bow unwomanly it itla itis is to make outward display a paramount subject of thought ought tb when the nation is in the throes of a rebel ion stich such aa as the world never saw gathered here in the center of the nation a handful of women intent on a single object anxious only for the good of the country we i appeal to the patriotism and intelligence of our sister women the length 0 and brad breadth th of the land let iet it be well under f tood tbt every ounce of eold gold that goes from the country detracts from the pay of the soldier who ia 13 fighting for our salvation and I 1 dimin diminishes lelies the wages of our sister women i toil for tieh bread into a miserable pit tance that scarcely suffices to keep them from starvation the precious metal that flows from froin this country to europe for tb the tho e luxuries we do not need inre increases abes ases the price of gold here depreciates the value of our national currency turre curre ncr and helps to sweep the necessaries of life beyond the reach of the working a man LARGE importations it is a painful truth for which we shall yet learn to blush that the importations of the most expensive goods manufactured IQ europe have been bun far greater durin darin daring the war than at any time in iri the history of our country the importations last week atthe new york cus tom house alone amounted to five millions of dollars and anci etli etil a ll 11 that week abich wll wil yet find its ignoble record in history the streets of washington were blocked up lith weary soldiers marching through mud rain or dust down to the army of the potomac w which h ch now lies with bated courage waiting for the carnival of de etli which is almost flinging its crimson shadow over us patriotism I 1 INVOKED for the good of our country and the honor konor of our sex let us redeem ourselves from this reproach of wanton extravagance let us prove by cheerful tb that 3 t the women bome n of this country are not po 0 o wedded to luxurious belt self andul indulgence ence that they cannot fill a glorious page in the history of this war and yet retain all that is ret retiring irin and beautiful in womanhood in ip all humane works thy have proved themselves charitable kind and mu L t these comprehend that self abnegation will accomplish more than works or of charity and aad they will not be less earnest to sacrifice than they have bave been ben willing to give up our husbands bons sons and brothers to billit or die for the union and yet refuse to renounce our laces auks velvety velvets vel vets ani and diamonds that th aught would cover us with bhame shame 1 e before the nations of the eaith earth no nto our women yamen of the ulli n only lack lacic knowledge 0 of the means by which they can prove themselves a true help heip matea mates of t the he b heroes e roes who are fighting our battles impress it upon them that in discouraging excessive importations and adopting goods manufactured at home they kep ke p gold in id the country reduce the rates of exchange and establish confidence in the government and they will ivill prove how far patric tiam can iise lise above feminine vanity in the hearts of american women NATURE or OF THE COVENANT in order to invoke this thib spirit of self fice it ia is important that the great object of the covenant we have made should be broadly circulated and thoroughly understood it t discourages profligate expenditures of any kind recommends the use of domestic fabrics wherever they can be substituted fr cir those of foreign mae malle and ana advises implicitly oe of attire both aa as a matter of policy and good taste it IV asks the great sisterhood of american women to aid in this reform before it is too late tele TELF telegraphic GRAPHIC AID thank godl science has given us the means of reaching reach izig bg thousand on tha thousands hsands in a single botar while we nuke make this covenant the thought that thrills our hearts may tremble in gire fire along the telegraph and awake kindred inspiration throughout the entire land by every means of communication in our power let us argue the necessity of prompt action in every town and village throughout the 9 union lylon some woman who loves her country is implored to establish an auxiliary society and forward the names of the ladies invited to act for the state in which her duty lies we ask simultaneous action earnest work and generous self sacrifice at the hands of sister women with their ardent help a work will bs be accomplished so stares important in its results that the woman who shares in it noay way hereafter leave the emblem of our objects as the richest jewel that she can an lave leave to posterity berit |