The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-02-10

single day IN their long and useful life.
.-. n. Y. MnI.
From. the December Nun,bcr Of the Rural Caro'pian.
The Order of the Patrons of Husbandry.
A SECRET ORGANIZATION,
Deeoted to tile Interests OF -4griculturists.
HOW 1 CAME TO BE A PATRON.
Not quite year ago, l called one day to
see friend on some business; this was
soon arranged to our mutual satisfaction,
and, after chatting a while, | got up to
leave. AS we shook hands my friend
handed me a small pamphlet at the same
time requesting me to read it. "What is
this?" l asked "Read it and judge for
YOURSELF" he replied. By reference to the
title page was informed that this myster-
ious little book was the Z" Constitution of
the Patrons Of Husbandry." "Who are
the Patrons of Husbandry9 never heard
of them," I soliloquized. Upon reading a
little further found that this was a name
applied to a secret organization for the
promotion and protection of agricultural
interests, which existed throughout var
ious portions of the United States, in the
form of clubs: or, according to the Patrons
nomenclature, " Oranges | also discov-
cred that there was a head centre or {" Ma
tional Grange" located at Washington,
to which all other Oranges were sub
servient, and from which emanated
all authority, information, and plans of
work Of any Importance. Now, the idea
of applying for authority to organize a
club of farmers in South Carolina, to a
body of men nearly five hundred miles
away, and of submitting to them, for their
sanction, every plan of work that we de-
wise down here, for the benefit of our i'm
mediate neighborhood, seemed to me to
imply degree Of subsection to the will of
others altogether at variance with my con-
ception of republican free principles. This
however, was only my side Of the question
and being unwilling to incur the odium
attached to the two knights of olden time,
who, having regarded a shield from differ
ent stand-points, and seen different colors,
contended, each, that the color he had seen
was that of the whole shield, and neither
having the candor to go over to the other
side and see for himself both preferred to
settle the question at the point of the
sword. /, therefore, determined just to
step over and see how things looked from
the opposite standpoint. And must say
that good deal of the one-side coloring
/ had at first seen was lost by this little
manoeuvre. For instance, being subject
to the will of the National Grange, which
had, at first, seemed to be SO great an OBJ
lection, began now to look somewhat like
an advantage, certainly like a necessity.
For any body of men to be effective must
be organized, and every organization to be
perfect must have head, with an able
corps of subaltern officers. Just in proper
ton rs an organization is deficient in these
respects will it be deficient in strength,
and rice cersa, the same is equally true
The Patrons of Husbandry is simply a
grand combination of societies, Of which
the Subordinate Oranges are the individual
members, the State Oranges the corps of SUI
baltern officers, and the National Grange,
compose of none but those who are distin-
guished for pre-eminent merit and ability
the great head. Now, each Subordinate
Grange, being only one of thousand, like
individual. members Of one great. body, it
is necessary for the good Of the whole that
their several workings be in harmony with
each other, and consistent with the objects
of the Order. Therefore, to secure this
general harmony and consistency, it is
necessary that each Subordinate and State
Grange should submit its plan of work to
the approval Of the National Grange, other
wise it might enter upon a field of work
totally foreign to either Of the foregoing
principles. Again, the exaction by the
National Grange, from other Oranges, of
an annual due for each of their members,
and each degree conferred on members dur
ing the year, seemed to me to be an impo-
sition-a we'll planed scheme for extracting
money from the unsuspecting farmer
Why are we not allowed to keep all of our
money in our own Granger Surely we can
use it to better advantage than any other
body of men. When, however, / began
to think of the functions of this Grange,
its portion of the work of this immense
body of societies, of the vast amount of
terest to the Order, daily being collected
by it all over the country, to be handed
over to the printer and afterward re-distri-
buted, in a printed form, to the Oranges
in every section, it occurred to me that to
do all this requires at least one Office, and
one or more secretaries and correspondents.
How is the rental of that office to be paid
These secretaries and correspondents must
be paid for their time. How, also, are
their salaries to be paid And more i'm
portant than all, how can it pay for this
large amount of printing? Besides, the
postage on all of this material must foot
up handsomely at the end of the year. A
new member Of subordinate Grange, af-
ter having taken four degrees, has paid in
to the treasury of the Grange five dollars,
besides lis regular monthly dues. OF this
sum, the treasury of his Grange pays the
secretary of the State Grange twenty-five
cents for each degree the new member has
taken; also, an annual due Of twenty five
cents for said member, making tota! Of
year. The treasurer of the State Grange
ti:"n pays to the secretary of the National
Grange tea cents for each degree conferred
upon this member, together with an addi-