Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1873-07-25


Charity. The seventh and highest de-
gree is conferred only upon the members
of the national senate, which comprises
members of the council who have served
one year in the body. The members of
this degree are charged with the secret
work of the order, and constitute court
of impeachment of all officers of the
National Grange.
The functions the council and SEN
ate are equivalent to those of represen-
tatives and senators in civi. legislative
bodies. The supreme executive author
ity of the order is lodged in the master
of the National Grange; at present Mr..
Dudley w. Adams of Waukon la. Each
subordinate grange in common with the
National and State oranges, elects its
own master, overseer, lecturer, steward,
assistant steward, chaplin, secretary,
treasurer, gate-keeper, Ceres, Pomona,
and lady assistant-steward, whose rela-
tive duties are implied in their respective
names The officers of subordinate
oranges are elected for one years service /;
of State oranges, for two; and of the
National grange, for three. In accor-
dance with the second article of the con-
stitution, subordinate oranges must meet
Of lnoel H., o,1 ta
and National oranges, annually, the for
mer selects its own time and place, and
the latter on the first Wednesday in Feb
ruary of each year, at such place as
shall from year to year be determined.
Its last meeting was held in Washington;
its next will be held at St. Louis. In
active operation, the subordinate oranges
mostly meet fortnightly. The minimum
fee for membership in subordinate
grange is, for men I've dollars, and for
women two dollars, except charter mem
bers, who pay,-men three dollars, and
women fifty cents. la order to organize
a new subordinate grange, it is necessary
for nine men and four women who have
received the four subordinate degrees to
make application for a dispensation to
the secretary of the National grange
Mr.. o. Fl. Kelley of Washington, and
accompany the same with fee of fifteen
dollars. Fifteen active subordinate
oranges in State may apply for and re-
ceive autho rity to organize a State
grange. Each state grange is rep
resented by its master in the Nation
al Grange. The one clause in the con-
stitution which at once has received the
censure and warmest praise is that which
summarily excludes all religious aud
political question as subjects of discus
sion from the work of the order. The
greatest danger of the movement at this
time is, that it will wreck itself, on a
sudden, on the fatal reef of politics, from
the nearing which it is warned and even
forbidden.
The word "grange," by which name
the order in its working capacity is des-
ignated, which, in this instance, is equiv
alent to lodge, is from the Latin Granatm,
signifying grain in fact the word has a
variety of meanings, or shades of mean
ings, strictly to an agricultural connec-
ton. In plain English it means farm,
together with all its immoveable be-
longings. In French it means grain
farm. In old Scotch it signifies place
where the tlthes and rents of the church
were paid in kinds; and in modern
Scotch it denotes grain-farm's build
ings. The word Is very old and in the
literature of earlier times it is of fire.
quent occurrence as applied to aristocrat-
ieal residences in which sense it has a
similar significance to the words spark" /"
"lodge and clair" But the name is
always in some way connected with
farming, or land and its belongings; and
is as appropriate and fne-sounding and
aristocratic a title as the farmers of the
country need desire 10 be distinguished
by.
AS rule, the members of this order
are farmers; but the terms of the con-
stitution exclude no one from its mem
bership; and many are joining the ranK
and file of the movement who are not
farmers, but yet who are as deeply inter-
ested in the success of the main purpose
of the organization as the practical far
mer. The leading objects of the farmers
movement is to secure cheap transporta-
tions for grain product, to regulate rail
road tariffs in such manner as will af-
ford fair and reasonable outlet for the
enormous rapidly increasing grain pro.
duct of the Northwest. Another promi-
nent purpose of the organization is the
reduction of the cost of manufactured
Implements by bringing the manufactur-
er and farmer into direct relation For
this purpose, the oranges appoint middle
men of their own, through whom an in.
terchange of products is effected at the
/