The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-06-05
ORANGES.

Accounts differ as to the extent of the
"Grange" business. The number of Gran
giers, or Changers, is stated by some writ
ers to be 500, 000-by others, it is put at
100000. No doubt the brotherhood is
large. and as it is said to have "Granges"
in about twenty States, there is nothing
improbable in the statement that the Gran
giers are 100000 strong. Their greatest
increase is said to have taken place in the
last sixteen months, as they were not above
10000 in number at the close of 1S11-and
if they are 100000 now, their increase in
those months amounts to 100000, being at
the rate of 800 month, a surprising rate
for a fraternity to grOw-and rather alarm
ing when we consider that the Grangiers
may take it into their heads to act as
political party. They are, as a rule, farm
ers, or agriculturists generally, and their
main purpose is to secure cheap transpor
tation for farm produce, point that
interests all, those who eat quite as much
as those who grow. The special OBJ
jccts of GRANGER hostility are rail
way corporations, and the general
sympathy must be with them in that.
There are other purposes aimed at by the
brotherhood very creditable to it, but at
the utmost only auxiliary to the main
purpose. The word Grange, which takes
the place of lodge in this instance, points
to the general predial character Of the
movement initiated by Northwestern
farmers. The word is from the Latin
grunum, which means grain; but the Ro-
mans knew nothing of some Of the highest
orders of the modern grain family. They
had no more idea of maize, or Indian corn,
than they had of tobacco; and Cato, the
Censor. knew as little of Indian bread and
Johnny-cake as he knew Of pipes and
Principles. Maize, an amazingly new thing
in the civilized world, now is included in
grain. Grange has a variety of meanings
or shades of meaning, but all pointing to
an agricultural connection. In French it
means grain farm, and granger means a
farmer. In old Scotch it means a place
where the tithes and rents of the church
were paid in kind and in modern Scotch it
means grain farms buildings. In ordi-
nary English it means farm and all that
belongs to it that is not movable. The
word is very old, and it is far from being
limited to mere farm. Scott often uses
it in that higher and more aristocratical
sense to which it is fairly entitled. Roth
erwood Tin "Ivanhoe'O, Cedric's extensive
abode, is called Grange, the time being
the close ofthe twelfth century. When Maui
rice de Bracy tries to persuade the Lady
Rowena to consent to marry him, he hav-
ing abducted her, he asks her, ''How else
wouldst thou escape from the mean pre-
cincts of country Grange, where Saxons
herd with the swine which form their
wealthy to which the lady, referring
to Rotherwood, replies: "Sir Knight, the
Grange which you condemn hath been
my shelter from infancy" Now, Rowena
is represented as being of the old Saxon
blood royal, and Cedric was of the highest
Saxon birth beneath that of kings; and
the Saxons, though the contrary belief
generally prevails, were more aristocrati-
mans.
The interval OF the time between "Ivan-
hoe" and "Waverley" is about five
centuries and a half, and in eva
verley" the Grange is spoken of as
an aristocratical residence, as we
are told that the Weekly Inte1li-
gencer--the only journal that Sir Edward
Waverley "patronized" and "toOk in''-
was transferred from Waverley- Honor ito
the RectOry, from the Rectory to Squire
Stubb's at the Grange, from the Squire to
the baronet's steward at his neat white
house on the heath" and 90 on; and an
English Squire in the first half Of George
Ills reign was person Of no slight c0nse-
quence in English society and politics. In
the cleverest of Mrs. BENEFITS very clever
novels, THE Beggar Girl !" written at the
close of the last century, and painting in
the most lively colors what were the con.
temporary manners of eighty years since,
Admiral Herbertis' residence in Yorkshire
is called the Grange; and it is described
as being "a home, where everything spoke
the magnificent taste and opulent circum-
stances of the owner" In Mrs.
Cores noble novels, which describe an
English life that is just passing away, the
word Grange is often applied to aristo-
cratical residences-and in one of the best
of her later novels, "Heckington," Higham
Grange is the family seat of a baronet and
statesman, who, when made . peer, be-
comes Lord Higham. In Mr.: Anthony
Trollope'ss new novel. xLAdy Anna,
Lovel Gran1e is said t. 6e he sole rel
estate owned by the bad Earl Of Lowell.
Now, poems and plays, novels and TO
mances, when written by persons of knowl-
edge and talent, afford the most correct
pictures of life and habits in the countries