The Grange advance., 1873-10-22
THE WHOLE GROUND GONE OYER.

THE WHOLE GROUND GONE OYER.
AN ADDRESS DELIVERED AT Picnic, HELD
By THE WEIGH GRANGE P. OF H., OF
GooDHUE COUNTY, July 2ND, 1873,
By B. B. HERBERT. ...
Friends We are gathered here to-day,
in this grove, in this temple built by the
great Architect of the Universe-and how
wonderfully builded.
The little acorn was borne hither by food
and tide, and dropped into the ground, it
sprung up, became tree, bore fruit, which
was given back to the earth, the earth re-
ceived it, impaired to it warmth and moist
ure, until the little germs were reached,
the shells broke, the little rootlets reached
out for their food, the little plants
broke from the earth, sent forth
their leaves, which drank in from the
winds coming to them from over the noun
tains and valleys, the hills and the prairies,
the gases necessary for them.
The seasons came and went, the leaves
were scared by the frosts and fell, but new
leaves came, the years rolled on and the
trees grew, and to-day we sport and rejoice
In their shade.
How like the growth of this grove has
been the growth Of this nation. Over two
and half centuries ago little colony
were borne across the ocean to our Eastern
coast. God had implanted in their hearts
the germs Of liberty and free government
The little colony took deep root in the
free soil of America. The first generation
passed away, others came. The colony be-
came nation, the nation grew, until to.
day over thousand miles away, we, citizens
OF this same nation, gather from a hun.
dred free and happy homes in this same
free land, with our hearts beating with the
same love Of liberty as beat in the hearts
of those first colonists
As1 saw you gathering to-day from your
several homes and remembered the fields
OF grain just ripe to the harvest, my mind
went back from this land with its wonder
full history, through the pages Of sacred
history to that other land, dear for its sa.
cred memories to the hearts of each one of
us, whatever the shade of our Christian
faith, to that people whom God, raised up,
as believe he has raised up this nation,
to be the guardians of His truth. And
saw them coming up with their wives and
their little ones, from all the tribes of Israel
from Dan to Beersheba, to the feast of first
fruits, bearing their sheaves to the hands
Of the sons of Levi to be waived as thank
Offering before the Great Jehovah, the God
of their Father.
And thought that it was we'll for us to
renew this "Feast of First Fruits ~ here
to-day, with our hearts filled with thank
fulness to the great All Father for the
promise Of bounteous harvest, with low
for one another and desires for the happi-
ness of all mankind.
When you, through your committee, hon.
ored me with an invitation to speak to you
here to-day, l had to acknowledge that
knew nothing Of the design of your Order.
except as an outsider, from what had
read and heard. From the information
that l had been able to obtain. under
stood the object of your organization to be,
in brief, the maintaining of mutual rights
and interests, and for mutual, mental, NOR
al and social improvements. I was glad to
be assured that this was just the design Of
your Order. For felt that never had .
right or an interest at variance with
the rights and interests of the farm
ers. For that, believe, the interests
and welfare Of the farmers mean the in
forests and welfare of my country. For
that social, mental and moral improvement,
designed to be reached through your Or
der, is the only salvation Of this nation, as
it is the highest good to the individual.
What rights have farmers? They have
the same rights in brief of every other cit
i.en-the rights of life. liberty and the en-
joyment Of their possessions. The right to
the earnings Of their own labor, united to
the capital already acquired. Is this Order
necessary for the msintainance and ad-
vancement Of any Of these rights?
The position Of the people Of this country
has seemed to me similar to the position Of
the Congress Of 1889, who permitted the
mere Clerk whom they had created, and
whose existence depended upon their will,
tolpsurp their powers, to disregard their
motions, to set them at defiance and to pre-
vent their organization or the doing Of any
business. ".a -t -.