The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-31
GRANGE NOTES.

HOME ECoNOMY.-A Mississippi pat
ron says: "The traders are not all {,
blame for our misfortunes; we run on
own necks into the halter that has made
us vassals to the trader. Some go il
debt, live luxuriously, buy fine clothes
and at the expiration of the year theil
crops fail to meet their engagements
when they are to blame themselves
We are now occupying an abnormal po.
sition; instead of being rulers over the
financial world, as God intended us 10
| be, we have made ourselves the veriest
slaves that ever lived, a just punish
ment for such unfaithful servants.
Each of us should determine to let
| others do as they may, we will not go
into debt for anything we can possibly
do without; and not only resolve, but
| carry it ont. This must be ably as
sisted by industry; we should work our
selves, and train our sons and daughters,
and all about us, to work. We should
create an interest for them in farm
and kitchen, and all that pertains to
home-place and make it delight in
stead of burden"
Our RITUAL. The New York World
has the following in recent number in
lCkdAu w ll4C Abb VI Allt AlNudA III bAlNN
times:
"The anticipations expressed in these
columns that the ceremonial features
of the grange would have to undergo n
crucial test when the busy season set in
have been fully realized, early in the
year though it is. Reports from all
parts of the west concur in stating that
meetings are but thinly attended, and
there is a general inclination every
where to cut short the ceremonies of
the grange, or even to omit them alto
gether, the farmers desiring to come at
once to practical business and get home
as soon as possible.
"This was to be expected. In win
ter when the evenings are long and the
farmers have nothing to do, the social
and ceremonial features of the grange
will especially commend themselves to
Patrons, but now when it takes an hour
or two to reach the grange and as long to
gohome, and from sunrise to sunset there
is no hour but has its task, there is no
slight impatience felt when three parts
of the evening are spent in illustrating
the unwritten work, or comforting the
second, third and fourth degrees upon
those who, for every practical purpose,
are already Patrons. This was to be
expected, as has just been said, and is
another indication of the general prev
alence and spread of the movement for
ritualistic reform in the direction of
simplicity"
OBJECTS OF THE PATRONS. Probably
no combination of people has ever been
brought into existence that has been so
misunderstood and misrepresented as
the Patrons of Husbandry. The aver
age outsider seems to consider the gran
ger as the enemy of every body else
working for the destruction of all other
and the building up of his
own on their ruins. This is n serious
The grangers make no war on
legitimate business of any kind. They
are not enemies of the merchant, the |
middle men or even of the railroads. |
They are only fighting illegitimate en- |
terprises, and the exor5itant profits and |
extortions of those whose business is |
legitimate. They know very we'll that
they can't get along without the servi-
ces of agents and traders, and the aid .
Of transportation companies, They on
ly want these other industries to be con-
tent with fair profits, and not take the
llOu bldIO VI buC BIOuuCbo vi bhtlI
farms. In looking back they have dis
covered that, while they have been work
ing like slaves early and late for bare
living, other men who have had the
handling and selling of their crops have
become suddenly rich. They think
his all wrong. They are willing that
others should divide with them the
profits of business, but they do want
themselves their full share. If they
IAN, by uniting their purchases, buy
what they need cheaper than heretofore,
hey think they have a perfect right to
10 so. If by combination they can get
heir produce to market cheaper and re-
llize larger return, they don't see any
,eason why they should not have the
privilege. They are striving by a con-
,ert of action to become better farmers,
more intelligent citizens, and, if posi-
Die, further removed from poverty.
This, in a word, is the work laid out by
he 81 angers.