The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-05-07
,er to the Creators laws strict obedience.

der to the Creators laws strict obedience.
Take the arm, use or exercise it vigorously,
and its size and strength will increase; so with
the limbs, and so with the body itself. But
bind the arm to the side, and through disuse it
will dwindle and waste away. Exercise the
mind, and it will grow and expand, but if, like
the arm, it be fixed upon one thing and one
thing only its capacity for general comprehen-
sion will be lessened. Are not the minds of
farmers generally completely absorbed by the
affairs Of their farms almost 10 the exclusion
of everything else? They rise in the morning,
feed their stock, eat their meals, and work all
day ). at night tired, they go to sleep, and rise
the next day only to 60 over the same routine.
This order they repeat day after day, and year
after year. Were the evils, which are sure to
result from such a system, to attach only to
the parent, their effects, as is natural, would
end there. But not only does like beget like,
but to the same destructive routine the children
are also confined. Without time for schooling
or instruction Of any kind, without rest or re-
creation, they drive themselves and their chill
dren on, going over the same things day after
day, and year after year, sure and certain
system for the mental degeneration of their
class. If called upon to render up an account
of the disposition made of the talents entrust-
ed to their care, would the verdict be doubt
full? If such course is wrong for the parent,
how great the wrong inflicted upon the child.
It is clearly arrangement of the fitness of
things. The children are made old while yet
young Never having enjoyed the youth-giv-
ing stimulants; their bodies are dwarfed and
their minds blasted. Again like begets like,
and thus the degeneracy goes on.
Is this destructive system voluntary, or is it
forced upon the farmer? If voluntary, then
the farmer is alone to blame but the Grange
declares it in great measure involuntary, for
when Investigated further, compulsory cause
will be found to underlie this apparently vol
untary action. Take an illustration A poor
man marries and starts out in life; upon the
conioint labors of the two, it is an easy matter
to supply their few wants. After awhile, the
wife has sufficient to perform in attending to
the wants of growing family, while the hus-
band, short of his wife's help, has many and
increasing wants to provide for. AS the fami-
ly grow up their necessities increase, so that by
the time the children are large enough, the
father feels he is compelled to have their assis-
tance; and though he may, when he sees the
little fellows struggling and tired, work the
harder to Tighten their labors, he finds at the
end of the year, when his debts are all paid,
he has to be careful of what is left, or it will
not last until another cropis made. When the
farmer sees this, he is convinced that some
thing is wrong. He made good crop, and
realizes therefrom a fair amount of money.
He made their own provisions their clothing
is all or mostly homemade; what or where the
wrong is he can't tell. So he begins anew by
lessening their already scanty necessaries and
enioyments. Now, the Grange proposes not
only to point out, but to remedy these evils or
causes. 1t agrees with the farmer that he
makes enough, but adopts different theory as
solution for his quandary, which is, that it
takes too much money to buy so little. This
is the secret of the wonderful increase of the
order. The farmers realize with terrible force
the truth of the solution, and when they once
realize this fact, it is easy for them to trace
therefrom all the attendant results
One of the important teachings of the
Grange is, return to the cash system, and
with the assistance of the order to enable a
farmer to purchase his supplies at reasonable
rates, thereby enabling him to live with less
work-that he may have more time to recreate
himself and educate his children. The farmer,
| in efccting this reform for himself. commits
no unjust outrage upon other classes. 1t is
simply the exercise of an inalienable right
which every citizen of community should be
permitted to enjoy. When the Grange was
first organized, not one single establishment in
the United States would deal with it or its
members as such. 1t is different now. 1t is
in open communication with every department
of trade, and even manufactures are being es-
tablished and sustained by the sole patronage
of Patrons; and the old and long existing
laws of trade, founded upon tyranny and op,
preston, are almost entirely, as far as the
Grange is concerned, broken up. Patrons are
now allowed the inestimable privilege of buy
ing from whom they please.
1t is not denied that the Grange is for the
special and sole benefit of farmers, and tol
those whose interests are not opposite or antag
onistic to them but at the same time, there il
not one single feature in the whole order, (Sub
ordinate, State or National,) which is intended
to wrongfully operate against any other class
1t accords to all their just rights and privileges
interfering or meddlng with none, and in re
turn it asks from the world nothing but wha
it grants. The cornerstone of this organiza