The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-01-19
The Grange.

/ T."
We commend to Our readers the
following extract from a lecture de-
livered by the Lecturer before a
Kansas Grange, and published in
the Farmers AA0oc0te:
A few months since we entered into
the organization of the grange with !.
degree Of enthusiasm that fondly hop
e| b2tokened a long career of interest
and profit to it's members. And | have
watched with '.ecp solicitude the de-
creasing interest Of the members until
it is now difficult t ges enough to 5cther
for the ordinary transaction of business,
and our very existence as Il grange
seems to be in eminent danger. Chief
among these cause, I think, is the fact
that We have loo*cl too much 1T the
financiul aspect OF! the case, to the ex-
clusion Of the more important ones OF
our moral, social and intellectual i'm
provcmcnt. But would not have it
understood chat deem the subject of
dollars and cents one Of no Importance:
TO: since money IS the great .Archimc-
'lanlcver that now moves the world, it
is one Of great Importance. But the
grand object Of our Order is to teach
us that life has higher object than the
mere accumulation Of dollars and cents;
that our higher nat:ircS ere susceptible
OF such cultivation and Improvement
as will yield us happiness as far above
the mere brute G I"yme':t of the igno-
rant, as the heavens are above the
earth. But viewed merely in its tinan-
cal relations there is no reason why we
should be growing Indifferent or dis.
cOlrago!; ~: y. H.: contrary there is
every reason Ahy 10 should be more
Jealous in thu cause
Many join our society from no other
consideration than that Of dollars AMI
cents. and because they can not see an
Immediate "r:.:,rA Of the capital invest
ed with g,oAly accumulation Of inter-
est, they raise the c.; that the whole
scheme is Il failure. IF there are any
such present, to thea would say, You
arc too hasty III your conclusions. A
little observation of the workings of
nature rs manic,3te'. j.. the everyday
pursuits Of our calling, should teach
you to be more patient nf the results Of
great undertakings. When the hus-
bandman has carefully prepared the
soil and planted the seed, he cannot
Immediately put forth his hand and
gather the ri pened grain; but he must
patiently wal for the seed to germinate
and strike its roots into the earth and
send upward the stalk that is to hear
the golden ear. lie must carefully pull
vcr;zc and loosen the soil that the
ramitication Ut its roots may penetrate
in all directions to gather up the ele-
ments of nutrition which the earth af-
fords. lie nnSt >ub'lue the noxious
plants that would retard its develop
ment. lie must watch and wait while
it sprea.:S forth it's lnnves to drink in
the sunshine, the dew and the rain, and
gather the elements Of nutrition which
the air affords. Anil these processes
must DC continued through days weeks,
and months ere he is rewarded with
the golden harvest.
The farmer $ occupation has a natu-
raj tendency to issolate him from his
tellew-men. His home is generally at
some distance from his neighbor's, His
business is mostly on his own farm. He
has to labor from "early morn till dewy
eve throughout the year, so that he
has but little inclination for, or oppor-
tunity to indulge in intercourse with
his fellow beings. Fortunately, ut this
point our order came to our relief. 1t
placed within our reach the means of
combining the elements of strength
which we possess in an eminent de-
gree, and not only etfectually to direct
them against the encroa chments Of our
enemigs, but also using them for the
fostering and building up Of other inter-
ests that are Of vast Importance to us,
but that have hitherto been much neg
lected. But right here il where think
many Of us nave made our mistake.
Believing that we have discovered an
avenue Of escape from our grievous op-
prcssi"ns We have joined the grange,
and forgetting the strength and proper.
lions Of the evils which we are COM
batting, expect the mighty revolution
to be accomplished in Il day. 4nd be-
cause the results have not been in ac-
cordance with that expectation we have
become discouraged and pronounced
the whole move failure. As we'll the
husbandlnan SOW his seed in the morn
ing and g forth in the evening expect
ing to reap the ripened grain; and be-
cause he failed in that expectation re-
turn bcwailing his failure to raise a
crop.
The Republic which died last week
was fair newspaper, rather sappily