Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1875-12-23
our hands grasp them, our hearts welcome

them.
By this advent of new members will be
brought new ideas and fresh thoughts, and
in the work before us we expect of then the
enthusiasm of recruits combined with the
~steadiness of veterans.
Since our last meeting our Order has add
ed another year to its eyentful existence, 1t
has received the criticisms alike Of friend
and foe. 1t has stood like a rock against
the buffetings of enemies, and is now looked
upon more and more as the bulWark of its
friends. 1t is to-day stronger in numbers,
more compact in organization, richer in ex-
p~erience and lies nearer our hearts than
ever before. Over two thousand subordi-
nate oranges have been organized and two
more States have put on our armor and adj
yanced to the front to do battle for the good
cause.
In some localities oranges nave from vari-
Gus causes languished and died.
Sometimes the material of which they
were composed was too weak to live, and
sometimes they had from %uncongenial occu-
Datfons no interest in common with our pur-
poses,
Sometimes oranges were too close togeth-
er, and like forest trees planted too thickly,
the strong overshadowed and smothered the
weak. But, like the forests, this close plant
ing forced the survivors to a taller, straight
er growth. and their branches stretch out
and cover the whole ground. Some oranges
complain of a want of interest among the
members, and a thin attendance of the meet
ings, while others, and by far the larger por-
ton, announce u continued interest. In
those cases where a poor attendance is COM
planned of, it is universally the case that the
officers of the grange do not provide for in
structive and interesting exercises. 1t cam
not be expected Of members to attend regu-
larly when nothing of interest is transporting,
but wherever the officers make the meetings
attractive, the attendance is always good.
| beg leave to call once more the attention
of the National Grange to this most import
ant matter of laying down some plan or
plans, by means of which subordinate
oranges may be able to amuse and instruct
members so as to make the meetings full,
and thus keep their present membership and
largely Increase it.
The work of the last year has been done
under the constitution as amended at st.
Louis, and in the main it seems to be more
satisfactory than before, but in a few points,
experience has shown that some further
change and action is necessary to remove
antiquities.
In this connection permit me to call your
attention to the composition of the State
Grange.
Under the old constitution, masters of
subordinate oranges, and their wives who
We're matrons were members, and past
masters and their wives were honorary
member, eligible to office, but not entitled to
vote.
In many Of the States this made a body
too large to do business, and too expensive
for the means at the command of the State
Grange treasury.
In changing the constitution to its pres
ent form the National Grange had mainly in
view the reduction of the number of paid
voting members of the State Grange, but in
advertently the law was so worded us to cut
off all past masters and their wives, from
even honorary membership, and, of course,
from eligibility to Office.
This appears to be an unfortunate mistake.
for it places many of our best, most expert
enced and faithful members where we can
avail ourselves of their services. 1t is
eminently proper that when a person ceases