The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-09-08
THE Pennsylvania PATRONS on
Il PIl'HNICH.

Ten Thousand People At3cnd--Ad-
dresses by Different Parties--Ihc
Duties Of vho Grange.
Williams Grove is II small retreat
q few miles south Of Mcchanicsburr
IN Pennsylvania, on the Dillsburn
branch of the Cumberland Valley
Railroad, largely used for piclnick
ing purposes. 1t is level, pretty
grove, on the branch Of tho Yellow
Breeches creek. A Characteristic
assembly congregatod there on
Friday, tho occasion being the
Tri-State Picnic Of tho Patrons of
Husbandry. It was faithful
representation of the active agri-
cultural people Of this section of
tho country. There were ten thou
sand people present, including
representatives from all parts of
Pennsylvania, and from Maryland
and as far south as Martinsburr,
West Virginia; the great majority,
however, wcro from Cumberland,
Dauphin and York counties. The
numerous baskets which wcrc I'M
loaded shortly after the arrivals
Wcro also characteristic Of the
crowd, and the contents were such
as would inspire tho "starving mil
lions" with new hopes, It was
demonstrated that our agricultural
friends fully enjoy tho first fruits of
the earth.
The first speaker was Victor T..
Piollct, of Bradford county, the
Master Granger of Pcmsylvania.
He began by remarking that, if tho
Grange movement is dead, it pre-
sented hero the appearance of
very lively corpse. He bewailcd
tho farmers lack of representation
in lnw"making bodies, attributed
tho bnrdcnsomc evils to isolation,
and their remedy to organization
such as the Grange affords. He
advocated u change in the tariff
laws, placing Oh raw material tho
same duties as on the manufactured
articles. S. r. Downing, State
Lecturer, delivered Il brief, earnest
appeal to farmers to join the
Grange. Concurriny in the opinion
that mind is to be the great
emancipation of tho agricultural
class, he recommended the Grange
us u school where knowledge is
largely gained in reference to the
commercial and other interests of
the country. Professor Hciges, of
York, delivered u very practical
address to farmers. Ho dcmon-
stratcd that q scientific knowledge
OF farming is necessary to continued
success, and urged q change in tho
public school system, that farmers
children may be educated for
agricultural as we'll as other pur-
suits. Ilo illustrated tho prevailing
ignorance among farmers as to tho
necessity of returning to tho soil
the elements removed in crops, and
referring TO tho decrease of tho
average production Of crops to tho
acre during tho past fow decades,
he asserted that unless q new
system is inauguratcd the question
lately discussed in ,Scribncr, "Will
the Coming Man Drink Wine 2"
will lose force alongside the greater
question, VIII tho Coming Man Eat
Bread? The great fundamental
needs Of agriculture he expressed in
three tcrms-good seed, good soil
and good culture, and indulgod tho
hope that the Agricultural College
Of Pennsylvania would instil tho
proper ideas broadcast throughout
the Commonwealth.
So Interested wore the hearers in
tho remarks that when the speaker
once offered to cease, owing to rain
falling upon his audience, he was
called upon to go on, and tho slight
rain did not diminish his hearers.
A groat many Of tho participants
wore not members Of tho Grange
organization, but all wore farmers
as class. Tho amusomonts COM
prised dancing, boating and croquot.
During tho afternoon q game was
largely indulgod in that might bo
termed an orthodox dance, as it is
permissible ut Sunday-school pic
MICS. 1t comprises several move