The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-12-27

retarY OF the State Grange. without tnls
promptness it is utterly impossible for
your Secretary to communicate with the
proper officers of the different Oranges
throughout the State. l have in many
instances received letters of complaint
from not only Masters but from private
members stating that they received no
communications from the officers of the
State Grange, and thought injustice was
done them; but in almost every instance
of this kind [ have found that the Secre-
tary had not reported the names OF MS
officers. Hence no names appeared on
eur books by which communications or
! other documents could be addressed.
find in several other cases where nave
had occasion to visit that the officers had
received these documents both from Ma"
| tional and State Oranges, and had prob
ably never read them to their constltu
ency. | have found on my mail books
that out of sc County Oranges 48 have
not reported their officers for the current
year, and in many of these cases | know
them to be 10 good working order. Now,
| Worthy Master, | desire to recommend
that a resolution be passed at this session
urging upon the Masters of County
| Oranges and other delegates to make 1T
point when they return to their homes to
urge upon their officers TO be strictly
prompt and educate them to the impor-
lance OF these facts This being effected
would tighten the burdens and vexations
of my Office.
| I also suggest to the Secretaries and
| Treasurers in each county to hold meet-
| ings when convenient and consult to-
gether and bring about system of bust
ness by which the work may be uniform
throughout. Another very important
matter is that W hen you write to this ot>
| fee dLodys give name and number of your
Grange and your post Office and county.
In my last report at OkoloDa [ stated
that l did not think our strength rested
in numb ers alone, but rather in organiza
ton and manner Of our working. | am
stronger in this opinion to-day than at
any former time, and | believe to-day
that the Order occupies q commanding
position, and the members are regarded
with increasing respect wherever they
carry out in a good degree the principles
OF the Order. | wish more of the men
and women of our State were heartily
engaged in this work | know il is said,
with truth, that others (that we term out
siders) arc gamers because of the exis-
tence Of our Order and am glad that it
Is so. | would like TO see the circle of
our influence enlarged so that every town
and city in our State might feel its bene
cial influence. [ believe that our Order,
throughout the nation, has done very
much toward healing the wounds of war
and cementing the hearts of the people,
and in years which are to come l see no
way in which the people of this State, in
which we take so much pride, can work
with better results, with greater facility
for the welfare of others throughout all
this broad land, than through this Order
to which we all belong. [ wish to say
again, to all Masters, Secretaries and
| Treasurers, that promptness on your
part will greatly facilitate the business of
my Office. | have no particular CON-
plants to make, yet know there is room
for improvement in some quarters. Even
now with the reduced number Of subordi~
nate Oranges there is an immense amount
Of correspondence, and am called upon
to answer letters from all parts of the
country. This kind of correspondence is
now increasing If | can feel assured
that fellow Patrons everywhere, and es-
| peclally in our State, arc Interested and
enthusiastic, looking after the interests Of
the Order in their several localities, it will
help me in the labors of my office.
We still have good working force OF
members In this State, although many
have fallen off, am we'll satisfied that a
eaction in our favor is to come. Let US
prove to the world that the principles of
our Order, applied to daily life, are not
only practicable but beneficial and enno-
cling; and then when another year
comes and we meet again in our State
Grange We shall find that our numbers
have increased, and our interest and at
tachment to the Order in like proportion
And now, Worthy Master, allow me-
in closing my report, to return to you and
all of our brothers and sisters my sincere
thanks for all the courtesies and kind
ness extended to me during my term of