The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-09-27
FORMALITY IN THE ;

FOKMALITY IN THE IN
Some one thinks he has s uEAs
secret of lack of interest n VlNt
and gives it as follows: ue
A Grange will never be of
its members until their move y o,
ular meetings become free ou5et
meled by misgivings as to WI au ~
speeches and actions are n eas
with ''ancient usages" or not ': S
benefits of the Grange to farm.l u
it leagues together for mutual
and cooperation those whose ;o pos
identical, and in the weekly roa ,Ss
annual meetings of Subord;ra,
State and National Oranges .T
opportunity of fully discussir.o MUG
terests and determining on the ls
bic plan of protecting and adyaDS;s s
Now just inasmuch as live pracs
tons are brought before the Gr.s' \
various meetings and these are frIr !.
and unconstrainedly discussed y;
much will the Grange prove T. ~ B
those who attend. One of The ~ ~''
ORANGES to the usefulness of tbss 80 d
we have reasons to believe, indeedG.
Of the death of many a Grange i,@
formally induced in the member1
elaborate ritual of the Order vb:i
drawn out to tedious length and !,
the unframed mind and memory ..
ing to remember and follow H.
wearied and vexed. The impress
ons which are to be taught by it h
full and striking imagery fails oftepsi.
effect, for TO present to the yiew !.
majority of members standards fcr >,
cally living and working which arsE
sible of attainment. In such case
a Grange is not so fortunate as toR,.
its membership some man or won,
strong, practical turn of mind. # M
attempts to keep up its members 2,
terests by inflated resolutions or srs.
glowing in the noble principles
Grange; the grand lessons it teacbs
so on; but nevertheless the meetr
comes distasteful to the member
gradually drop off and by.andb
Grange dies, its desease unknown,
obituary unwritten. 1t has died Of.
sive reverence for the ritual fes,
the Grange which was intended sin
blaze out the way in which the /
was to learn to walk, and which wa
er intended to be a straight iacketinr
every Patron must be squeezed and
up. Look at a knot of farmers slit
the front porch of the store or post
some day, waiting for the mail to
there is no lack of interest, animal
skill in the manner in which they
all questions of interest before the
try. Politics, religion, morals, S
science and agriculture, are all tai
and every man has something to
each subject, and does not wait lon
chance to say it, and he must speak
point or he will be sharply critics.
fore he has finished speaking. Y
these same men in a Grange Lall AM
tenths of them will at once become
and others will talk when constrai
do SO, as ifspeaking was a sentenceI
upon them by a criminal court
committal of some crime. tits bet.
their extreme reverence for the Dire
mality of the occasion which the
figurative language and symbolic Ct
MES of the ritual teach must be inn
by the development of certain big
impossible virtues.
The best antidote against the be
ing effects of too much ritual in the {
is question in which every memb
feel an immediate and absorbing il
and should any wise old brother p
any signs of stiffening in his Graz
best thing he could do would be t
that cat our next meeting we disc
question, Does Wheat turn to Che
this does not put life in the next
then it has passed hey,
point of recovery.-Exchanec.