The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-11-13
What Can the Grange Accom-.
DTiSh?

The orders OF Odd Fellows, Free
Masons, Good Templars, Knights of
Pythias, etc, are permanent instltu-
tions. They continue from year to
year because in some way they serve
a public want. Now there is GER
tainly Just as much and just as real a
need among the farming people for
some special organization that is pc
culiarly their own, and that is uni
form all over the country, as there is
for any of the other organizations
we bave named.
The great problem of agricultural
college education is in a measure
still unsolved, and the Grange has a
duty and a mission yet to fulfill in
this regard tits a fact that scarce
ly one in ten of the graduates'of
agricultural colleges ever pursue ag-
riculture for a livelihood. Now,
suppose this statement was equally
true with regard to our law colleges,
medical colleges, art colleges, etc,
how long would they be kept up?
Not a day. And it is therefore ap
parent that agricultural colleges are
a failure, as such and do not serve
to any paying extent the ostensible
purpose for which they were estab-
lished. But the fault is not in the
colleges, nor in those who are in
trusted to manage them. The diff
Guilty lies in the very nature of the
case, and the Grange can accom-
plish a great deal towards changing
the nature of the case.
The winter season is near at hand.
The young folks in the country will
have, must have and ought to have,
it is their heaven born right to have,
frequent social gatherings and pas
times. Apple parings are good when
they can be gotten up; dances are
good when not indulged in to ex-
cessive hours or with whlskey ac-
compartments; spelling schools are
good in thei1 time and place, sing
ing schools are good forever and
ever. But this is an intellectual age:
mental activity is the call of the hour
Farmers are rising and coming tc
the front; the future statesmen anc
lawmakers of this land are to-day
among our farm boys. They mus
therefore learn to think-learn tc
discern true and right principles, ST
broad and clear in every element o
essential truth and equity that they
will be masters of that kind o
knowledge which is power.
The political contests in this coun
try for the next generation are to b.
the square issue between great cor
porate monopolies holding the mon
ey power, and the masses of tn
common people. 1t is a continu
ance of the struggle which tn
Grange fought out with the rail
roads. 1t now includes banking
monopolies, salary excuses, unjus
exemption from taxation, and othe
public evils which bear especiall
hard upon the farmer class. Th
Grangers can do much to stimulai
thought and cultivate knowledg
in their own midst by helping t
get up debating meetings, dialogu
entertainments, public lectures, oil
and young folks sociables, priz
reading matches, etc, thus givin
their winter evening amusements
literary and intellectual turn, deve'
oping the speaking talent and prom
ise of future usefulness that may b
in vour midst.
It has been the fashion of th
world to impress upon farmers thu
they should attend strictly to the
wheat, corn and potatoes, their COW
pigs, sheep and horses; but finance
and commerce and laWmaking wei
things quite beyond their compr,
hension. Farmers don't you beliey
it. Plain, honest, common sense ca
knock the stud'lng out of all tt
bamboozling sophistries that hax
5 hoodwinked the farmers heretofol
into supporting knavish schemers
put unjust burdens upon them. L
. the Grange go on and pe-fect i
/ work.