The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-06-18
THE NATIONAL GRANGE.
THE SPEECH OF WELCOME BY PAsT-MAsTER
VIM. SANDERS. OF WASHINGTON CITY.

WE can present to our readers no more
entertaining and instructive reading than
Ihe Ioilowlng able and eloquent speeches
| py two prominent members of the Ma
tional Grange. At the last session of
that body, held at Washington CITY i'm No
vember last, the members were welcomed
| by Fast Master VIM. Sanders the first
Master of the National Grange, and one
OF the most efficient co-workers of Past
Secretary @ y Kelley in organizirg the
order, whose speech, and the reply by
Worthy Oyerseer Put. Darden, of Missis-
sippi, we give in full These speeches
| should be read by every member of the
Order and preserved in the archives of
every subordinate Grange:
Worthy Master and Patrons of the Na-
hoRdt GraRge-It is with feelings of nm
feigned pleasure that have the honor of
bidding you welcome here to-day Not
| only IN my own behalf, but in behalf of the
| founders of the Order of Patrons of Hus-
| pandry now present. | extend to you a
cordial welcome. We have patiently
| waited the course of events which would
enable us once more to greet the National
| Grange at the home of its childhood We
| regretted its departure and have ever re-
fused to be comforted. Our staying hope
has been that it would sooner or later see
! the error of its ways and endeavor to re-
| gain the prestige it had lost byt action
We do not know whether or not that time
has come, but we do know that if ever
the Order o Patrons of Husbandry full
fills the objects of its originally proposed
missions, the National Grange must again
assert its original position in the frame
| work of the organization.
The founders of the Order never enter
| tanned the idea of probability that the
National Grange would at any time con-
slider it neces 'ary to change its original
| location. The very nature of the organi-
| ZatiOn seemed to them to preclude the
| possibility of any change in that respect
1t appeared to them that the National
Grange would always be found at the Ma
tional Capital, and can assure you that all
impcdiments and draw backs which we had
encountered, seemed trivial and inconsid-
cradle in comparison with the shock
which startled me when | first learned, at
| the seventh session in st. Louis, that the
removal of the head quarters of the Ma
tional Grange was matter under cOnsid-
Grafton As a member of a committee
appointed to consider and report on the
question, did not hesitate to state rs my
opinion that such removal would greatly
imp1ir the usefulness of the National
Grange, and prove to be INJURIOUS if not
disastrous, to the best interests of the
Order, and [ had reason to believe that
my earnest appeals in behalf of the Order
prevented further action on the matter at
that time. But AL appeals were ultimate
ly of no avail, and the Grange, at the fol-
lowing session, conSummated actions
which led to the removal of the National
Grange, a proceeding which has not, or
the whole, benefited the Order
Ever since the first announcement of a
scheme looking to the formation OF the
Order and all through its progressive
sra Of 6atalhnnapt ri L.,
work have been plentiful. The earlier
critics, as is usual in such cases, prophe-
sled failure but as it continued to flourish
Notwithstanding the multitude of plausi-
bic reasons showing why it could not
succeed, the criticisms appeared III other
shapes. One critic so far complimcnteG
us as to remark that we had "blundercd
upon a good thing" others avowed that
we had ''builded better than we knew, -
but that we had failed to provide for this.
obvious necessity, and had entirely 10
nored that other obvious requirement OF
the organization; even worthy memb, rs
of the Order expressed their regret that
we had neglected to mature comprehcn-
j Siye plans for conducting business in the
r Order. The facts We're that we were
5 "building better than they knew" and
while they were discussing matter of de
D tails, we were engaged i'll endcayoriug
5 first to incucate matter Of principles
! knowing full well that a mlttcrS of de
I tail were of secondary Importance, and
> our first duty was to enforce that prelim
= mary education which would enable til
: members of the Order to familil rtZc tacIJ-
selves with the position which they occu-
| pied us parts of II whole which must work
harmoniousiv to insure success in any
E measure which they might undertake to
execute.
e Thi, necessity was fore>een from the
beginning. The evils which would incV-
, lt4by result from the Order prematurely
. | undertaking schemes which 1t had not
e | strength of discipline to cary to a success
/ and the dangers that might follow Il
. change in the plans, and the arrangement
i Of their application which had been de-
e cided upon after Il careful and philo>Ophi-
cal study of the whole question, induced
= the founders Of the Order TO make the
- first term Of Office to exist for period OF
e tive years. 1t was felt that at least
c this length of time would be required to
), | deyeIon. = result either of failure, OF OF
t. success. We were profoundly convinced
that before the organization could becoMG
an effective working factor, its members
, must become thoroughly intelligent Ia re
. rar,i TO the objects sought to be obtained;
that they must have Il clear conception Oh
- the necessity fOg mutual effort to pro
y note common interest; that they Nus,
i learn to be prepared to SURF ndcr precon
n ,..ived personal opinions in Difference {,
+ what would be regarded as the Wise
@ Judgment OF the mt GRITTY; that while II
: diyilutl efforts TO promote general We
r. fare are compIrltive.y weak and lnefiec
r tual, the efforts of a number OF indiYldu
ais are equally so, unless they act in cor
:. cert, Hence it is that the first duty OF a.
organization is that of educating its mem
bers to Il true knowledge Of t;lcir position
:. rs IL part of whole which must work il
:, harmony. This has always been found L
e be the most difficult and most precariou
= of all the preliminary steps towards sc
= curing efficient working in an organiza
!" ton, and it IS all important that member
should thin; for, AMI educate themselve
" in rr"lrd to the nature of the question:
y in which they are interested, and upo
!" they may be called upon to give an opInio
i aed they should end ,ayor to practic !
! adopt the famous maxim of DeScartes
e ssGive unqualified assent to no propose
ton but those the truth of which IS s
y clear and distinct that they cannot b
$ doubtedn And with all this will com
: the recognition that the benefits to be de
CT rived from united action, or united force
will depend upon the discipline acquire
I'd through an inteiligcntly conducted organ
ct ization which teaches that each nem5e
IN mn # take Il sincere interest III caffyln
De ont the mnutest details OF all duly pre-
so scriDcd plans, rules and laws
II Holding such views the founders or til
I'll Order were convinced, and they acte
OF uoon tile conviction that their hrst dut
was to encourage this kind of educatio
therefore they were not DESTROYS OF con
mencing the superstructure until IN