The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-04-04
Attend Your Grange Tomorrow.

|
about so members. To make Grange as
successful as it should be, members must feel
it matter of principle to attend regularly.
Their neighbors canuot do for them at the
Grange what they will not take the lime to
attend to themselves. 1t is a dishonest
practice to shirk duty, and practice that
is losing one in the long run. When a
| society is joined there is contract made
between members, one with another, as
truly as though an instrument were draw
| up in legal form, by each member, prescrib-
| ing all his duties With penalties fixed for
their violation. The constitution and by
laws, charter or whatever conditions for
membership are agreed upon, virtually con-
stitute such contracts or articles of agree
ment, and the penalties are just as sure to
be incurred for neglect of duty in one as
| the other case. The punishments which are
| inllicte for neglect in attendance and other
obligations, implied or expressed, pertaining
TO cooperative bodies are failure to reap
he benefits that are promised, and may he
rived from them. 1t is not saving time
to devote the few hours monthly that be
l)ngs to your grange or other cooperative
| association you may be member of, to
| something else. 1t is selfish piece OF greed
| that supposes You can pat penny in your
pocket by stealing that time you have bar
| gained 10 give your association, vainly and
dishoneaty believing that vonr neighbors
will make your default good and you will
reap the full benefit all the same as if you
were in attendance. This i, a wonderfully
mistaken idea. Every member who absents
himself from any society, whether it be
grange, benevolent order, church, or what
not, on its regular meeting days is weaken
ing and destroying lis full eff :iency in the
exact ratio that ch member numerically
bears to the society of which he composes
par, providing he or she measures up in
moral or mental statue to associate mem
bers. A grange or other society numbering
so members, and 40 Of those members alb
sent themselves from the regular meetings,
that grange or other society. is not as strong
for any purpose as the same society woald
be if it numbered but 40 members and those
40 allowed no obstacles to stand in their
way of regular and constant attenance. The
pupil who wastes half his time in nom
attenance during the whole term of school
will not be nearly as much benefited as
pupil with the same natural abilities who
attends every day during half term. The
cumulative force is LOST by stretching il out
into long, thin line.
So ifthrty members compose the mem
bership of 4 grange and make it DUTY a
moral obligation, to attend every meeting
that grange will be stronger in every re-
spect, -morally. socially, commercially and
intellectually, than the same grange can
possibly he with so members who drop in
now and then, seldom any one OF them at,
tending two meetings in Succession. Such a
society, for airy purpose must have compar-
alively weak power compared to the in
huence it would exert if its members all
attended regularly. 1t is not in a. tive,
busting, talking that members influence
is manifested or felt, but in his presence.
There is wonderful power in ones mere
presence which is felt by all. If so mem
bers who are associated IN one body for. one
purpose, and will attend regularly, though
but half a dozen do all the talking and
carry on the routine business, that associa-
ton in a short time will exert an influence
that will approach infinite, on the commu-
nifty, If properly directed
In our politics we see this combination
power eXemrlifed. A few hundred Jew
bankers principally in New York and Lon
don have held complete mastery Of the Gnan-
cial concerns Of sixty millions of people in
| this country, acknowledged to be the most
intellingent enterprising and independent
people in the world, And yet by intelli-
gent combination and quiet perseverance,
coupled with Unsuitable greed, this small
band have succeeded in robbing 60 millions
Of p,oI le Of this nation out Of thousands Of
millions Of dollars
The whiskey ring is another well organ
lied association, whose entire membership
is computed to number about 100000. By
The power which association draws to itself
that comparatively small baRd, headed by
able leaders, completely control both the
great political parties of the country, so that
neilher party dares To make any important
movement which touches even remotely, the
officers Of the whiskey and beer associations
We might pursue this same line Of illus.
tratiou and show how potent and neces.
sary j. combination at this day to achieve
any paFpase. But members of all associa
lions which are not backed by heavy cap.
ilai, must attend regultIly 10 supply that
weight and power which cal ital in others,
in great measure supplies. BY regular
attendance Information is gained, aud TIA,
possibilities that may be achieved open NJ
a. leg visias reaching into the future
shils the ability 10 exert their power and
iaflaeuCe 10 the immediate present will sur.
rFiss those sho have been walking as /, wer,
ia the asrs. Sir or eight hrurs in a month
ia vesy iT.ds 10 devote 10 the grange. snd i
espsass.i regularly sill PIT mere dollars
10 nv eousss % a year, into the pockets o.
meuibeFs than whole week spen: in auy