The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-11-01
aoRrAM GRANGE.
Twentieth Anniversary Exercises Held
Yesterday.

Yesterday Master Henry B. johnson pre.
| sided, and the address of welcome was made
| py Charles W. Deering, a charter mem ber
his address contained these summing up re.
marks: I'VE met November 2, 1874 as
STRANGERS, but now we meet as intimates
and friends.''
Many members at first could not address
the grange, but now we have many good
speakers"
y. ID. Seaman, past master, gave an
hist orical account of Gorham Grange. He
said in part: "There are now but five men,
bers of this grange who were charter men,
bers, WIS.,: Gardiner NJ. Parker and wife,
Rufus A. Fogg and wife and Charles W.
Deering. There are now one hundred and
thirty MEMBERS
Miss Jennie r. Johnson read an original
poem. These two verses called forth
laughter and cheers:
Perhaps her goodman sings sweet home,
she sings how sweet it Is TO roamn
: Warren H. vinton addressed the grange.
The good things he said were backed up by
contribution of ten dollars towards the
carpet to be put upon the floor of their
newly decorated hall. W. J. Corthell, as
usual, made good speech.
letter was read from ex-Gov. ROBBIE.
His admirable lett er was1 made especially
welcome by inclosing a check for thirty
dollars towards the carpet mentioned.
Miss Matte Cressey sent twenty-five
dollars for the carpet.
The attendance was large for a stormy
day. Good music and good dinner added
cheer to the occasion.
The organizer of Gorham Grange, L. B..
bennett, said in part:
clearly recall the evening twenty
years ago, when as Deputy Organizer
/ addressed meeting of the good farm
ers of this noble farming town, ands ex-
planned the aims and objects of this
great Notional organization of agricul-
turists.
The farmers responded with alacrity
and received more applications than
were required to fill the charter. OF all
the twenty odd subordinate oranges
which organized in this Congressional
district the farmers OF Buxton alone
showed equal enthusiasm and intelligent
appreciation of the benefits to be derived
from this association of farmers. And
both Gorham and Buxton have kept their
organizations alive and active. You all
know what good work this grange has
done for the farmers OF Gorham who
have awaited themselves Of its privileges.
The great public without exception now
recognizes the fact that the grange is
among the worthy and beneficent insti-
buttons of our State. 1t has no enemies
now
1t was not SO twenty years ago. How
we'll I recall the contemptuous remarks
made to me and of me which came to
my ears. because Of my efforts to induce
the farmers of old York and Cumber-
land counties to organize for their own
lp1nrnynmppt and for tha inn,
of our State and its institutions. The
word granger was nsed with levity upon
lips which comprehended not its mis-
sion 1t was identified with whai was
characterized as a war upon railroads.
Its mission in relation to those great
public common carriers resulted in the
present interstate law The grange has
conquered by it's good works every
enemy it ever had.
The first man to sign his name to an
application for a charter for the Gorham
grange was Edward D. Horton. He
signed for himself and his wife, They
were both old people then. Both have
since died. His intelligence was quick
and comprehensive. His character sim-
pie and pure. William Wescott End. a
physician, was the first Worthy Master
of the Gorham grange. He had the good
qualities of first officer-interest in the
work and ability to do it. Hubbard
Wilson, Benjamin Warehouse, Reuben
Lowell and Mrs. Sarah L. Morton of the
charter members, have since died. In
taking note of those who have died we
are reminded "that man passes away,
generations are but as shadows. there is
nothing stable but truth, principles only
are immortal!in
A truthful historian of this grange
would have occasion to record some dis.
couraging incidents. But you have tri-
umphed over them all. This good hall,
well funishred and paid for establishes
your grange upon lasting foundation.
AS TO the future you must look ahead
to the time when a Thousand volumes
of books, shall be he property of this
grange. Let the first step be the or
ganization of magazine library for the
members. Then should come cyclnpae-
dias. histories, biographies and works of
science and the useful arts Do not
forget to provide for the cravings of the
imagination, and of our social natures
SO let not works of fiction be excluded
from the library hut abundantly sup
piled. But let the wise select the works
Slight not the great poets, but especially
welcome to your library our greatest
American poets.
The soul of man is the man. If we
are to live worthily, usefully ourselves
and Others, and are to get the most of
life there is in it, we must feed the soul
with that which it Graves the most, the
utterances, opinions, imaginings and
loves and hopes of others.
1t the Gorham grange does its whole
duty when it celebrates it's fortieth an
niyersary let us hope that the thousand
volumes will be present with you.
The commencement of this undertaking
will be an inspiration, and the library
will grow, and It will be easier to get
the last seven hundred than the first
three hundred volumes,
The grange of Maine has not vet had
the influence upon the legislation of the
State which it might well have had to
the immense advantage to the people
and their public schools. This neglect
of opportunity has been entirely the
fault of the grange itself.
Twenty years have passed, and our
towns and cities are still paying money
into the treasury of the State in sums Of
hundreds of thousands of dollars year by
year. Since the war more than twenty
millions of dollars have been paid by
our towns and cities into the State
treasury, every dollar of which has been
unjustly and needlessly paid, in conse
quence of that iniquitous system of tag