Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-07-26
THE NEW GRANGE HALL
AuspiciOusly Dedicated Last
Evening.


by the members of Protective grange, No. |
% Patrons of Husbandry, This brief state
ment of the fact gives no idea of what it |
meant to every member of the order, to set |
aside to the work and purpose of the grange |
a suite of rooms particularly well adapted |
to the purpose for which they were built |
and arranged. Pride and satisfaction were
written on the face of every patron as he
assisted in the exercises of dedication. The
hall, which is reached by two flights of
broad and easy stairs, is on the third floor
of the new Farmers & Mechanics build
ing on Elliot street. 1t is 80 by 60 feet,
with the most approved arrangements for
heating and ventilation. 1t is lighted with
two chandeliers of incandescent lights, be-
sides wall lights. A large platform extends
nearly across the north end of the hail.
The officers chairs and tables are of oak
and the hall is furnished with folding opera
seats. At the entrance to the hall are well
arranged cloak and toilet rooms. On the
second floor of the building Is the banquet
hall, 26 by 80 feet, with kitchen and serv-
ing room in the rear The kitchen is com
pletely furnished with linen, crockery and
silver ware.
The hall was decorated with strcamers Of
red, white and blue bunting, while over
motto of the order" Faith, Hope and
Charity with Fidelity'-in letters of daisies
and ferns. Along the platform were potted
plants and cut flowers. On the stage were
seated officers of the national, state and
county oranges, eleven of the charter mem
bers of this grange wearing the regalia of
% years ago. Among the prominent mem
bers of the order were noticed: Alpha
Messer past state master and now lecturer
of the national grange; these state officers
Hon. G. j. Bell, master; G. w. Sargent,
overseer; lecturer, Geo. w. Pierce; trea-
surer f. b. Pier; assistant steward, j. III.
Clark; assistant lady steward, Mrs. j. ii.
Clark The twelve charter members, who
were present and occupied seats at the
right of the presiding officer were Mr.. and
Mrs. Hiram X. Chamberlain, Mr. and Mrs
| Dwight Goodenough, Mr.. and Mrs. John
! Goodenough, Mr.. and Mrs. John Liscom,
Dwight Mather, Mrs. Nora Smith, Elijah
Reed and l. b. Taft. j. c. Newton of
Fishers Island, past master of Protective
grange, with his wife, was among the out
of-town guests. In the audience, which
filled the hall and ante rooms and overflow
ed into the corridors and out upon the ROOT
and tire-escape, were representatives of
nearly all the oranges of this section.
The dedicatory exercises opened wit h
music by the First Regiment orchestra,
PRAYER by Rev. L. 5. Morse, song of greet
ing by the grange choir. Geo. w. Pierce,
master of Protective grange, then wei
coined the guests of the evening in a hap
by manner, referring in a pleasant way to
the prosperity of the local grange-the
largest grange in New England and proba-
bly, with one exception the largest in the
United States. He spoke of the origin of
the grange, Minnesota farmer, o. II.
Kelley, having the honor of organizing
what has become one of the great traterna
bodies of the country. He spoke briefly
of the work of the grange-the social,
moral and intellectual features of its edu-
catIonal system. In referring to Protect
i've grange the fact was brought out that
% persons applied to the national grange
for charter in 1873, and tribute was
paid to the devotion of these charter mem
bers. The present membership Of Protect
i've grange is $40 In closing Mr.. Pierre,
referred tc some of the things that had
been accomplished by the national, state
and local oranges.
Hon. NJ. l. Reed of Vernon responded
to the address of welcome, cOngratulatin:
Protective grange on its prosperity, nu
mercal and financial, on its beautiful
home and its able corps of officers. In re
ferrng to the latter Mr., Reed perpetrateC
pun after pun, the names of Pierce, Har
ris, Ware and Sargent being used to poin
: the jokes, which were evidently good one
Judging from the applause by the member
, of the order. Mr.. Reed also referred t.
, the oranges work in instilling a love TO
home and country.
After music by the orchestra the Hon
c. j. Bell, master of the Vermont stat
) grange, made the dedicatory remarks. II
: emphasized the home idea of the grange
referred to its unity-its knowing II
North, no South, no East, no West. ii
! touched the local pride of the audience b
d. referring to the banner grange of the worl
in the most charming town of New Ems
. land. After speaking of the great good, o
unity and the strength of cooperation h
S declared, by the authority of the stat
: grange, the hall dedicated to the work {
a the order and expressed the hope that a
n the labor and counsels would be in "Faitl
: Hope and Charity with Fidelity
c. w. Sargent's subject was the charte
e members. As an introduction to his speec
r he presented to the grange portrait of til
n first member of the order in New England
d Father Jonathan Lawrence of st. John
o bury, who was made deputy and organize
l. Green Mountain grange No. l, of S
Johnsbury, July 4, 1871. The gift was r
= ceived with applause, and by order of I'll
/. master, who thanked Mr. Sargent for h
lie gift, was placed over the reporters tabl
ar After this interruption Mr.. Sargent CO.
? tinued his remarks, making special me-
Ie ton of the work of the early members al
4, noticing the improvement in the conc
I ton of the farmer, especially in education
n matters. In the early days the grang
( bore ridicule and almost persecution, b
~ now he occupied place more in keepiI
e with his honorable calling. AS Mr.. Sa
la gent finished, the choir sang "Auld Lal
Il Syne."
O. T. Ware, the grange deputy, made
good speech on the results OF organizatlo
IN speaking of the grange as only seconda
NJ to the organizations of the church and t
Il school. Much was made of the education
10 features of the grange; in fact this seem
OF to be the point uppermost in the minds
IL all the speakers The non-partisan, no
ne sectarian policy was also touched upon.
en- Alpha Messer, the lecturer of the I
ne tional grange gave one of his enthusias
lis addresses, congratulating the Brattlebc
Ic- grangers on their prosperity and eXpressi
his delight at finding in Brattleboro one
Id the finest grange halls in the country.
d. brought the honors back to New Engla
ed by saying that o. II. Kelly, the founder
ng the grange, was New England man, WI
is New England education and ideas,
as that niece of Mr. Kelly's, also NJ
G. Englander gave the thought OF admlItl
A. women into the order to Mr.. Kelly, W
ok used it in his plan of organization