Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-09
Grange Meetings improving.

! am glad to see an awakening along
the lines Of better topics for discussion
and more eieVating work for the grange
meetings Than simply having good
time. While there is a lot of truth in
the old saying that "all work and no
play make Jack Il dun boy" the reverse
is equally true that all play and no work
will make a very ignorant hoy of Jack.
and the same applies with equal force to
a grange. says writer in the New Eng
land Farmer.
Many oranges have already degenerated
into mere clubs for having D good time
especially where large numbers not inter
eSted in agriculture have been admitted.
Lecturers and others having the laying
out and direction of the work of the
grange have catered to the amusement of
this class to the neglect of purely grange
! topics, and if the sober minded farmer
member ventured to demonstrate he was
promptly ridculed into silence by some
| forward village member who Joined the
grange with no higher aim in view than
! to have a good time at the farmers eX-
penSe.
| In skiIful hands it is possible to COM
! bne both pleasure and solid work so as
to interest all who are not too shallow
minded or bigotcd to be past all help A
/ lecturer should study the capabjlity likes
and Gslikes of each Individual member of
! his grange and assign to each parts of
| the work that will be agreeable to each
|
! is in them.
In any grange there are usually few
! members who can always he depended
upon TO take most any part. but the lee
| turcr should not fall into he habit of de
| pending upon the talented members to
| the neglect of less Capabl" or more diff
| dent members. Every member is entitled
| to the benefit occurring from membership
/ in the grange and because some are less
| disposed to fight for their rights than
| others they should not be allowed to he
deprived of them. Given ever 50 good q
programme. if the lecturer lacks good ok
| eC,tivc ability in direction and carrying
out tho programme the best results can
not he expected.
Judging from the make NJ of many
| programmes the quality of originality
/ seems t. BE- often lacking among !ectur-
! Crs.
Ignnranc" Of the topics discussed on
! the part Of The lecturer is often another
stumbling block. especially when the
subject IN for discussion is one Of prac-
| teal farm practice mad the lecturer
! knows next to nothing about practical
agriculture. A lecturer to be successful
| in directing a discussion or to be of the
most benefit to tn" membership. if not al
| ready posted on the subject should post
| up before the meeting so as TO be able
with few words injected at the proper
time into the discussion to so direct the
| line Of thought of members that the dis
cussion will flow along in the desired
course without any apparent effort on the
| lecturers part.
One Of the surest ways Of throwing a
chill over discussion when it drags Il
little IS for the lecturer to begin to call
on individual members. Ready sneakers
immediately feel that they are not want
ed. while diffident members are startled
into withdrawing within an habitual re-
serve from which it is well-nigh impos-
Slhte 10 again draw them out.