News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1905-02-15
THE GRANGE
Conducted by
j. w. BARROW. Chatham. N. X,
Press Correspondent Net0 York State
Grange
A PERMANENT INSTITUTION.
Past, Present and Future of the
GrnnEe-It Has Come to Stay.

Past, Present and Future of the
Grnnge-It Has Come to Stay.
The Iowa Farmer, in an editorial en-
titled The Living Grange" gives an
interesting review of the past, present
and future of the Order in that state.
1t says:
Our older readers are all familiar with
the history of the grange-its origin in the
seventies and mighty protest against some
evils under which farmers were suffering,
its permanent influence on legislation, as
shown by the phrases in common use
granger legislation, granger railroads,
etc-and of the wrecking of the grange
in SO many western states because It's
leaders and the people generally paid more
attention to the immediate work of cor
recting present evils than to the perma-
nent work of developing the social and in
tellectual side of the farmers life.
1t may be noted in passing that not only
did the grange establish in the highest
court Of the land the right of the people
TO regulate railroads, but out of the
grange grew most of the cooperative
movements that have been so effective IN
recent years. In Iowa, for example, the
mutual insurance companies grew for the
most part out of the grange; to less eX-
tent cooperative creameries, cooperative
stores and factories. This we believe to be
true in all other states. 1t naturally
would be- When people learn TO know
each other by meeting monthly or SEMI
monthly for social enjoyment, Tor COM
| parison of views on public matters or the
| study of agricultural questions, partisan
animosties are broken down, and they
| begin to understand each other and are
| thus able to cooperate for every good
work.
| In the west comparatively few of the
| original oranges remain but these are
centers of agricultural life Wherever we
| find them. 4 second generation Is now
| coming up under grange influences, and
| we do not believe there is one of these
| living oranges anywhere existing which
| has not had marked effect for the better
| in every department of agricultural ire
| Happy is the community that mas a
| grange hall and regular meetings, Where
young and old, rich and poor men ano
| women, boys and girls, meet all toSethei
| and thus come to know each other ano
| become unified in sentiment and in aim
| In this respect the grange meets long
| felt want and it would be q blessed thlne
| for the entire western country II the
| grange or some other organization cover
| ing the same field and conducted on the
| same plan or similar lines were organized
| OF all the farm organizations that nave
| been organized in the last thirty years the
| farmers alliance movement sprang VI
like Jonah's gourd in a night, spread over
the country like wildfire, lived life OF
| intense activity for few years and ther
| passed away. 1t had a great deal to dc
with political parties, and its spirit t
some extent remains, but it did not touch
the real intellectual and social life of the
| farmer. So with the Farmers Mutua
| Benefit association, and so it will be witt
all similar associations which are organ
| lied in time of some specific object anc
then pass away as soon as that object has
| been accomplished or has clearly failed
| of accomplishment. The grange goe'
down deeper; it takes hold OF the social
intellectual and business life of the com
| munity, and when once established anC
| held true to it's original purpose 1t is there
| like a church, to stay, while organizations
that are intended for political effect pas
| away in very few years. All honor t.
the men who organized the grange ant
have held it true to its original purpose.