Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-18
Augustus Welcome to the State
Grange.

III titg 81 tUr uStt tSNtiiiN a iii''FNS
cordial We icn,1c TO the many members
of the great order Of Patrons Of Illus
Bandry who ;.l. ass i.Iblcd here this
week in Attendance upon The sessions
o: tl,. annual meeting of the Maine
State Grange. The hcartincSS and
sincerity Of this welcome will not be
doubted by those who were present m
City hall last evening. ana the hun
Grods Of others who will arrive in the
city today will not De left III doubt as
to the attitude oi Augusta towards its
visitors. The city remembers very
pleasantly The last annual meeting Of
the State Grange here, and the fact
that the invitation 10 meet here this
year Was 50 promptly accepted is good
evidence that the members of the order
remember their visit and apprcciate
the nature Of Augustus hospitaljty
The Grange as an orgariza ton mas
been an active ana influential factor in
American flrm life for nearly 40 wears.
and this is the 800 annual meeting Of
the Maine state Grange. From small
beginnings here in Maine it has de-
VcIcn"d irto great rrOpoi tons. not by
any sudden mushroom growth. but by
steady ana healthy advance. making
quality rather than quantity its stan
dard Of membership and holding close
y TO the lofty ideals of the order In
Main" al the present time there are i0S
subordinate oranges with total mom-
bCrshir. when the last reports were.
made at the end of September. Of So
500. This is an increase of 1900 mcm-
Iers since The meeting was held at
Bangor Il year ago. During the year
10 New oranges have been chartered
and SIX "ld oranges recognized. Dur
ing the year five new grange halls
ing $2l, 900. an average of $4,000 each
No fewer than 81 of the 4OS oranges in
Maine own ana occupy their own halls,
and the aggregate value OF these
grange homes with their furnishings is
placed at $685. 900. These figures give
some conception of the power and
prosperity which this great order has
attained here in Maine. Only one
state in the Union, namely New York,
hes more members of the order than
Maine. and in no state is the order
NOR" active. more useful to the cause
Of. agriculture. more beneficial to the
home life Of the mcrnbt rs. and more
Erlrful - III" cause Of good citizenship
than here in Maine.
| In hundreds Of cur Maine towns and
| country villages the subordinate grange
STANDS rs the center of the social life
i'll The community. Without them
| there would be 4 void in the country
life of Maine which would mean an ir-
| reparable loss to the State. lach
which no substitute could supply
Many Of these oranges have their ov !
circulating libraries and otherwise play
an Important part in the c'lu"ati'na
advancement Of their members. II
IEot 4 few instances they perform the
service of local improvement societies
land in one or two instances which W
know of, in towns where the surviving
lvetcr:ns Of tho Civil War are getting
few. they have taken upon thcms"lve:
Inc suitable observance of Memorial
lDay. While the Gran%" is an agricul
Itural order. nothing is foreign (" il
usefulness which bcttcrs the welfare o
Those on tho farm ard makes thei
lhome life and their surroundings nor
attractive.
And 50 Augusta is hoEored III IN
Injecting of the representatives Of IN
lgrcot order from Ill parts OF Maine
IIt extends to them all q cordial greet
ling. ana hopes that the few days Whic
they are 20 spend here will be plcasan
land profitable to them all. The Jour
lnaI no, only extends this welcome o
Ibahalr az the citizens generally. bu
} also .neaking for itself it expresses III
hone that as many of the visitors q
: find it convenient will call at our Ollie
; during their stay in the city. TIL
office OF 4 daily newspaper is an inter
estinr rlace to visit and our Who'll
> lr,lnt in all lis departments is open f.
tho inspection Of visitors day ~
might. We hope many of the visiiin
Patrons will be able to call on us dui
t ing the week.