The Republican journal., 1906-11-15
NORTH WALDO POMONA
Holds an interesting meeting with Granite
Grange, North SeaIspor.

North Waldo Pomona Grange met will
. Granite Grange, North Searsport, NOV: TN.
, Ihe travelling and weather were favorable
ana there was large attendance. worthy
master Wilder Parker opened the Grange IN
the 9Th degree. The records OF the last
meeting were read and accepted. Eight
oranges reported to the roll call. South
Branch, Prospect, reported 80 members
taken in during the year. Morning Light
Northern Light, Sunrise and Granite were
all reported to be in f1ourishing condition,
Granite Grange buying a new grange hail.
The 9TH degree was conferred on large
class. The committee on time and place OF
next meeting-O. B. Dow of Morning Light,
A. Stinson of Granite and Sister F. Porter
OF Northern Light-subsequently reported
as follows: time, December 5th; place, Sun
rise Grange, Winterport, with the following
program opening exercises; report OF
Oranges; comforting of 9Th degree; remarks
for good of the order; noon recess; call to
order; singing by choir, address OF wei
come, Sister Cole; response, Brother Frank
Porter question, "What are the worst foes
the farmer has to contend with?" to be
opened by Brother Frederick O. Sunrise
Grange. Grange closed in 5th and opened
in 4th degree.
| Then came the dinner call and recess
was declared. After dinner the Grange
was again called to order. The choir sang.
| 1t was voted that A. Stinson report the
| meeting and that reporter be appointed
fnr nuaht n
was then given by Sister F. NJ. Nickerson,
as follows:
Worthy Patrons of Pomona Grange: To
! me has been assigned the pleasant service
of welcoming you to our grange home to-
day. Words OF welcome are useless unless
| accompanied by the promptings of the
heart, and know that by the warm hands
| that clasp yours and the smiling faces that
greet you, you will surely feel that there is
welcome for every one and Will count the
day not wholly lost that you spend with
, Granite Grange. Who more than the farm
er is entitled to a holiday? The bountiful
crops are harvested, for notwithstanding
| the cold, backward spring those who had
| faith in the promise of a seed time and
harvest have reaped their reward and the
careful husbandman may pause in his
lab0rs and spend one day to refresh both
body and mind.
Why are we here today? What is it that
causes people in different parts of the
country to leave their homes and drive
many miles, perhaps, to assemble at some
one OF the several oranges. l think it is
not merely for pleasure, for surely it is not
wholly pleasant to be jolted over the rough
roads which in many places are poor
apologies for roads. They would better be
called public waterways. Whatever the
answer may be we are here and it is hoped
not one will go away without something
| cd cd tn n ma al-oi f1la nd rfahn
Today is one of the pictures in the history
of our grange and we expect to derive much
, good from it. We hope for inspiration to
do more and better work in the future
| than we have done in the past. For al
| though our nation stands among the fore
most in enlightenment it is far from per-
| feet and it is as much the duty of every
| citizen to do all in his power for the ad-
vancement of his country in time of peace
as to go to the front in time of war. The
grange is powerful factor in this work of
| improvement. a~a
| it IS not in schools alone that an educa-
tion may be obtained, neither is all educa-
| ton received from books. One should
learn to love the true, the beautiful, and
the good as well as to translate pages of
| Greek and Latin.
In travelling over the State of Maine, and
presume it is true of some other States,
| one sees here and there buildings that have
| marked individuality, for they are never
mistaken for anything else than what they
are. allude to the rural Schoolhouse
One sees also the grange hall as support
to the schoolhouse, and together they
should work side by side for the advance
ment of the rural communities 1t is there
that the grange has chance to do its best
work and much depends on these rural
communities, for do not some of our ablest
men come from them? The rough and
rugged hillsides of Maine have furnished
| pOVlrOnrS senators. ato fOr her 81 or
States and there are boys growing up
around us today who in the future
will be called to fill similar positions.
The grange will be responsible for a
part Of their training In ancient
rant, and the lowly. 1t is no longer
SO. Agriculture has become science; it is
taught in our schools and discussed in our
oranges. We have Farmers Institutes :;
also books and papers without end. "Knowl-
edge is power" and the farmer may justly
cain to belong to the true nobility of the
land.
We learn that the soil of New England is
not as good as that of the middle States,
| yet she raises more per acre. Why? Be
cause more of her people read and write.
| Compare, also, the countries OF France and
Germany. All German farmers read and
write, while in France less than two-thirds
are able to do so. Germany produces more
per acre. The poorest returns of all the
| sections OF the world come from the most
| fertile SOil-the black soil of Russia, where
the miserable peasantry exc out miser-
able existence. Prof. J. W. Sanborn of
New Hampshire says: "The reason for the
decline of our farms and the disappearance
/ OF cur boys from the farms is not the Ster-
| itity of the soils. Never in the history of
New England agriculture have the people
failed, nor will they fail because of the in
fertility of the soils" He says further that
''the rarid development of steam power
! made the fertile plains of the west tribu-
tary to the markets OF the east and of Eu-
rope; !; a dazzling prize was held up in the
| rich hOmesteadS, where man could accum-
ulate wealth by the very solldifying of pop
ulation, the rise of land making his fortune
1t is not surprising that our boys went so
rapidly and our money so fast after them.
The little northeast corner of the United
States, in area not equal to IA single one of
these empire States, was the one potent
source Of men and money fitted for and
equal to the founding of these States. They
fathers should be the policy of this mighty
country and fixed forever the destiny OF the
American nation as nation of freedom in
all the spheres of life. BY the union Of
east ana west the south was compelled
into course of freedom and the American
continent was forever dedicated to the civil
and religious liberty founded by the Puri-
tans The influence of the united nation
has crossed the Pacific, lifting the lives of
Japan. of the Philippines and to some ex-
tent those of China.
1t fell to no other people to do SO mighty