The Republican journal., 1907-03-07
MEETING OF WALDO COUNTY GRANGE


18th with Seaside Grange, Belfast. The
day was pleasant but the high wind the
night before had filed the roads full of
snow so that travelling by team was impos-
sible. MIR. Carpenter, wife and daughter, of
Brooks, Edward Evans and wife and Lev
anseller Brothers of Waldo, came on the
train. Samuel Phinney of Morrill, came
malnder of the attendance came from with
in the city limits. The grange was not
opened until afternoon, when Past Master
Evans presided over the meeting There
was fair attendance The roll call of Of
hcers found the treasurer, secretary and
gate keeper present. While the candidates
were being enrolled Mr.. Evans gave a re-
port of the Patrons cooperative meeting in
Augusta last month. A class of SO was then
instructed in the fifth degree. The follow
ing address of welcome by Fred W. Brown
of Belfast, who was unable TO be present
because of illness, was read by Mrs Dora
Bridges:
WORTHY MASTER, SISTERS AND BROTH
ERS :By borrowing from the Scotch their ex-
pressiye exclamation, denoting great pride
and satisfaction, we can say: Man; it is
proud we are this day to welcome you to
Seaside Grange. And We have Il right to
be proud, whatever MAY be our individual
shortcomings proud that we belong to an
an organization like this, whose privilege
it is to welcome and entertain as guests
similar land work together for
the common good of all on the higher plane
of Pomona Grange. Looking back upon the
Ma @ AT nh h. Nr.n
been overcome, and turn to the future with
renewed hope and courage. Mistakes we
may have made, but they only serve as in
struction that they may be avoided in the
future. 1t is almost wholly by errors COM
mitted that the world has grown wise.
when we consider the first great error com
mitted in the Garden of Eden. Humilia-
tion may have been our bitter portion at
times, and defeat of cherished hopes may
have stared us in the face. 1t is only by
trials such as these that we are made clean
of heart and steadfast of purpose, the brain
and hand made strong to continue bravey
gagged. Thirtytwo years ago the first
grange meeting in Belfast was held at the
house of Wales L. Miller, and 20 people
were initiated into the order as charter
members. All of them married, believe
wife and husband Joining together in the
grange. "A SeueIdtlOH VI ulou anu women
have passed away since that day, and still
the grange is in its infancy Its great work
is not yet done,nor will be until its influence
makes the whole world better.
OF those 20 charter members 1 am left al
most alone to attend the grange today.
Most of them are dead. Our experience
was similar to many other oranges. We
slipped, we fell, we lost our charter; we
died, and like Lazarus of old were brought
to life again. All the time the idea of the
grange grew in force, and today we have
two oranges in Belfast (there is need of
both) with large and growing member
ship in each. Some say that the benefits
derived from the grange are almost wholly
educational. Others that its value lies in
the successful solving of social questions
Again others think that the great work of
the grange finally will be to supply the
forum in which the great economic Ques-
tions of the day will, in large measure, be
solved and settled. Each of these views
are as correct as the others; you can not
carry out one Of them without carrying
along the others also. One may be ahead
Of the others for time or in some locality,
but the great questions behind are sure to
take their turn in front in due time. One
of the most serious draw wbackS to any
material progress, in our isolated condition
before the advent of the grange was our
inability to differ in opinion without
oti lOuoly 4udl lCltHSs anu 1HOIOUy OCihE lCU
by our prejudices rather than by our rea-
son; and, dear sisters and brothers, much
fear it is the most serious drawback to our
full development in the grange today. An
embittered spirit can not be happy. How
ever much we may be troubled by embitter-
ed spirits in ourselves, and however much
we may be to blame in causing hardness in
another'S heart, it seems to me to be unmiS-
taxable that we are growing more fOrgiv-
ing, tolerant and charitable to each other
every year of our grange life.
This is the infancy of the grange, and
this is the greatest work so far accomplish
ed, but only in part. Should we do nothing
more in our generation of grange life than
to establish the principles OF perfect toler-
ance of differences of opinion, we shall not
have labored in vain. We do not mean that
tolerance of opinion that agreeably says yes
while thinking no, but that tolerance that
can receive, as well as give, the hardest
blows; ready at all times to yield to the
right, but never giving up to anything but
the right. We must be cOmbatants. We
must fight and fight hard, but fight fair; be
a cheerful loser and generous winner. The
Irish schOOl-master was right in meaning,
at least, when he said to his boys: Ii you
can't fight without quarreling you Shan't
fight at all. Were our deserts much great
er than they are, we could not make your
welcome more. Freely take our all of well
come, as we give it freely.
Along with our wheat and our corn, our
oats and our hay, our beef and our poultry,
we are raising tremendous crops of ideas.
Now ideas before they are stored need