Gloucester County Democrat., 1907-10-03
GRANGE ELIGIBILITY
A Letter Written by o. II. Kelley Forty
Years Ago.

Years Ago.
The question of eligibility to the
grange is still being raised, but in the
craze for numbers little attention is
paid to it by those seeking to enroll
names. A letter written by o. H.
Kelley, one of the founders of the Or
der. Nov. 5. 1865, forty years ago, sets
forth in clear manner the purposes of
the grange and may well be carefully
considered by Patrons Of today. It
gives a clear expression of the inten-
tions of the founders at the time the
Order was being set in motion and SO
cannot be called an after considera-
ton. He writes:
| A number of gentlemen engaged in ag-
riculture and its kindred branches in DIFF
ferent states are now perfeeting ritual
| for an Order to be composed wholly of
persons. male and female, directly inter-
ested in agricultural pursuits. The Order
will secure TO its members all the advan-
tages of Masonry, but while that is specu-
lative this will be operative, its main OBJ
| ject being to encourage and advance edu-
cation In all branches of agriculture. It
| is believed that by admitting the young
! folks of both sexes at fourteen or sixteen
years of age 1t win have a tendency to
instill IN their minds a fondness for rural
| life and prevent in a great measure so
many of them floeking tosfe cities. where
all occupations are now crowded, and at
the same time depriving the country of
| that class of young men SO much needed
there. The whole, it is believed, will do
much toward elevating our occupation as
well as establishing a unity of sentiment
among the farmers of the country and
1ot nf
lications devoted TO the interests of agri-
culture and consequent increase of knowl-
edge. Politics and religion are not sub
jects Of discussion.
Wherever this thought has been the
handspring of action the grange has
strengthened with the years. The
grand conception of farmers organi-
zation worked out by the three or four
men in Washington forty years ago
has. resulted in the largest, strongest
organization we have, one which is
everywhere recognized as a power for
good in any and every community.
The responsibility resting on the Pa
tron today is to hold the Order true
to its original purposes and make it
influential in strengthening agricul-
tural thought and work and building
deep and strong the true thought of
the rural home DIR. George NJ. Twitch-
ell
Aug. 10 was a great day for Wayne
county, N. T., patrons. About 1900 as
sembled at the farm of S. E. Budd
near Newark village for their annual
picnic. The speakers were Charles
Wilson of the State Agricultural col
lege, Cornell university, and ]. 81. j..
Watkins of Herkimer
More people have heard grange doc
trine preached and there have been
more preachers thereof the past sum
mer than ever before. Grange field
days and grange picnics seem to have
been more numerous than eyer-a good
sign, by the way
A Pomona grange in Maryland has
taken d strong position against gam
bling at county fairs. SO should every
grange where there is need of 1t.
Mortimer Whitehead of New Jersey,
one of the originals of the Order, writes
an interesting grange column every
month for the Farm Journal.
Patrons are awaiting with interest
the appearance of the new National
Grange Weekly that is promised for
October
The seed sowing at grange picnics
and field days now past should bring
forth abundant harvests the coming
winter.
Germantown (N. " grange has re-
Gently purchased $4,000 hall proper
t.. There's live grange for you!
Sixty subordinate oranges are said
to have been represented ait field
day at Brattleb eboro, Vt, III August.
Over 600 entered the corn growing
contest instituted by the Michigan
state grange.