Norwich bulletin., 1909-09-11

written Specially for The Rulletin)
1 wonder how many of my fellow
farmers who read this belong to the
grange?
wonder how many who do belong
TO the grange take full advantage OF
all the opportunities 1t offers?
/ wonder how many who do belong
think of 1t only as means for their
private pleasure or profit, ard how
many think of 1t and work TO make 1t
a powerful engine for the advance
ment Of farming as an art and of the
farming community as whole?
There are three questions which
seem to me mighty interesting. Take
the third to begin with. How many of
us grangers are public spiritedly trying
TO make the grange a vast and bene--
hcent service to the great body OF
farmers? And how many are looking
at it solely for the little social relaxa-
ton or the little private advantage we
can get out of II for just ourselves? l
really feel as II / had some right to
preach a little to grangers, because
am a pretty good granger myself as
grangers goI Let's brag little, right
here. am a charter member of the
local grange, was IT'S first lecturer, held
that place or the masters chair for
seven years, have been lecturer Of the
Pomona, and have "subbed" for almost
all the different officers OF the subordi-
nate. During my seven years Of active
service as lecturer and master / was
absent from just two meetings, and
late at Just one. While was master
every meeting was called to order
within ten seconds of the set time, and
the business proceeded with, If a quo
rum was present. If not, the rules
fixed for such cases were obeyed to the
letter. You know what they are; or,
IL you don't, you ought to. Now I'm a
high private, and have as such shirked
only one assignment of duty imposed
by an officer, that one case being due
TO physical inability to perform 1t. SO
You see / feel somewhat qualified to
talk grange!
Now come back to that third cues
ton. My experience In my own grange
and in the four neighbors which I
know best is that at least three
quarters of the work is always done by
less than one -Quarter of the members
should do 1t. Worse still, the others
just won't do 1t, even when they are
asked and ordered and begged and
wheedied and cajoled and threatened
They either sulk and bluntly refuse or
promise and then break their words
They hold only to one thing, and that
Is their right to find fault with the
way the others do things. That priv
tege they will never forego; not they'
They won't pull and they won't push;
but they'll ride in the band wagon and
throw stones at the wheel horses and
dribble sand into the axles. This
doesn't help things at all but it main
tains their Independence" Why it
seems TO me just plain hoggishness for
anyone to join an organization and
then refuse to bear pro rata share OF
the burdens Membership imposes. The
man or woman who is willing to take
isn't real man or woman unless
equally willing to give. or course, not
all can give the same thing. One can
give business ability; one can give elo-
duence; one can give muscle; one can
give time; one can give a talent for
organization; one can sing and an
other can wash the windows-Ive seen
at least one grange hall where the lat
ter talent had manifestly been hidden
in napkin, and the napkin lost.
Thus far Eve talked only of the
share members ought to take in the
routine conduct of grange meetings,
etc. But that is only very small part
Of the work the grange can do and is
fitted to do for farmers as a whole
anu IoT lac CIlllTo just
think what power there is in such a
body of people, more than a million of
them all told. If they were united to
help in the improvement Of farming
as a business and in the upiift Of the
farming community, socially. intel 4
lectually and morally Think of the
influence such a body can exert in
compelling just legislation! Think of
the local reforms 1t can bring abouti
Think OF the chances for agricultural
education it offersi Think of the OBJ
portunities for social amelioration Il
afferdsl Think Of the value It might
have as an information bureau In re-
gard to crops, marketing, and the likel
Think OF the avenus-it opens for CO.
operation in producing. in selling, in
buying
Are YOU, dear fellow granger, try
ing your level best in all ways that are
open TO you to make the grange what
II should be along these lines? Not
solely for your own personal behoof,
but for the sake
"Of the right that needs assistance,
or the wrong that needs resistance,
OF the future in the distance,
And the good that you can do?'
As for the second question, how many