The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-10-21
THE WORK OF THE GRANGE.

The Journal believes that the
Grange is doing a splendid work in
Vermont and in the country at large
The report of Secretary Freeman OF
the National Grange shows the num-
Der of Oranges organized from Octo-
Der l, 1908, to September go 1909, to
be 431, which breaks all records for
thirty-five years. The largest mum
Der recorded in any year during the
period mentioned was 327 and the
number recorded and reported in 1908
was 3O2, which was, previous to this
year, the largest number organized.
The new Oranges this year were To-
Gated in twenty-six States, as follows.
California, 1 Colorado, 10, Connecti-
cut, 4; Delaware, 4; Idaho, 20; H.
linois, 6; Indiana, 1; Iowa, /; Kansas,
IL, Kentucky, 2; Maine, 8; Maryland,
16; Massachusetts, = Michigan, 80;
Missouri, L; New Hampshire, 8; New
Jersey, g.; New York, SO; Ohio, 81;
Oregon, IL; Pennsylvania, 80; Rhode
Island, 8; South Dakota, ID; Vermont,
%; Washington, Il; Wisconsin 2. Dur
ing the same period fifty-six Oranges
were reorganized, making total for
the year of 4S7.
The National Grange, the organ of
the order, discusses the passing of the
lyceum, the singing school, the spell
ing bee, donation and surprise parties
and the other amusement of a past
generation, and adds
''All this is one of the changed con-
ditions of the times, not to be mourn
ed over necessarily and certainly not
to be changed by simply mourning
Yet it cannot be denied that great
element of the strength of rural COM
munity is taken out of it when this
former custom of doing for itself be-
gins to diminish and ultimately disap-
pears. Something of it's self-reliance
necessarily goes as WELL and that the
effect of the changed conditions in that
community will be manifest in the
next generation or two will scarcely
be questioned by those who have stud
led the elements which in past genera
lions have given stability and charac-
ter to the men and the women who
have come forth from the rural COM
and taken large places in the
worlds work.
AT just this time. and into just this
critical change in conditions, the
Grange takes its place in the rural
community, with wonderful door of
opportunity wide open before it. To
teach people that they can do things
for themselves, to enlarge the range
of their vision, to bring to them long
ing to try, then an opportunity
to try and lastly another and
still greater opportunity just be-
yond this is the Grange privilege
so wonderfully broad and promising
To teach it's members to do by doing,
to impress them with the lesson of
self reliance, to give them confidence
to undertake hopefully many a task
that would otherwise have seemed I'M
surmountable-how large indeed does
Grange opportunity open up before the
needs of the hour!
1.-The Grange will never bring back
the singing school, the spelling bee or
the donation party phases of rural life.
In 1903 the amount paid in witness
fees amounted to $12,3O5.1S. If the
fees had been doubled previous to 1903
the cost to the State would have been
24,61036. In 1905 the aggregate cost
was s15,452.50. Under the old sched-
ule the cost to the State would have
been only $7,726.25. 1t must be re-
membered that these figures do not
include the fees paid in justice courts,
special hearings and cases heard be-
fore masters. 1t is probable that the
average cost to the State under the