Smyrna times., 1911-12-13
SMYRNA AT STATE :eRANeE

Delegation From Here Went to Lewes
to Attend Annual Session Which
Opened AuspiciouslY Yesterday
Mr.. and Mrs. William H. Arm
strong and Miss Elva Stevenson are
representing Smyrna Grange No. 21
P. of H., at the annual session of
the Delaware State Grange at
Lewes. The session opened yester-
day with the promise of being the
most important in years. Grangers
from all over Delaware have assem-
bled and every grange in the State
is represented. S. Harrington Mes
sick of Bridgeville, who will preside
during the three days session form
ally opened the State Grange yestar-
day afternoon. Charles L. Barker.
State grange treasurer, reported
81, 783. 20 on hand, with a total of
AZ oranges in the State and 3,423
members. Members of the National
Grange are expected to take part in
the debate that is scheduled to come
up when the proposition is made for
Delaware to support the recent action
of the progressive end of the Nation
al Grange at its annual convention in
Columbus, O. 1t is understood that
Delaware Grange is favorable to the
progressive branch, but, neverthe-
less, there is faction that will put
up strong fight against any indorse-
ment that is proposed. A separate
college for women at Newark in con.
nection with the State school for men
is movement that has gained great
ground among the grangers during
the past year, and the argument
that school for women, with sep-
arate buildings, but with the same
corps of instructors now used for
the men with special studies pertain
ing to farm life for women has met
with much favor and action of some
sort will be take at the meeting.
Support For Women's Normal School
Delaware Grange is known to
WELD a considerable power in the
making of State laws, and whatever
action is taken will probably bear
fruit at the next session of the legis-
lature, should bill be brought for
ward favoring a State school for
women. At present, there is no
school for women in the State, and
the girls from Delaware are com
PEELED to go to Pennsylvania and
Maryland to learn teaching in the
absence of even a normal school.
With the Women's Federation of
Clubs already exerting itself in favor
OF such a school the favorable de-
cision of the grangers will mean
great deal to the movement. The
initiative and referendum; the par.
cells post, and bill to prohibit the
shipment of liquor into dry territory
all have their friends among the
grangers and will receive action of
some kind. The principal speakers
will be Governors Pennswill of Del
aware and Crothers of Maryland and
Doctor Wiley, the pure food ad-
vocate of Washington. These ad-
dresses will be open to the public.
but all other work will be done in
secret session. During the sessions,
the sixth degree will be conferred
by a picked degree team. The session
will be concluded tomorrow, Thursday
evening with banquet, to which all
fourth degree members are invited.
State Master Messick dealt with
many of the subjects to be taken up
at the sessions and touched upon the
details of the growth of agriculture
in Delware in his annual address.
Smyrna Shows Gain During Year
According to the report of Secretary
Webb to the convention of the Del
aware State Grange, there are now
forty-two oranges flourishing in this
State, and the exact membership is
given as 2,42S. Milford Grange is
now the largest with 156 members.
while RoXanna, also in Sussex
county, and a comparatively new
grange, has 146 and is second. West
Brandywine is the banner grange of
New Castle county, with 142 mem
bers, while Fruitland of Camden.
leads Kent with 14O enrolled. Smyrna
shows a membership of 81 and a
gain of 4.
BISHOP COMING NEXT WEEK