The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-12-05
ANNIVERSARY MEETING
OF THE GRANGE
Held Last Evening. Large Attend.
ance And an Interesting Program.
Degree Work.

grees being conferred upon class
of six candidates.
The program consisted of remarks,
Present Strength of and Influence of
the Grange in the Country as a
i Whole S +. Emerson; Some of the
Achievements OF the Order" Thomas
C. Lord Comic solo, Albert r. Smil
ely; What may one reasonably expect
of the Oranges future" Frank p. Pen
NELL Grange Journal, X. T. Patten.
A harvest feast was served in the
dining rooms directed by Mr.. and Mrs.
A. f. Jewett Mr. and Mrs. l.. D. Pack
ard,
The Origin of the Grange according
! to the authority of the National
! Grange was as follows:
The Order of the Patrons of Hus-
handry originated in the mind of o. H.
! Kelley, man of New England birth,
manhood and became a farmer in that
section of the country.
In 1854 he was appointed a clerk in
the department of agriculture at
Washington. Two years later, in jan
uary, 1866, MIR. Kelley was commits
stoned by Isaac Newton, commissioner
of agriculture, to visit the southern
states, lately in hostility to the gov
ernment for the purpose of obtaining
4 statistical and other information in
regard to the condition of the south,
and report the same to the depart
ment at Washington.
1t was while travelling fn the south
i in obedience to these instructions that
! the thought of a secret society of ag-
ricultursts, for the protection and adj
yancement of their interests, and as
an element the people, first occurred
to Mr.. Kelley.
] The idea of giving women full mem
] bership in the proposed order origina-
ted with Miss Carrie A. Hall of Bos-
/ ton Mass, a niece of Mr.. Kelley, to
whom he had impaired his views of
/ the new association after his return
/ from the south. In the full formation
of the order, six other men were d.
rectly associated with Mr.. Kelley,
namely: William Saunders of the de-
partment of agriculture, who, next to
! Mr.. Kelley, did most in originating the
order and the Rev. A. B. Grosh, of the
same department; William NJ. Ireland
of the postofiice department; the Rev.
! John Trimble and J. r. Thompson of
the treasury department, and f. NJ.
Mcdowell, a pomologist of Wayne, n,
Y, all of whom, with one exception,
were born upon a farm.
These seven men were the founders
of the order, and for nearly two years
they labored with great energy, and
with a faith and zeal amounting al
most to inspiration, until, with the as
sistance of friends who became inter
ested in the plant, they completed
well-deyised scheme of organization,
based upon a ritual of four degrees
for men and four for women. which Is
unsurpassed in the English language
for originality of thought, purity OF
i sentiment and beauty OF dicton.
Having formed constitution to
! govern the order to which this ritual
was adapted these men met on the
! 18th day of December, 1867, and con-
] OF hnT c n Nntinnn
grange of the Patrons of Husbandry,
with William Saunders as master, j.
r. Thompson, lecturer. and o. H. Kel-
ley secretary. The remaining offices
for obvious reasons were left vacant
The little brown building in which
the organization was effected was at
that time the Office of Mr.. Saunders,
and stood empowered with the trees
in the gardens of the agricultural de-
partment on the corner of Fourth and
Half street and Missouri avenue Later
the late Colonel Aiken of South Caro-
lima and other interested members Of
the order made VIGOROUS efforts to
have the government preserve this his
torc building, but they were unsuc-
cessful in their efforts.
The first subordinate grange was
organized in Washington, d. C., the
eighth day of January, 1868, as
school of instruction. with William NJ.
ireland as master.
The first dispensation for a grange
was granted at Harrisburg, Pa, the
fourth day of April, 1868, but the first
regular subordinate grange to which
a charter was issued was organized at
Fredonia, NJ Y, the 10th day of April,
1868.
The first state grange. that of Min
nesota. was organized the END day of
February. 1869. The new order made
slow progress up to 1872, only 257
oranges having been organized in the
entire country. During the year 1872,
1105 were organized, and the order
had an existence In % states.
The first meeting of the National
grange, as a delegate body, was held
at Georgetown, ID. c., the eight day OF
January 1878 with six of the found