Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-08-22
AIMS AND OBJECTS
Of THE GRANGE SET
FORTH BY CH|LS0N
Principal Work Is to Educate it's
Members in Their Own
Business.
MEANS MUCH TO FARMERS.
Exchange of Ideas Valuable
Seeks to Eliminate the Mid
dleman.

Believing that the work the Grange
is doing in this county and through
out the state is of such value to the
farmers from the educational as well
as the social and agricultural stand
point that it can hardly be measured,
THE WASHINGTON STANDARD is glad to
publish the following article by Ross
Chilson, one of the prominent mem
bers of the Thurston County Pomona
Grange, explanatory of the general
principles of the order and the ends it
seeks.
Mr.. Chilson, who has knack Of ex-
pressing himself so aptly that his
meaning cannot be misunderstood,
says:
Editor Washington Standards:
Dear Sir: | am often asked ques-
tions concerning the Grange, such as:
What does the Grange advocate? What
are its principles? What do you ex-
pect to accomplish by being member
of the order? and so on. So for the
benefit Of the readers of the STANDARD
who are interested in the order
will attempt to put them wise to a
few things pertaining to the work.
First, the Grange is strictly farm.
ers' organization, and those whose
pursuit or calling is antagonistic to
the order are ineligible to become
members.
Second, we are seeking to educate
ourselves along those lines which will
be betterment to ourselves, such as
eliminating many of those wasteful
habits that are now practiced ON many
of the farms.
Third, many suggestions for the
good of the order are to be heard at
our meetings. where general discus
sions are engaged in, and where any
member who knows of good thing
passes it along. Thus you see where
from 20 to 40 farmers congregate
twice a month they are more easily
reached than If the Grange did not ex-
list; and it is lamentable fact that
many whom we consider up-tO-date
farmers live in sight of Grange halls
and never join the order No harm
could possibly come to them and much
good might result.
In discussion not long ago, l was
od IN nj nf
no one cared to read of them, to write
only of successes. When l read that
felt that it was a new one on me, for
In the Grange we don't do things that
way. When member reports fail
ure we go after it, inquire into the
cause and proceed to devise ways and
means to prevent its happening the
second time. But speaking of success
es only reminds me of case that hap
pened not long ago. A certain farmer
had some mighty fine grain and a
man from town asked him for small
sheaf of it to be used for boosting pur'
poses. He refused to let him have 1t
on the ground that it would be unfair
AS his crop was not all like the sam
pie and it would not be true illustra-
tion of actual conditions.
And again, II was to dig freak
hill of potatoes and 1t would weigh
some 25 or 30 pounds and put it on
exhibition and sold part of my land
for fabulous price, limiting that all
my land produced like that, at the
same time knowing that 1t would prob
abby take the next ten hills of pota-
toes to weigh as much as the freak
hill did, l am right here to tell you
that | would not like to think of hav-
ing that man for neighbor after he
got wise to the facts of the case. No,
would much prefer to be able to lean
over the line fence and visit with that
man than to feel that he had me sized
up as thief.
But to return to the subject. 1t
would be hard indeed to estimate the
many possibilities of what the Grange
really means to the farmers, If they
all Joined the order and remained 10y
al to its teachings. remember at the
state meeting of the Grange at Puyal-
iup year ago the Tribune, Tacoma
paper. had this to say: "The Grangers
Know what they want, and they are 60
Continued on page u