Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1914-11-20
GRANGE PROGRESS
An Influential Factor In Rural
Life Uplft.

Professor Alfred Vivian of the Ohio
State University on the Important
accomplishments Of the Grange and
Its Future Possibilities.
Probably no organiza ton during the
last two decades has had greater in1u-
ence in the improvement of agricul-
tural conditions than has the grange
or, more accurately speaking. the Or
der of Patrons of Husbandry, and GER
tainly no organization of rural forces
has before it a more promising future
The grange is peculiarly fitted to be
an influential factor in the great rural
uplift movement which is now the talk
of every one who is interested in any
way in country affairs. What the
grange has already accomplished
amounts to only hint of its future
possibilities, for in this organization
rests the power to accomplish for the
farmer many desirable things which
can be acquired only through this or
some similar organization. That the
grange will rise to it's opportunities
those who are best acquainted with
its history do not for q moment doubt,
for its part has been one of conserva-
tive progress. but progress neverthe-
less and 1t has to thank this progress
sive conservation for the fact that it
alone of the many farmers organiza-
lions has stood the ravages of time.
The men most prominent in the new
rural uplift movement aver that among
the things most needed for the i'm
provement of farm life these three
stand out prominently, viz:
Better social conditions.
Education.
Business cooperation.
All these are cardinal principles of
the grange.
Many of us believe that the social
principle so strongly emphasized by
the grange is undoubtedly it's most i'm
portant feature. The grange opens its
doors to the farmer, his wife and chill
dren. giving each a voice in its af-
fairs and Offering to each something
of personal interest Where a good.
live grange exists it becomes the So
cial center Of the community, The
grange meetings bring together neigh
bors who would seldom meet other
wise and forces isolation from the sad
die.
The grange meetings themselves, II
properly managed, are social functions
of untold Importance to a rural com
munity; but. better yet, the social
ri Hch nd Op = ho
ular meetings lead to parties, picnics
and to the affairs which give an en-.
tirely different social tone to the neigh
borhood. 1t is matter of common OBJ
servation that the young people in q
| farming section containing a grange in
which youth Is well represented are
more contented than those in a com
munity where the grange influence is
! lacking
The grange has always stoutly adj
vocated the education of it's members
along the line of their own life work.
The constitution and ritual of the or.
der emphasize repeatedly the impor.
lance and necessity Of education.
Through its program it has itself ac-
complished much in the way of edu-
! cation, and the lecturer. whose duty
it is to prepare the programs, has in
many oranges become a more impor-
tant parsonage than the master him
self. But it is not only through its
own programs. important as they are.
that the grange has advanced the
cause of education. The order has al
ways been found on the side of better
schools of all kinds.
1t has been a stanch friend of the
agricultural colleges, of farmers insti-
tutes and of all agencies for the dis
semination of knowledge. In many
places the local grange has provided
public lecture courses and has con-
Quoted Institutes. has been the center
for correspondence courses and In di-
vers ways has taken an important part
in the intellectual uplift of the local
ity.
The grange in its public action as
well as in its private teachings has al
ways been on the right side of every
moral and ethical issue nonpolitical In
principle; it has fought for all the
great moral reforms of the country re-
CARELESS of party politics.
The grange has always stood for the
best things in rural life. 1t already
has a membership running into hun
dreds of thousands and is steadily
growing. 1t is not too much to proph-
esy that it will continue to increase as
an influential force in rural advance
ment So long as its members keep
constantly In mind the great ethical
principles advanced In its ritual and
constitution 1t is not hard to believe
that the ambition of the grange to
take its place beside the school and
the church. as one of trinity of force
that shall mold the life of the farmer
on the broadcast possible basis-mate-
rial. intellectual, social and ethical