The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-15
STATE GRANGE IN SESSION
Organization Now Has Membership
of 1900


Rutland, Dec. IA representative
gathering of Vermont Changers as
sembled here today for the three
days 45th annual convention. Willis
n Cady of Middlebury, State master
occupied the chair. A brief business
session in the morning was followed
by the masters annual address this
afternoon and speeches this evening
by Commissioner of Education Milo
B. Hillegas of Montpelier. Judge John
Z. Weeks of Middl6bury, chairman Of
the state penal board, and w. j. Low
ell OF Fredonia. ~ Y, master OF the
New York State Grange. Mayor b.
l.. Stafford welcomed the convention
ers.
The Grange has 1900 members in
1876 subordinate Oranges in the state,
according to Secretary A. l.. Priest Of
Randolph. There are % Pomona
Oranges. In comparison with year
ago the present total membership
varies very little. The Grange has a
permanent fund of $115S4.37 and a
current fund of S5,709.0S. according
to Treasurer F. b. Pier of Brattleboro.
The expenditures OF the last year
for officers fees. delegates expenses,
etc, amounted TO S3,335.45.
THE man who invests his time and
capital IN an intelligent manner in
the business of agriculture in YER
mont is going to win, Mr.. Cady said
to the grangers in the course OF dis
oussion OF education, cooperation,
good roads, insurance, temperance
and good of the order" He pointed
out that Vermont is approaching an
era OF agricultural prosperity with
farms increasing in value and better
methods of cultivation and fertiliZa-
ton, greater interest in orcharding,
purer bred stock and improved meth
DDS of marketing.
Hc said: 1T has often been said
that farmers, because of their scat
tered condition and spirit of indepen-
dence, cannot cooperate but ! think
that we are proving that this is not so
The combining of milk shippers to OBJ
tain better prices is notable in
stance of refutation Of this notion.
Cow testing associations, in which
Vermont leads, cooperative cream
cries, farmers clubs, potato growing
associations prove that to be indepen-
dent we must combine forces" He
urged support of the Grange educa-
tional fund, saying that farmers are
learning more and more the need OF a
trained mind to acquire success in ag-
riculture
Commissioner Hillegas took as his
topic, THE Education Of the Village
and Rural Child" He said he be-
lieved that a better understanding of
the school transportation law would
remedy the present abuses of 1t, He
believed that no one is in position to
change this law until It is carefully
studied and watched The com
missioner deprecated the practice of
disfiguring school houses in endeavor-
ing to make repairs that are in ac-
cordance with law and called atten-
tion to the improvement in the stand
ard Of the teaching force in the State
within a short time
OF the rural high school problem,
he said. The condition which makes
1t necessary for boy and girl to
leave home in order to have high
school privileges is to be deplored.' y
The home needs the boys and girls
and they need their homes. One
child out of every five in Vermont
cities are found in the high school
and outside of the cities less than one
in ten. There is need of develop
ment of high school which can care
for the village boys and girls. A jun
ior high school, which is now much
favored by educators, will help to
solve the problem. Mr.. Hillegas
dwelt at length upon the character of
I a. Il