The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-06-20
SUMPTER GRANGE
SETS PRECEDENT
Kay County to the Front
in Improving Rural
Society.
DO THEIR OWN WORK
Building Will Be Social Cen
ter and Granary as Well as
Meeting Hall.
RY c NJ. RARC1IET.


PONCA CITY. okla, June s.--To
tho Sumptor grange. In the north -
western portion OF this (Eay)
count. bclongs tho credit OF provid-
ing the first grange hall, IN reality
rural community building, In
Oklahoma, but others are 20 fol-
low Immediately In this county and
in other sections Of the state and
the estimate ~ now that Kay county
alone will have witnessed the con
struction Of a dozen such community
center buildings by the close Of 1921
The success OF the Sumptcr build
ing hns demonstrated to the farm
era Of all portions OF this county
that tho upbuildlnR OF community
life IL OF the greatest importance to
all rural sections.
In the construction Of the Sump-
ter grange building all the labor.
with the single exception OF n com
pctont building foreman on tho job,
was contributed by tho farmer
members OF tho grange, and ali the
Innterial--it IL cement block struc-
tiire---was manufactured by the
farmers themselves on the ground
Tho sani for the construction was
hnuied n mile and half from tho
Cbiksslsia river and the cement was
bought at Wholesale by tho grange.
The building. Just completed, wns
dedicated during tho past week
with NIL the rituallstio ceremony that
is provided for such occasions by
the national grange, ana thorc were
also several talks by others. men OF
prominence in tho community and
ststc nj largc, intersporsed with
choral and community singing. IL
was an event of supreme importance,
not only to the Sumrtcr community.
but 10 Kay county ana the state OF
Oklahoma. one thousand persons
attended principally the members Of
the grange and tho wheat growers
association and their families. and
at noon more than 500 people were
served with n chicken dinner In the
dining hall (bascmcnt. of the new
hullding) One hundred and fifty Mt
n time may he served.
tscd for All OrcasIons.
Although n grange building. II IN
open for use for all occasions that
are for the bcttermcnt and welfare
OF the people In reneral II will be
the business meeting place OF tho
grange. the wheat growcre' nssoci1-
ticn and other farmer organizations,
the scene Of festival and other social
gatherings; n central roint for lee
turos and other forms Of entertain
n ent; an educational conter. and n
place, according to Milton Cope, the
master OF Sumpter grange, where
the town people and tho country
people can meet, become better ac-
auainted with each other and the
problems Of each.''
by attending tho dedication OF tho
Sumpter grange building, II was very
easy to understand ihni the grange
has been important In educational
work In that particular locality for
nearly quarter OF a century, and
that the woman's auNiliary---the G
Green Valley c!nh-=has been hold
Ing bi-monthly sessions for he past
IL years II the existence of the two
organizations had not been Known,
Il could have been realized quickly
that some forces ot education and
community upbuiliding had been at
work, Tor the results were manifest.
cd cverywhcrc---in tho appearance
of the people themselves an ap-
rcarancc that showed mn entire alb
scnre OF the loneliness and rarrow-