The Republican journal., 1922-07-27
BELMONT

BELMONT
Mystic Grange, No. 90, Center Bel
mont. met in regular session Saturday
evening, July 18th, with all officers pres
ent The usual business was taken up.
One name was received for reinstatement.
The literary program, including instru-
mental muse, songs, recitations and
readings, followed. The speaker OF the
evening was w. j. Thompson, Master of
the Maine State Grange.
Sister Thompson was called upon and
made some interesting remarks, stating
that every member should support the
I.ecturer. whom they have elected, and
resnond whenever called upon, Others
nresent who made remarks were: Waldo
Pomona Deputy Charles Wood and wife
of Morrill, and the Pomona Master and
lecturer. Brother and Sister B. l.. Aborn
of Knox.
After the program the assistant stew
ards led the march to the dining room
h.,ow where all enjoyed bountiful sup
ner. About S5 members were present
On Saturday evening, July 29, Brother
E. Fl. Libby, secretary of the Maine
State Grange, will speak at Mystic
Grange and ice cream and cake will be
served.
A summary of the State Masters ad-
dress follows: Mr.. Thompson was de-
6ohtfully surprised at the large attend
ance at Mystic Grange, where the sur
rounding territory is comparatively tnin
Iv settled and at this busy season. inis
Is the 54th anniversary of the grange and
Mystic Grange, having been organized
January %, 1875. is therefore one of the
first. Although many things have chang
ed since then, the grange remains princi-
pally the same. Other societies have
come and gone. There are now over Co.,
400 members in Maine alone and over
900. 900 in the United States, 80 States of
(which have State Oranges. On an aver
age there are 40 Grange meetings held
daily in the State of Maine alone. This
shows the strength of the Grange as an
organization.
Mr.. Thompson, while travelingsin the
west attending various State Grange
meetings, had an opportunity to visit
local grange. The meeting was held in
small one room building which, however,
was filled to its capacity in spite of the
fact that many OF the members came to
80 ~f lac or
more over the plains. The State Master
was greatly impressed by the fact that
these people should travel so far for the
sake of the grange, and more so, to see
the same ritualistic works used among
strangers 1t made him "feel at home"
When Father Kelly organized the
Grange in the south at the end of the
Civil War, he did so with an idea OF
making fraternity the main thing. He
wished to unite the people and now
wherever there is grange we find the
same fraternal spirit.
Mr.. Thompson pointed out that the
young members of the Grange are un-
consciously being taught parliamentary
law and that any person who can con-
duct grange meeting can be moderator
at town meeting, Speaker of the House
or President of the Senate, without learn
ing a single new law because he knows
how resolutions and bills are presented,
motions made and seconded, measures
voted upon, and finally recorded by the
secretary. In fact, every grange is a
miniature republic all by itself A repub-
lie, by the way, is the greatest thing on
earth. Why did Russia, hitherto so
strong, fall to pieces when her ruler was
dethroned? Because her people knew
nothing about government. They had
been told what to do by the royal officers
and when they were taken away the
masses did not know how to govern
themselves, and they are very slow to
learn. 1t will probably take generations
to educate them to self government.
They never had the grange, SO they do
not know the simple parliamentary laws
that every granger knows.
Mr. Thompson told about the National
Grange sending T. C. Atkeson to Wash.
ington to represent the Grange and of
the influence of the Grange as body in
making our laws
He also spoke of the fact that many of
our presidents and statesmen have come
from the country towns and that the