ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XI 647 



Its educational influence cannot be estimated. Agriculture is a high 

 and noble calling. God commanded us to till the soil. Today the farmer, 

 his wife, and sons and daughters, stand in the foremost rank, socially and 

 educationally. We owe a large portion to the Grange. It has done more 

 than all other agencies combined to develop a higher manhood and 

 womanhood among the agricultural people, to elevate our calling and 

 place us in position to secure the rights which we are justly entitled to 

 under the Constitution of this government. The work is not to tear down, 

 but build up. We all know what the Agricultural College has done for 

 the farmer. We cannot estimate what the rotation of crops alone has 

 done. We cannot all attend the Agricultural Colleges, but they can come 

 to us, and through the Grange we can have a short course the year round, 

 literary programs, corn judging, domestic science contests, etc. Here we 

 have the only organization that affords the farmer these opportunities, 

 meeting together once a month, exchanging our burdens, and cares, our 

 griefs and our joys. All these would prove very beneficial both socially 

 and educationally. 



The common opinion of the former Grange was that it was a faliure. 

 True, they made some mistakes, but, when we stop to consider what the 

 Grange has done for the farmer, we will have to acknowledge its success 

 has been remarkable. We are indebted to the Grange for the Agricultural 

 Colleges, which are a boon to every farmer. We should put our shoulder 

 to the wheel,* making it a grand success. 



Rural Free Delivery. The Grange sent a committee to Washington 

 and they worked year after year to get an appropriation to establish 

 some rural mail routes for an experiment. They finally got tired of 

 them and then the government took it down in the muddiest part of 

 Illinois, the worst roads they could find, thinking that would kill it 

 and silence the people. But, to their surprise, it met with such success, 

 regardless of these difficulties, the committee went back the next year, 

 asked for forty thousand. It was granted, and proved to be still more suc- 

 cessful. They had the courage the next year to ask for three hundred thou- 

 sand dollars. Then the fight began. The late Mr. Mark Hanna was chair- 

 man of the committee on appropriation and denied the National Master 

 even a hearing. He at once telegraphed for the rest of the committee and 

 they rushed to Washington. Mr. Hanna still refused them a hearing. Mr. 

 Jones (one of the committee) went before the committee as a whole 

 and asked for a hearing and made a speech in regard to the matter. In 

 conclusion he said, "Now, gentlemen, if you care anything for the farmers 

 of the United States, grant us this request, or we will send men here 

 that will look after the interests of the farmer." The outgrowth of this 

 was our present R. P. D. Who here doesn't think this one act alone is 

 not worth all the time and money spent in the Grange? Is it not enough 

 to give us new enthusiasm to work for the Grange if we haven't already 

 done so? 



This is only one of the many good things accomplished, for the farmer 

 reduced the price on sewing machines, farm machinery, etc. The present 

 Grange is more modern than the former one, and if entered into with the 



