EDUCATING THE INTELLECTS. 147 



tlon. These banquets, whether held within the Grange or 

 in the grove, help to bind together the various other features 

 in one harmonious whole. The popularity of the pic-nics 

 especially, leaves no doubt as to their utility, not only among 

 the members themselves, but as exercising an influence upon 

 many who would not otherwise become united with the fra 

 ternity. The lack of social enjoyment has long been felt 

 among farmers, and this want the Grange supplies most 

 thoroughly. 



EDUCATING THE INTELLECTS. 



Another want always felt most keenly by progressive 

 farmers has been the difficulty experienced in meeting to 

 gether for intellectual improvement. The Farmers Clubs, 

 except in a few isolated instances, have always failed in this. 

 It seemed impossible to make the incongruous elements of 

 masculine humanity cohere sufficiently for persistent effort 

 in this direction&quot;; and only when the feminine element was 

 permitted to unite therein has it ever become permanently 

 successful. 



In the ritual of the Grange, there is music to enliven, ed 

 ucate, and refine; many of the Granges already possess 

 libraries, constantly added to, whose benefits all the mem 

 bers may share alike. While the Grange is a place where 

 each sex and every condition in life, if respectable, may 

 meet upon terms of perfect equality, the refining influences 

 therein gained have already prevented many a young man 

 from spending his time and means in the village saloons, 

 or billiard halls, and many soul-destroying resorts of vice. 

 The Grange has undoubtedly redeemed some who, but for 

 its influence, would have gone from bad to worse, and have 

 died drunkards, and perhaps have filled paupers graves. 



The Grange is intended to be the moral and intellectual 



