338 RURAL MICHIGAN 



and the West Michigan State Fair Association were 

 to have representation. This commission was to de- 

 termine the financial assistance to be rendered fairs 

 thioughout the State and an initial appropriation 

 of $50,000 was provided to this end, a sum raised to 

 $75,000 in 1919. 



The ]\Iichigan State Grange of the Order of Pa- 

 trons of Husbandry was incorporated by an act of the 

 legislature in 1875. At the same time provision was 

 made for the incorporation of county and subordinate 

 granges, which incorporation is enjoined among local 

 granges by the constitution and by-laws of the order. 

 The State Grange is affiliated with the National 

 Grange, and is in turn affiliated with county and 

 subordinate granges. The work of each grange is 

 ritualistic in accordance with the ritual appropriate 

 for the grade of each in the order. For the granges 

 of each class a corps of officials is provided consist- 

 ing of a master, overseer, lecturer, secretary, steward 

 and other officers, some of whom receive compensa- 

 tion in accordance with the declared preference of 

 the organic law for low salaries, interest and profits. 

 The declared object of the order as expressed in 

 file preamble of its constitution is "for mutual in- 

 struction and protection, to lighten labor by dif- 

 fusing a knowledge of its aims and purposes, expand 

 the mind by tracing the beautiful laws the Great 

 Creator has established in the Universe, and to en- 

 large our views of creative wisdom and power." The 

 order takes its position on the principle that "the 

 soil is the source from whence we derive all that 



