1889.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 265 



as a political and money-making machine, and it had to go 

 through a purging process ; and from this time on the work 

 has gone forward on a sure basis. What is the secret of our 

 strength? First, a strong fi'aternity. The history of the 

 world tells us that the fraternal orders have stood next to 

 the Church of God. They are one of the safeguards of this 

 country, and so we have bound ourselves together with cer- 

 tain rites and ceremonies. 



In its very inception the question was raised. What 

 about the farmers' wives and daughters? And a Mrs. 

 Carrie Hall, then in Washington filling a clerkship in 

 one of the departments, suggested, " If you are going to 

 admit the ladies, why not admit them on an equality with 

 men?" The idea was adopted at once, and it was decided 

 that women should be admitted in this order on an equality 

 with the men, entitled to every position that men are entitled 

 to, being admitted to the councils, and helping carry on the 

 work in all ways. And to women to-day we owe the sta- 

 bility and purifying influence of our order. 



Our work is not familiar to all of you, I see many fa- 

 miliar faces, and we feel that it should be better known. It 

 must occur to you, that, to bring about results, there must be 

 thorough organization. You are doing a noble work, mem- 

 bers of the State Board, in your meetings once or twice a 

 year. You are doing a good work in your institutes, but 

 there is nothing to bind you together in strong eifort for 

 aggressive work. We may have, perhaps, one hundred 

 subordinate granges in Massachusetts. We are required by 

 our laws to hold monthly meetings, but some of the granges 

 meet bi-monthly, many weekly ; and we place our five thou- 

 sand meetings held annually in the hill towns of Massachu- 

 setts against your few field meetings. Hence, when the 

 time comes for us to work, we work understandingly and 

 unitedly, and determined to win. Here is an illustration. 

 A question came up in the United States Congress on the 

 oleomargarine law. We heard of it here in New England, 

 and the masters of the State granges of New England 

 assembled in Boston and discussed the matter. We decided 

 that we would send a communication to Washington that 

 would mean what it said; and, in the name of forty 



