THE FARMER'S WAR AGAINST MONOPOLIES. 457 



newspaper to see .such paragraphs as the following, 

 which we clip from an exchange : 



" Delegates of the several Granges of Dubuque county, Iowa, met 

 at Rockdale on the 8th, and arranged for a monster basket pic-nic at 

 Ebworth on the 17th." 



" The Granges of Eandolph county, Ind., held a pic-nic at the fair 

 grounds at Winchester on the 9th." 



These items, which are now very frequent in the 

 newspapers of the day, may mean nothing at all to the 

 ordinary reader, but to the farmer, or to one who is 

 familiar with the old regime of country life, they are 

 eloquent indeed, for they tell of a different era that has 

 dawned upon the agricultural community, and to the 

 " Granger " they are apparent as the work of his Order. 

 Who ever heard of farmers taking the trouble to or- 

 ganize themselves for enjoyment until the Grange 

 taught them that pleasure is a duty as well as labor ? 



In the monthly meetings of the subordinate Grange, 

 the farmers of a community are brought together 

 twelve times a year if no oftener, and are accompanied 

 by their wives and daughters. The ordinary proceed- 

 ings of each meeting are such as to interest them, and 

 to place them in a happy frame of mind for the cultiva- 

 tion and promotion of social relations. Acquaintances, 

 are made, new friendships are formed, and old ones 

 strengthened. The farmer is taught that the world 

 does not end for him at the boundaries of his farm ; 

 that there are hopes, fears, joys and sorrows beyond his 

 domain in which it is his duty to take an interest. 

 The entire farming community is bound together by 

 the bonds which unite men working for a common 

 cause. A few hours are spent in pleasant intercourse. 



