THE FARMER'S WAR AGAINST MONOPOLIES. 463 



earnestly seeking his good as a member of the great in- 

 terest for which they are working. Being small and 

 convenient in form, and, above all, not too long, he can 

 carry it about with him. He can read it by his own 

 fireside " when all the house is asleep," and he is keep- 

 ing watch with his own thoughts ; or as he sits under 

 the shade of some wide-spreading tree to rest from 

 the heat and the toil of the day. The little tract deals 

 with .questions which are of vital importance to him, 

 and it sets him to thinking, and to thinking in the 

 right direction, too. 



The Grange does not regard the farmer as a mere 

 machine, a mere drudge. It looks upon him as a rea- 

 sonable, responsible being, and seeks to elevate and im- 

 prove him. It stretches over him the shield of its pro- 

 tection against the enemies that assail him and seek to 

 rob him of the rewards of his industry ; it offers him 

 the means of social enjoyment and teaches him the 

 duty of healthful recreation and pleasure ; it recognizes 

 the right of woman to share the pleasures as well as the 

 cares of man, and secures her pure and ennobling in- 

 fluence and co-operation in its work; and it teaches 

 and enforces the lesson that the most intelligent and 

 thoughtful farmer is sure to be the most successful. 



In short, the Grange seeks to make better farmers 

 of the agricultural class. It claims no authority to 

 coerce them into any course of action, no right to com- 

 mand. It is merely an advisory body, and it seeks the 

 improvement of its members only by its moral power. 

 It is to the farmer a wise and judicious friend, and it 

 advises only that which his own good sense tells him is 

 the best course for him. 



Its mode of operation is very simple. Reports are 



