THE FARMER'S WAR AGAINST MONOPOLIES. 465 



reject them ; but the discussion is of infinite value to 

 all concerned in it. It brings out the opinions of the 

 entire farming community, and many useful and admir- 

 able suggestions, which are often carried into practice 

 by the members, spring from it. 



The Grange is the uncompromising enemy of care- 

 lessness and disorder. Its golden rule is, u What is 

 worth doing at all, is worth doing well," and it enforces 

 this law by every means in its power. Careless and 

 untidy farming are discountenanced. The farmer is 

 taught that he must keep his place in order, and make 

 it look its best every day in the week. 



" While riding over the country the other day with 

 a leading Granger," says a letter from Minnesota, " he 

 called my attention to the wheat stacks that we saw. 

 ( There,' he said, pointing to a row of stacks that stood 

 up straight and trim, were well capped, and in every 

 way calculated to allow the grain to dry while it was 

 protected from the weather, ' there are the stacks of a 

 Granger. Those over yonder, in which the bundles are 

 thrown together haphazard, belong to a man who is not 

 a Patron. He thinks that he will thresh out his grain 

 soon, and that it is therefore unnecessary to take pains 

 in stacking. But something may happen to prevent 

 this, and the stacks may remain for months, and the 

 grain be injured. The Grange teaches the farmers that 

 it always pays to do their work well, and it is making 

 better farmers than we ever had before.' " 



This is important testimony in favor of the Grange, 

 and if the organization did no more than make " better 

 farmers than we ever had before," it would still be do- 

 ing a great and beneficent work, and a work which 

 would lay the whole country under obligations to it. 



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