470 HISTORY OF THE GRANGE MOVEMENT; OR, 



the habit of the fanner to regard himself and his own 

 family only, and to be careless of the welfare or interests 

 of others. The Grange teaches him that he is only a 

 single member of the vast community of men who till 

 the ground, and that his interests are identical with 

 theirs, and that he must consider others as well as him- 

 self. He is thus drawn out of himself and made to en- 

 tertain larger and more liberal views of life and its 

 duties. 



The material interests of the farmer are not the only 

 ones which receive the fostering care of the Order. 

 His intellectual improvement is also aimed at. The 

 Grange teaches its members that education and intel- 

 lectual culture are necessary to the farmer as well as to 

 other men. It impresses upon him the duty of encour- 

 aging the growth and prosperity of the public schools, 

 and reminds him that money saved at the cost of his 

 children's education is saved at too high a price. It en- 

 courages the farmer to purchase and read good and use- 

 ful books, and the best periodicals of the day. At its 

 meetings discussions are encouraged which serve to 

 keep its members informed upon the leading questions 

 of the times, and to accustom them to express their 

 views in an intelligent manner. In one respect the 

 Grange may be considered as an educational club, with 

 the very positive and definite object of achieving the 

 intellectual improvement of its members. Certainly 

 this is a noble work, and should win for the Order the 

 best wishes and cordial sympathy of every citizen of the 

 Republic. The work of the Order is just commencing. 

 It is still in its infancy, but it gives promise of glorious 

 results. 



