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American Agriculturist 
FARM—DAIRY—MARKET—GARDEN—HOME 
“Agriculture is the Most Healthful, Most Useful and Most Noble Employment of Man”—Washington 
Re^. U. S. Pat. Off. Established 1842 
Volume 111 
For the Week Ending January 27, 1923 
Number 4 
Our Only National Farm Fraternity 
The Grange, America’s Greatest Farm Organization—By S. J. Lowell 
I N the progress of the United States dur¬ 
ing the past half century it has fallen to 
the lot of few organizations to render 
such distinct civic, economic and patriotic 
service as the Grange; while the latter easily 
heads the list of all rural associations that 
have striven to promote the welfare of the 
people who live in the open coun¬ 
try. igEgUEl; ill 
Organized immediately follow¬ 
ing the Civil War, the Grpge 
sought to rehabilitate the nation’s 
stricken agriculture, and towards 
this end outlined a program more 
far-reaching than simply to pro¬ 
mote the material prosperity of 
the farmer. It recognized that 
the real compensations of rural 
life are deeper than merely dol¬ 
lars and cents—that the atmos¬ 
phere of the rural community, the 
social and educational privileges 
found within it, the comforts and 
conveniences of the farm home 
and an adequate opportunity for 
the development of its youth—all 
these constitute the background 
for a successful agriculture, 
deeply rooted in the happiness, 
contentment and ambition of its 
toilers. 
and experimental development work; exten¬ 
sion of prohibition; enfranchisement of 
women. In all these worthy undertakings 
the Grange has performed an active part, 
while many of them were initiated within its 
councils. 
The Grange is splendidly democratic in its 
What the Grange Stands For 
0 matter what the ups and downs of other organizations may be 
A Leader in National Farm Affairs 
Made up very largely of prop¬ 
erty-owning people, leaders in 
their respective communities and 
exponents of the highest patriotic 
and moral ideals, the Grange from 
the very start took a place of lead¬ 
ership in national affairs and with 
its growing membership and 
widening scope its influence has 
more and more impressed itself 
upon the progress of the half cen¬ 
tury. Organized to-day in thirty- 
five States, from Maine to Cali¬ 
fornia, the Grange embraces more 
than 8,000 local branches, has 
800,000 dues-paying members 
and holds more than 200,000 
meetings every twelve months: 
its organized energies devoted to 
the clearly-defined purposes: “To ________ 
educate and elevate the Ameri- 
can farmer.” This is the Grange, 
the greatest farm organization, and the only 
farm fraternity in America. 
That the Grange has striven all these years 
for vital things is amply evidenced in the 
fact that to its credit stands such a fine line 
of legislative, educational, civic and moral 
victories as the following: Free delivery of 
mail to millions of rural homes;' parcel post 
and postal savings banks; vocational educa¬ 
tion; inaugurating a rural credits systeni; 
protection of dairy products from the unfair 
competition of imitation substitutes ; wide¬ 
spread interest in better roads, particularly 
from farm to market; definite supervision of 
all public utilities; stringent pure food laws; 
increased appropriations for agricultural 
N each year sees the Grange making steady progress in size, in¬ 
fluence and results accomplished. In reading the history of the 
Grange recently we found a declaration of purposes published in 1874, 
setting forth its specific objects. Although written nearly a half 
century ago these objects apply equally as well to-day. One does not 
have to look further than a statement of these objects, which we give 
below, to find the chief reason for the remarkable success of this great 
organization. 
“We shall endeavor to advance our cause by laboring to ac¬ 
complish the following objects: 
“To develop a better and higher manhood and womanhood 
among ourselves. To enhance the comforts and attractions 
of our homes, and strengthen our attachments to our pursuits. 
To foster mutual understanding and cooperation. To main¬ 
tain inviolate our laws, and to emulate each other in labor to 
hasten the good time coming. To reduce our expenses, both 
individual and corporate. To buy less, and produce more, in 
order to make our farms self-sustaining. To diversify our 
crops and crop no more than ive can cultivate. To condense 
the weight of our exports, selling less in the bushel, and more 
on hoof and in fleece; less in lint, and more in warp and woof. 
To systematize our ivork, and calculate intelligently on proba¬ 
bilities. To discountenance the credit system, the mortgage 
system, the fashion system, and every other system tending to 
prodigality and bankruptcy. 
“We propose meeting together, loorking together, buying 
together, selling together; and, in general, acting together for, 
our mutual protection and advancement, as occasion may re¬ 
quire. We shall avoid litigation, as much as possible, by arbi¬ 
tration in the Grange. We shall constantly strive to secure 
entire harmony, good-will, vital brotherhood, among ourselves; 
and to make our Order perpetual. We shall earnestly endeavor 
to suppress personal, local, sectional, and national prejudices, 
all unhealthy rivalry, all selfish ambition. Faithful adherence 
to these principles will insure our mental, moral, social and 
material advancement.” 
ginning and with the highest of American 
ideals its guiding purpose, the Grange main¬ 
tains to-day the sturdy purpose of its Found¬ 
ers—a genuine fraternity of farmers, 
strongly united with their families to serve 
the welfare of rural America. 
While thus actively espousing the farmers’ 
cause the Grange is likewise safe- 
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE guarding the future, in that 
° ^ among its most noteworthy ac¬ 
tivities is the constant training 
and helpfulness for young peo¬ 
ple, thereby fitting them for 
the large civic duties which they 
must later assume. Here also 
is the outstanding feature of 
Grange assurance for future 
prosperity and growth. Indeed, 
in its care for its growing youth, 
it practically exemplifies the force 
of its fraternal motto, “Esto 
perpetua.’ ’ 
organization, as its leaders are selected from 
the ranks and are constantly responsible to 
the membership for their acts; while the 
smallest subordinate is directly represented 
in shaping all the policies of the organization. 
The fine system which assembles subordinate 
units into Pomona or district bodies, these 
turn into State Granges and all the States 
compactly joined in the National Grange, 
creates an efficient force to get results and 
establishes a strong tie from the lowest to the 
highest rank of the Order. Free from every 
religious or political test for membership, 
embracing both old and young to a remark¬ 
able degree, admitting men and women on 
a plane of exact equality from its very be¬ 
Two Outstanding Reasons for Strong 
Consistent Growth 
There are many reasons why 
the Grange has made such a 
strong consistent growth in mem¬ 
bership and influence and why it 
has been such a success in elevat¬ 
ing farm life in America. But if 
I were to name two of the main 
reasons for Grange success I 
would say first, that the Order 
has always recognized the im¬ 
portance of women in the farm 
and national life and taken them 
in its membership on a par with 
the men; and second, that the 
Grangd has recognized and worked 
for the spiritual and ethical in 
rural life as well as for material 
advancement. 
It should be a source of pride to 
the Grange in this day of com¬ 
plete emancipation of women to 
remember that the Order has 
since its inception recognized 
woman’s equality in all lines of 
endeavor. Particularly on the 
the farm. Where the farm home 
is such an important part of the 
_ farm business and where the 
whole farm operation is one of 
partnership. The woman’s hard 
work and sacrifices have done much to 
make the farm business a success and the 
farm home the best in the world. 
Regarding the spiritual and ethical princi¬ 
ples for which the Grange stands, we need 
them in these unsettled times more than ever. 
America has sometimes been called the 
“land of dollars.” Dollars are necessary. 
But there are things bigger and better than 
dollars and unless the individual can learn 
to recognize and appreciate those larger 
things he is bound to fail in ultimate happi¬ 
ness and in service to his fellows. The 
Grange recognizes and has built much of its 
success on those larger principles of life and 
living. 
