American Agriculturist 
THE FARM PAPER THAT PRINTS THE FARM NEWS 
“Agriculture is the Most Healthful, Most Useful and Most Noble Employment of Man .”—Washington 
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. 
Established 1842 
Volume 113 
For the Week Ending May 17, 1924 
Number 20 
An Opportunity for Grange Leadership 
This Great Organization Is Needed Now More Than Ever Before 
By A. R. MANN 
Dean, New York State College of Agriculture 
T his is a time of many organizations. 
Farmers now have a great number, and 
the number is increasing constantly. The 
significant fact to. note is that the whole Grange alone meets frequently and provides at 
trend of rural organizations is toward specializa- every meeting an opportunity for discussion, and 
tion of activities. The Grange must inevitably of participation of all the membership. One of 
find its distinctive place among them. This may the great needs of agriculture is greater facility 
ultimately narrow its field somewhat from the of expression on the part of farmers, 
expectations of its founders, but it was organized The farmer is much alone, or with his own 
half a century ago when farmers had few organiza- family, and family groups do not always stimulate 
tions. It may still have the important 
vantage of accenting or empha¬ 
sizing the particular objections to 
which the Grange clings. 
Fortunately two of the pur¬ 
poses which have always charac¬ 
terized the Grange remain to it; its 
service as an agency for the social 
and the educational advancement 
of farmers. These two traditional 
fields offer abundant opportunity 
for leadership of high order, and 
where it is greatly needed. If the 
Grange will realize its full possi¬ 
bilities in these fields its leadership 
will be great, its field ample, and 
its service invaluable. Its past 
record gives ground for confidence 
for the future. 
The responsibility of any organi¬ 
zation is first to its own members; 
then to the larger interests of the 
community, the state and the na¬ 
tion. An organization can not live 
unto itself any more than can an 
individual. 
I presume we may take it for 
granted that in its educational ser¬ 
vice the Grange may deal both in¬ 
timately and broadly with ques- 
ad- expression. The Grange offers opportunity for 
Lower Taxes, Less Legislation — Back to the Ways of Our Fathers 
tions anywhere in the field of agriculture and 
country life which may be of timely interest. 
This is the normal expanse of the field of the lec¬ 
tures. Whether the Grange will exercise a bene¬ 
ficial influence in the promotion of matters that 
come before it will depend on the care which is 
put forth to see that facts rather than presump¬ 
tions or prejudices are given the right of way. 
I would not say that personal prejudice should 
not be givenr an opportunity for expression. 
Sometimes it will be right; more often when it is 
biased or in error its expression in public may be 
the best means of setting the holder of it right. 
It is, however, a dangerous thing wdien prejudice 
or presumption goes uncorrected by fact, and an 
organization is misled in its action. 
Leadership can never be long maintained 
unless it is essentially right. Rightness alone wins 
confidence finally; and confidence is a first 
requisite of sustained leadership. I suspect that 
there is no more difficult job before the Grange 
lecturer than to see that truth and fact in the 
wide range of subjects with which the lecture 
hour deals, are placed before the membership. 
The best of men are sometimes wrong, and the 
lecturer can not do much more than to exercise 
discriminating judgment. 
One of the special opportunities for leadership 
which the Grange offers is in the development of 
the ability of expression on the part of the 
members. Of all the farm organizations the 
many modes of expression, speaking, asking 
questions, debating, taking part in discussions, 
singing, reading, playing. The Grange has a real 
opportunity here which, if properly utilized, will 
give to the organization a valuable leadership in 
an educational field that as yet lacks development. 
From the development of expression on the 
part of the membership there arises the oppor¬ 
tunity to make the Subordinate Grange a veritable 
community forum, a place for the consideration 
of the larger public interest and the exchange of 
ideas. The best way to get community action is 
to develop a common mind or opinion, a common 
understanding or agreement as to wdiat is needed 
and what should be done. It is by the exchange 
of ideas that the larger thinking, the common 
purposes and the sounder conclusions develop. 
By the use of open meetings when questions of 
general interest are up, the Grange can become a 
forum of much value. Our local communities 
now have no clearly recognized forums, and the 
opportunity to serve this need is peculiarly open 
to the Grange since it combines in its membership 
all the elements of the community, men, women 
and children, business men, professional men, 
fruit men, dairymen, and the rest. Since it 
represents all elements in the community, it has 
to a marked degree the opportunity to give moral 
support to every good community enterprise. 
The Grange has been the parent of many im¬ 
portant organizations and movements. Some of 
them have now grown up and become its own big 
brothers. Where there are many organizations 
there is opportunity for jealousies and friction. 
There is much need to promote good-will, co¬ 
operation and mental esteem among them. 
Antagonisms need to be broken down rather than 
fostered. Many communities have been torn by 
jealousies and their institutions, organizations and 
welfare retarded. The interests of farmers will 
be most rapidly advanced when all pull together. 
This is especially necessary for the farmer’s well¬ 
being in times of depression. The 
hardships and discouragements 
that farmers experienced after the 
Civil War were not vastly different 
from those that have prevailed since 
the World War. Many have given 
up the struggle on the land and 
others will give up before recovery 
is well advanced. Farmers to-day 
are having difficulty to meet their 
financial obligations and still have 
anything to live on—a situation 
that is too real and acute to be 
ignored, that leads to pessimisip 
and discouragement. A real rural 
pessimism is harmful to the farm¬ 
ers themselves and to the stabil¬ 
ity of the country. Hopelessness 
may be more damaging than actual 
wounds. There is a profound need 
in the agriculture of the present 
day to emphasize the best, not 
the worst. 
There are values in farming and 
in country life which are of immeas¬ 
urable worth. In the end the land 
is the most dependable material 
thing in all of God’s creation. It is 
responsive to human needs beyond 
anything which man has created. When to the 
land there is added the home, which is man’s great¬ 
est creation, we have the foundation on which the 
whole structure of human society rests. 
From the land and the home spring beauties, 
consolations, and comforts, stimulations and 
incentives which are absolutely priceless to 
personal and national integrity. 
You will recall, that in one of the darkest of 
the dark days of the war, in the midst of a heavy 
attack, the leader of the allied armies sent back 
the word, “ Our right has given way, our center is 
falling back. The situation is excellent. We are 
attacking.” It is in the dark hours, when we 
frankly admit great losses, that we must use 
resolute courage. In the agricultural situation of 
to-day is there not an exceptional place for leader¬ 
ship which rings with hope and courage, which 
discovers and emphasizes the good things of 
which there are always many? 
One of the means of re-creation for a discouraged 
spirit is what we call recreation. There is a 
tendency to look on recreation as child’s play, 
and a waste of time for adults. It is a fallacy. 
Adults need recreation, play and joyous activity 
as well as do children. Persons grow old before 
their time because they neglect the re-vitalization 
which comes from wholesome play and recreation, 
suited to their requirements. Those who have 
organized their work so as to provide definite 
{Continued on page 1 + 76 ) 
