Category: History and Trivia

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

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By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

From the First Degree

During our recent Degree Day, someone commented that they wished more people could hear the words from the Degree Work. For the next few issues, we’ll be sharing some of them!

Early in the First Degree, the Overseer explains to the candidates:

“Friends, the Grange is a great fraternity, and the lessons of its ritual are expressed by the use of symbols drawn from the field, the farm and the farm home. The first four Degrees of our Order are based upon the seasons of the year, each conveying its appropriate lesson. You are about to enter the mysteries of the First Degree, symbolic of springtime on the farm, when all Nature is bursting into newness of life. The wild flowers are making the woods and the hills glorious with their beauty; orchards are in bloom, and the air is redolent with their perfume; plowing the fields has begun and soon the sower will go forth to sow.

Additional Laborers and Maids are needed for work in field and household, and we accept you as willing workers, now in waiting for the tasks to which you will be assigned: For in our fraternity there is work for all, and the idler has no place among Patrons of Husbandry.”

Of course, the idea is to do more than simply hear (read) the words. With this, we have the opportunity to digest those words. It was not an accident that the Degree Work starts with the spring season, “when all Nature is bursting into newness of life.” Joining the Grange is also about newness in our lives as we commit to live differently, in accordance with the “precepts of our order.”  There is work to be done on our farms, our communities, and ourselves. Joining the Grange was never meant to be a passive experience, and the “idler has no place among Patrons of Husbandry.”

Another advantage of reading and absorbing these words is that we’re allowed to drift off into visualization. We can take the time to see what the overseer is describing. Imagine standing at the gate to a farm, ready to enter and become responsible for what happens on it. There is no sense of dread. Perhaps some anxiety and tension, but a deep sense of excitement and possibility.

As the Lecturer accepts the candidates’ applications (signets), he explains, “An honest man is the noblest work of God… The first and highest object of our Order is to develop a  better and higher manhood and womanhood.” That’s not just something we do to and for others. It’s something we do to and for ourselves.

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://wboomsma.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

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By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

To Degree or Not to Degree

As we approach what have become annual degree days, there’s an opportunity to give some thought to our heritage and tradition. If it’s not obvious, I admit to having a bias that moving away from the things that made the Grange successful and strong is not always in our best interest. But I’m also not unreasonable. As you may know, the degrees are no longer considered the only path to membership. I’m okay with that.

But it might be a mistake to imply that those degrees no longer have value. One potential challenge we have is the vocabulary we’ve fallen into when talking about them. We often ask questions like “Have you had the four degrees?” or “Have you taken the degrees?” That creates a somewhat passive approach that potentially limits our engagement in the degree work.

The degrees are not a product; they are a process. That process was created to help members learn the “lessons of the Grange.” One could rightly question whether or not the process is as effective as it was in the early years of the Grange, but the expression “don’t throw out the baby with the bath water” comes to mind. In recent years, the Grange has approved of alternative paths to membership, including an obligation ceremony. I’m not aware of any hard data, but I suspect the vast majority of new members are not experiencing (my preferred term) the traditional degree work.

If you’re among them, I’d ask you to wonder if you have missed something.

But I would quickly add that even if you experienced the degrees, you probably have missed something. I know I did! It is only after repeated exposure and study that the lessons of the Grange became clearer and more meaningful. We may think the degrees are no longer relevant, but the lessons they contain are perhaps more relevant and important than they were in the early days of the Grange. I have lobbied in the past for finding creative ways to offer those lessons—or even to reinforce them. (Imagine an online self-paced class!) That desire is actually the basis for “Exploring Traditions” columns. 150 years ago, oral instruction and symbolism were state-of-the-art teaching techniques. They are still valid, certainly. The key is to remember that those lessons are a process, not a product to hand out.

So, while opportunities to experience the lessons of the degrees are infrequent, they are no less valid or important. You might be surprised at what you can learn by participating or observing. One of the moments I remember from my first time participating happened in the Second Degree.

“We are now to teach you how to plant the seed. Behold these inanimate kernels of corn! But the germ has life—the future plant is there. We loosen the soil—we bury the seed; and in so doing impress upon our minds the truth of the immortality of the soul. There is no object in which, to appearance, life and death border so closely together as in the grains of seed buried in the earth; but when life seems extinct a fuller and richer existence begins anew.

From this little seed we have, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. So with the mind, when duly nourished with Faith and Hope. But be not deceived! Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Therefore sow such seeds, and so cultivate them, that at the Harvest the ripened grain may meet our Heavenly Father’s approval and be garnered in the Paradise above.”

In my mind’s eye, I can still see those seeds as the Master completing the motions and saying those words. “When life seems extinct, a fuller and richer existence begins anew.” How can I not like thinking about that?! Every end is a beginning.

Find a way to engage with the lessons of the degrees. You won’t regret it.

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

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By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

Dilemmas and Decisions

I confess to having recently watched several fictional movies about time travel. The science is interesting. The application is fascinating. When someone travels back in time, there’s usually a dilemma about whether to take an action that might alter the future. Seth Godin points out, “When you give people a choice, they make a choice.”

Traditions rarely happen deliberately. But the development of the Internet is one example of how traditions will change dramatically. For example, somewhere along the way, Grangers developed an interest in cooking and recipes. Consider how many Grange Cookbooks exist and notice that recipes continue to be a feature in the National Grange Magazine. It’s not just limited to Grangers. You can probably find a recipe box and several cookbooks in most homes today. That may not always be the case.

It may not matter how many cookbooks you have. If you can’t find (or don’t have) a recipe box, AI (artificial intelligence) can create a new recipe for you in just a few seconds. It may not be unique or have secret ingredients. Without getting too technical, it will create your recipe by analyzing and combining vast pools of information. Some will no doubt see this as good news. Others will see it as bad news. They’ll all be correct.

In a very real sense, this is one of the major challenges we face as an organization. No, not cookbooks and recipes, but balancing the old with the new.

We may not be time travelers to the past, but we have similar dilemmas and decisions. We are given choices and shouldn’t ignore them.

Time-travel movies often make the point that small changes can have big effects in the future. It’s true for both organizations and individuals.

An individual who decides to read for ten minutes every day is potentially altering his future, and if you appreciate the ripple effect, the future of others, and, literally, the world.

The Grange decided in 1867 to give women equal standing (at least in theory), full voting rights, and leadership positions. We can rightfully claim that those radical decisions contributed to women gaining the right to vote fifty years later.

While our crystal ball is often cloudy, it’s worth keeping an eye on it as we make decisions. It’s important for individuals and organizations to accept the idea that we can at least influence our future if not control it. As we travel through time, it might be fun to consider what the Grange Way of Life looks like in the future. The decisions we make and the actions we take will determine it.

“As we are again to separate, and mingle with the world, let us not forget the precepts of our Order. Let us add dignity to labor, and in our dealings with our fellow men be honest, be just, and fear not.

We must avoid intemperance in eating, drinking, and language, also in work and recreation, and whatever we do, strive to do well. Let us be quiet, peaceful citizens, feeding the hungry, helping the fatherless and the widows, and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.”

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

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By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

Is It Test Time?

I never really understood the connection between the Grange and agriculture,” was a comment I heard from a member recently. I was both surprised and not. On the one hand, that connection can be complex and, at times, overwhelming. But on the other hand, it’s also basic and helpful.

One reason we often miss that connection is that we aren’t reminded of it often enough. When was the last time you attended or participated in a degree day? Well, you’re going to if you keep reading. We only have time to scratch the surface, but let’s start with the First Degree and listen to some of what the Master teaches at the outset. I have added some bold print for emphasis.

“The ceremony you are about to witness is to introduce you to the Ritualism of the Grange. There is far more to the Grange than Ritualism. The underlying philosophy of the Grange is portrayed by the oldest and most successful method of communication known to man—the use of symbols…”

It is important to note that this is a lesson for candidates, people who, for various reasons, have decided to join the Grange—it is not an explanation of the Grange to someone who is unfamiliar with it. That’s why it sounds backward. Someone unfamiliar with the Grange should be hearing the “far more to the Grange than Ritualism” first. The Ritual was always meant to play a supporting role.

To fully appreciate that point, would you advertise an open house at your Grange so folks could “Come to see what we do” and then conduct the degrees? I hope not.

But we could, with a little effort, find in the degrees some information that would be useful during an open house. Listen to what the Master has to say in the very next paragraph.

“The chief objective of the Grange is to build a better and higher manhood and womanhood, and to develop a mutual respect and concern through brotherhood.”

Could it really be that simple? Remember, the degrees are for people who’ve decided to join. The Master is reminding them (and others attending) that they have joined to help build a better and higher manhood and womanhood, and to develop mutual respect and concern through brotherhood. If we jump ahead to the Overseer’s greeting to the candidates, there’s a clear connection.

“Additional laborers and maids are needed for work in the field and household, and we accept you as willing workers, now in waiting for the tasks to which you will be assigned: For in our fraternity there is work for all, and the idler has no place among Patrons of Husbandry.”

Here, we need to understand symbolism because the Overseer is suggesting a comparison and using it. To paraphrase, “As we work together to build and improve our collective lives with mutual respect and concern, it’s like working in the fields and homes. There is lots of work for us… we are united by our objective and will work together fraternally.” (Fraternally means friendly or brotherly. It suggests a common purpose or interest—we’re not fraternal just for the sake of being fraternal!)

Granges—any organization, really—gets in trouble when they lose purpose. Ironically, one of the hazards of ritual is that it becomes a habit, done without purpose or thought. The founders didn’t form the Grange to “do the ritual.” The Master and Overseer make that clear at the outset of the first degree—if we listen. It should be hard to miss, actually, because one of the very next things we hear from the Lecturer is a reminder that “The first and highest object of our Order is ‘to develop a better and higher manhood and womanhood.’” If you are a member who celebrated the degrees, you heard that three times in the first few minutes.

When I’m teaching adults, I often say, “If you hear me repeat something three times, that might be important—maybe even a test question.” I suspect the authors of the degree work were thinking the same. We don’t, unfortunately, test candidates on what they learn during their degrees.

Or maybe we do—just not in a traditional manner with questions. If we understand the Grange’s chief objective, the test is how relevant we are to our communities and how actively we pursue and achieve it.

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

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By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

May I Incite you? (Part two)

This month’s column is a bit of an “op-ed.” My October column challenged the use of the word “Incite” in the installing officer’s charge to the Steward during officer installation.

I also confessed to being a wordsmith. Lynn Van Note of Parkman Grange sent this reply.

While meandering through the recent State Grange Bulletin, I happened upon your “Exploring Traditions” column.

I think the word “incite” was used deliberately:

During the 1800s, the word was used with the same general meaning it has today. For example, in the 1828 edition of the American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster, “incite” is defined as:

• “To move the mind to action by persuasion or motives presented; to stir up; to rouse; to spur on”.
• “To move to action by impulse or influence.“
• “To animate; to encourage. “

A notable example of its use in that era is in the context of the “Slave Bible” from the 1800s, which omitted passages that might “incite rebellion” or inspire liberation among enslaved people. This demonstrates that the word carried the connotation of encouraging significant, sometimes negative or rebellious, action, which is consistent with modern usage. 

Although the word has tended to go negative more recently, I think it had a more rousing, encouraging aspect — to incite the mind to the point of action, whether good or bad.(But, of course, Thomas Paine’s writings certainly did “incite” those damn colonists to rebellion.)

In replying, I noted that we really didn’t disagree, but the discussion does raise an interesting question. When we talk about “updating” the language of the Ritual, what guidelines do we follow? For example, in defense of Lynn’s point, changing the word “incite” might significantly change the meaning (and appropriateness) of the Ritual itself. How say you? Do we want the steward inciting people? Sometimes the question is more important than the answer. Questions mean we’re thinking, not just parroting the words we’ve been given.

We can surely agree, the Ritual gives us much to think about. I don’t know the word count for the installation of officers, but we’re discussing just one word of it. It’s tempting to adopt that perspective and flip a coin, but do we really want to subscribe to Ritual that’s based on the flip of a coin?

I hope it’s obvious this is a friendly, civil discussion. And I can’t resist noting it’s proof that people really do read the Bulletin!

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

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By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

Words and Symbols

“Friends, the Grange is a great fraternity, and the lessons of its ritual are expressed by the use of symbols drawn from the field, the farm and the farm home.”

Overseer to Candidates at the beginning of the First Degree

I recently completed a “Words for Thirds” presentation at five schools, with nearly 250 third graders. The presentation includes “a little bit” about the Grange and a lot about words and dictionaries. It all ties together by the integration of farmers, their tools, and words that apply to the Grange. One of our objectives is to introduce the word “steward” and get the kids thinking about taking good care of their tools, including the dictionary they are receiving.

The staves or staffs we use in Grange Ritual are incorporated, and the spud and pruning hook are tools that help us “weed out” things that don’t belong. The shepherd’s crook is a reminder that anyone can be a leader. The owl with his big, round eyes reminds us to keep our eyes open both for things that shouldn’t be and for opportunities to be a leader.

It’s an interesting challenge to get the kids to transfer the purpose of the staffs into non-farming life. Since I’ve been doing this for over twenty years, I’m aware of changes. The transfer challenge seems to have increased. In the past, when I asked for examples of “weeds” (things we don’t want in our classrooms) it didn’t take long to get to things like “trash on the floor” and “meanness.” In one memorable group this year, it didn’t come easy. Even the teachers were rolling their eyes when the kids started answering “weeds” and “bugs.” Finally, one of the teachers raised her hand, and when I called on her, she answered “unkindness.” That got us on track, and additional answers were more to the point. Since I believe in shared management when it comes to learning, I’ve figured out that in the future, when I attempt the transition, I’ll give a sample answer.

Later, when we’re working with the dictionaries, I’ll find a kid who’s helping a classmate find the assigned word. “Look!” I’ll shout. I might even grab the shepherd’s hook. “There’s someone being a leader by being helpful to someone else. Anybody can be a leader!”

But the exercise does raise some interesting questions and consideration about the use of “symbols” and the lessons they can offer. Or maybe the questions are about our ability to find and adapt those lessons.

Occasionally, we get thank-you notes from the kids. (Another observed change—a few years ago I would have reported that we always get thank-you notes from the kids.) In kid form, the notes often include drawings. I’m always pleased and a bit surprised when the drawings accurately represent the four staffs. I wonder if the artist remembers what they represent.

So, Patron of Husbandry, what are the four staffs? More importantly, what is the purpose of each, and what does it remind us of? There’s often conversation about adapting the ritual and symbolism to today’s society. It just might be more important for “society” to adapt some of the symbolism to our daily lives.

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

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By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

Should Stewards do that?

“To these you will furnish every facility, by referring them to the library, to improve their minds, and incite them to use every effort to attain the highest rank in their calling. It is also your duty to keep safely and in proper order the property of the Grange.”

Installing officer’s charge to the Steward
during the installation of officers

As a bit of a wordsmith, I might have found an “error” in the Installation of Officers Ritual. Do you see it? Since I can rarely resist a back story, I’ll explain that while working on our Book Exchange Program, I developed some curiosity about the existence of Grange Libraries. A search of the Ritual found only one use of the term “library.” It’s used in the installation of the Steward and is quoted above. It answered my first question. While there is no formal position of Grange Librarian, the Steward is responsible for all property of the Grange and would, therefore, be responsible for a Grange’s library.

But do we really want the Steward to “incite (members) to use every effort to attain the highest range of their calling?” In contemporary thinking, “incite ” refers to provoking or encouraging someone to act in a violent or negative way, while “excite ” means to stir up strong emotions or feelings, often positive ones like happiness or enthusiasm.

Picture this. During an officer installation, the installing officer is charging the Steward, who is listening carefully and critically. When the installing officer pauses for breath, the Steward interrupts.

“Let me get this straight. You said that I should incite members to use every effort to maintain the highest rank of their calling. Does that mean I should start a riot or encourage them to do something illegal or negative? I’m not sure we want to do that!

If I were there, I’d be very interested in the installing officer’s response, wouldn’t you? In fairness to our forebears, the word has not always had a negative connotation. Its core meaning was about spurring or rousing others to action that was not necessarily negative. However, the more recent context has given the word a negative feeling. So, it might not be the wrong word, but there are far better synonyms, such as inspire or encourage.

Wordsmiths tend to be meticulous, and I am willing to be held to that standard. But thinking about the Ritual and what we’re agreeing to isn’t such a bad thing.

It’s common to hear the observation that the Degrees and Installation are too long. While I understand the objection, I often wonder if they are long enough. Maybe not so much in time, but in depth. We are always anxious to fill vacancies. “Haste makes waste,” Henry David Thoreau warns us. As a traditionalist, I value the Ritual. I love the Ritual. When I slow down and think about it, I love it even more. I have occasionally wondered if we might benefit from an annotated ritual in the form of a book that more deeply explains (notice I didn’t say “incites”) and excites us as new members and as new officers. The Rich Ritual is not so much about how we march or when to stand as it is about the Grange Way of Life we are agreeing to and, in the case of officer positions, what we are responsible for doing. Those are actions, and much more important than words

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

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By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

How intelligent is this?

I’ve departed from my usual format for this column. I asked ChatGPT (an artificial intelligence platform) to write my column, giving it the topic of “Grange Ritual.” We had a short “conversation” to help it come up with an angle. It offered several suggestions.) I kept my input minimal to see how it would do using what it found on the Internet. What you think of AI aside, do you give the result a thumbs up or a thumbs down? Online readers can use the “Leave a comment” link to the left.

The Grange Ritual is more than words spoken at a meeting. It is a journey through the seasons of the year and the stages of life, reminding us that we are part of something larger than ourselves.

In spring, we are called to see life as new and full of promise. Just as the farmer prepares the soil and plants seeds in hope, we too are urged to cultivate faith, optimism, and a willingness to grow.

Summer represents strength and labor. The heat of the sun and the work of the fields remind us that progress is born of effort. It is a season of energy, responsibility, and perseverance—a time to give our best to the tasks before us.

With autumn comes maturity and reflection. The harvest teaches gratitude: what we reap is not only the result of our own labor, but also of the Creator’s gifts, the earth’s abundance, and the fellowship of those who labor with us.

Finally, winter invites rest and renewal. Far from being an end, it symbolizes the promise of continuation—of seeds waiting quietly for another spring. It reminds us to value memory, wisdom, and the quiet strength that sustains community across generations.

Even the simplest tools of the farm carry meaning in the Ritual. The plow, the hoe, the spade—all speak of honesty, patience, and diligence. They remind us that no labor is too humble when done with integrity and purpose.

Above all, the Ritual teaches interdependence. Just as a farm thrives when soil, sun, rain, and labor work together, so does a community flourish when its members share in fellowship, equality, and mutual support.

The Grange Ritual is not a relic of the past, but a living reminder: every season has purpose, every tool has meaning, and every life has value. It encourages us to sow kindness, labor with faith, and harvest hope—trusting that even in winter, spring is always on the way.

By the way, I did not edit this, just copied and pasted it. What do you think?

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The Kindle Edition of  “Friend of the Farmer” is available from Amazon, currently priced at $2.99.

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.