Category: Grange Principle and Practice

Suspensions and Expulsions

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

“Should I knowingly or willfully violate this pledge, I will invoke upon myself suspension or expulsion from the Order.”

(The candidate’s pledge during the First Degree.)

That’s some pretty strong language when we think about it. We are agreeing that if we “knowingly or willfully” violate the preceding pledge we’ll leave the Order. I confess I wonder how often it happens. I can think of one instance that is at least similar. Due to age and physical limitations, a long-time member chose not to renew her membership. She explained that she could no longer attend meetings and would be unable to contribute the way she believed a member should. On the one hand, we have to respect that. On the other hand, we didn’t want to lose her.

That happened at least a decade ago. We’re still in touch and I occasionally tell her she’s more supportive than some of our paid members. She’s always interested in what we’re doing as a Grange, she offers encouragement, and frequently supports our fundraising. As I read the pledge, I don’t think she’s knowingly or willfully violated any aspect of it. In that sense, she’s not an example.

But she is an example of someone who has set standards for herself—standards that are higher than what she pledged many years ago during the First Degree.

Recently, during a somewhat intense conversation with another Granger, I raised this question. “What would happen if we made it harder to become and remain a member?” It just might be worthy of consideration. Groucho Marx once observed that he did not want to join any club that would have him as a member. There’s some disagreement about the circumstances, but one credible version is that he offered it to explain why he was resigning from a club he had joined but was not participating in the activities. Why be a member?

Some years ago, I belonged to an organization with very specific requirements that included meeting attendance and participation in community service—measured in hours. It was not always easy to be a member, but it was always rewarding and brought a sense of pride.

I’m not proposing we institute similar requirements. But I am suggesting that we individually consider the standards we are setting for ourselves as members. Grange membership should be seen as a privilege, not a right.

Since we have, thankfully, some Degree Days scheduled in the near future, they can also serve as a day of renewal. Consider attending and observing. Listen carefully to the pledges and instructions—regardless of how long you’ve been a member. Pay less attention to the performance and more attention to the content. Questions to consider include:

• Am I practicing and reaping the benefits of the Grange Way of Life?
• Do I deserve to be called a Granger?
• Regardless of my limitations, how can I best serve my Order and community?

By the way, the original language of the First Degree pledge included something that has since been removed. “Should I knowingly or willfully violate this pledge, I will invoke upon myself suspension or expulsion from the Order, and thus be disgraced among those who were my brothers and sisters..” (1987 Subordinate Grange Manual)

The requirements of continued Grange membership are not so demanding, really. So, you probably don’t have to and shouldn’t suspend or expulse yourself. But it might be time for a renewal that involves more than writing a check for dues.

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 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.

Hornblowing and Wordsmithing

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

I’m willing to risk being accused of blatant self-promotion. Years ago someone suggested, “If you don’t toot your own horn, no one else will.” I am going to let you in on a little secret—and maybe solicit your help! And wait until you hear my rationalization for what might be some horn blowing.

I’m in the process of formatting another book about the Grange Way of Life. Now, before you get too excited, let me hasten to say that formatting and editing are slow, time-consuming work. But at least it’s written. I haven’t set a hard deadline for it becoming available—is spring vague enough? (Grange Month is April, right?)

My working title is “Reflections on the Grange Way of Life.” Or maybe “Reflecting on the Grange Way of Life.” See why it’s called a working title? Many might be surprised to learn that determining a book’s title is often one of the last steps in publication. Part of the reason for that is books often change during the various stages of writing.

The title is not the only thing that’s in the works, although the book is mostly written at least at the draft stage. It currently looks like there will be some fifty to sixty “chapters” – most based on columns written over the years. In that sense, it will resemble my previous book, Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life, published five years ago. While this sequel will explore Grange traditions, Rituals, and heritage, it’s also intended to dive a bit into the present and future, giving meaning to the past.

I’m not married to including “reflections” or “reflecting” in the title, but it feels like an appropriate description of the content. Yes, I’ve used a thesaurus. “Thoughts on the Grange Way of Life,” feels different. “Exploring Traditions, Book 2” doesn’t work and feels lazy. Welcome to the mind of a writer.

Assuming these are, in fact, reflections, I’m tempted to abandon the custom of having numbered chapters. Instead, there will be numbered reflections. For example, you might discover Reflection Seven—Work is Prayer. Bear in mind these reflections do not need to be read in order, but books do require some degree of structure.

So, what do you think? I’ll take your input on the title and how to label the chapters/reflections.

Are you ready for the rationalization? This might be an example of making a slight change to a tradition (how we identify the parts of a book) in the interest of better serving our purpose. Notice that our potential change keeps purpose foremost. We’re going to explore Grange traditions, Rituals and heritage in terms of today and tomorrow, making sure we don’t lose the meaning of the past. Should we do that with chapters or reflections? True wordsmiths are going to look up the definition of chapter and then use a thesaurus. We could get analysis paralysis and stop the progress of the book.

Change is hard. Humans like predictability—that’s an important value of tradition and ritual. “The same” gives us a sense of comfort and security. But change can also have value.

Would you rather read a chapter or a reflection? “It doesn’t matter” is not an acceptable answer. In survey terms, this is called “forced distribution.” For this question, I must make a decision. If you’d like to help, send me an email with your thoughts.

When we transition to the Grange and encounter a question, the process should be the same. We stay focused on the desired outcome. Then, we’re going to think about it. We’re going to think about it because we care about it. Maybe we’ll change, maybe we won’t. But we can’t go wrong using the process.

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 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.

When is a tradition no longer a tradition…?

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

I was more than a bit saddened to learn recently that an exciting Granger from a Grange that’s experiencing amazing growth was strongly criticized for “trying to change the Grange.” On a parallel but personal track, a long-standing holiday tradition has pretty much ended due to changes in circumstances. I find myself left to consider how much a tradition changes before it’s actually no longer a tradition. And, while I would never propose to limit the value of tradition, I understand the importance of perspective. Consider with me for a few minutes what the Grange would be like if there had been no changes to our traditions.

How far back do you want to go? A handful of us recently contemplated some of the features of the Grange in its early beginnings. We rightfully brag about the early recognition of women as having equal status. But much like the “Animal Farm” fable by George Orwell, it seems “all women were equal, but some were more equal than others.” And, before we get too excited about that equality, let us consider that under the traditional rule, it would be possible to have every office in the Grange filled by women. But it is not possible to have every office filled by men. At a minimum, the three graces (Pomona, Flora, and Ceres) are supposed to be filled by women. Rumor has it that the “lady assistant steward” position may be changed to eliminate the word “lady” and simply have two assistant stewards.

We can—and perhaps should—debate the value of changing labels, but always remember that change is hard—even good change. Anyone who has ever quit smoking or eliminated an unhealthy habit will attest to that.

“In essentials, unity.” One of the characteristics of early Grangers seems to have been a willingness to discuss and debate. So we might raise another question. What are the essentials? Is it essential to have a lady assistant steward, or would two male or female assistant stewards be just as effective?

It’s entirely possible that asking the questions is more important than determining the answers. I remember being at the beach with my oldest daughter when she was a precocious three-year-old. She was quite impressed by the flocks of seagulls and would point to them and yell, “Birds, Daddy! Birds!” I would gently suggest that they were seagulls. After several of these exchanges, it became apparent that my desire to teach would not be accepted. She replied, “You can call them seagulls. I’m going to call them birds.”

“In non-essentials, liberty.” I admire her confidence and resilience. She can call them birds. She’s not wrong.

We often refer to the Grange as a “grassroots” organization. We have strong roots, and we grow from them up towards the sun. We are not a “top-down” organization. Being a fraternal organization simply means sharing some fundamental values and, perhaps even more importantly, some fundamental purposes.

“In all things, charity.” Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of “for the good of the order.” Who decides what is “good?” A recent example was the change of titles at the National Level, whereby the Master is now the President, etc. I understand the reasoning for the change, but I also understand the value of the traditional roles of the Master. So how much can we change the traditional officer titles without losing the tradition and, more importantly, the value of the tradition?

Before we criticize people who seem to us to be intent on “changing the Grange,” we might do well to consider that changing can be a tradition. Students of the history of the Grange are likely to recognize that one reason the Grange is still relevant after a century and a half is that Grangers have been willing to adapt to the changes in society without sacrificing fundamental values and purpose. The Grange Way of Life includes that willingness.

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 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.