Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life
Tradition — Resources or Restraint?
By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist
Warning: I am joining a Sister Granger in her Facebook Rant. As a guest columnist, I think it’s permitted.
We have several Granges here in Maine that are shining examples of what the Grange can be. Ironically, they receive a fair amount of criticism. Accusations include statements like, “They are trying to change the Grange.” (Saying it like it’s a bad thing!) and “They are not ‘doing’ the Ritual and following proper Grange procedure..” I could go on. But, as my sister notes, she is “sick of hearing this [sort of comment] with no action behind it.” The expression that comes to mind is that we must walk the talk.
The Grange is replete with rich traditions. We need to stop using them as a restraint and figure out how to make them the resource they should be. If we took the time to understand Grange tradition fully, we might realize that creating excitement with new programs that benefits our communities and members is not “changing” the Grange. It is returning the Grange to its original passion and contributions to society. If we studied the early history of the Grange, we would discover that during its first few decades of explosive growth, it made several major changes to policy and practice.
Instead, we’re like a bunch of old hippies, trying to decide whether to “hang on to the old or grab on to the new.” No, that’s not right. We’re like a bunch of old Grangers, trying desperately to hang on to the old. In so doing, we’re actually rejecting what’s great about the Grange.
Another way of thinking about it is to ask ourselves if we are embracing the important traditions and keeping our priorities straight. I have often said and written that I don’t think our forefathers created the Grange so they could create Ritual and Degree Work. I think they created the Grange to cause positive change in rural communities and members. We need to see the irony of the resistance to change—and lack of support for it—in an organization that was meant to create it.
I think I smell tar heating and see feathers being gathered. Let me assure everyone that I deeply appreciate the Grange Tradition. I think the teachings of the Grange in the Ritual and Degree Work are amazing. Just yesterday, while I was weeding and replacing some “drowned” plants, I was reminded not to fight nature but to work with her.
How appropriate! Instead of fighting change, we need to at least work with it. We might be best served by embracing it, but for some, that’s apparently too much to ask.
I have two questions we should be asking and one suggestion for you. Whenever we encounter someone from another Grange we ought to ask:
- What’s the most exciting thing your Grange has done recently?
- Who is the most exciting person in your Grange?
It hopefully goes without saying that we should listen carefully to the answers. I suggest we visit or talk to some of the more exciting Granges—and maybe some other local organizations with a positive story to tell. Then we need to start writing our own story.
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.