Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life
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!
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.