Maine State Grange

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

Owner or Steward?

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

A dairy farmer recently shared his thoughts and feelings regarding his favorite cow, Judy. A terminal illness meant a tough decision on his part. Explaining that decision, he observed, “ I do not own these cows. I am their steward.” He added that meant he was obligated to decide in the best interest of Judy and not on what he thought, felt, or wanted.

“It is required in Stewards that they be found faithful.”

Opening statement when installing the office of Steward

A simple definition of “steward” is one who manages the property of others. So we could rightly ask the Installing Officer, “To whom am I expected to be faithful?” The remainder of the charge given by the installing officer describes the steward’s obligation to the overseer, to “new workers,” and to “keep safely and in proper order the property of the Grange,” noting, “It requires good judgment on your part.” That might be an understatement.

I often visit a local dairy farm where we buy our milk—not quite directly from the cows, but from their steward. But I do get to pat the girls and scratch them under their chins. If the steward happens to be around, we talk about them and sometimes talk to them. I learn a lot. He describes himself as their caretaker. And, while we might be guilty of anthropomorphizing a bit, we are both convinced they trust his care. He points out, “They’ve got it made.” It seems to be a “good deal” for everyone. The milk they give is amazing!

Just maybe that epitomizes stewardship. I shared with him an Amish Proverb. “If you don’t help with the milking, you’ll forget the cows’ names.”

A few years ago, there was a movement (I don’t know where it started) to stop Grangers from saying “my Grange.” I suppose it was a well-intended effort to stop implying ownership. “It’s not your Grange; it belongs to everyone.” Personally, I never had a problem with the words. What’s critical is what we do, not what we say. If a farmer wants to call them “my cows,” that’s okay as long as he or she remembers it’s about stewardship and practices accordingly. Words don’t mean; people give meaning to them. If you tell me about your Grange, I am willing to assume that you live as a steward of it.

The Grange Way of Life is ultimately that of stewardship. During the Second Degree, the Chaplain reminds the candidate for membership, “In no other occupation does a man’s daily labor bring him into such close companionship with the Great Creator as in the cultivation of the soil. Therefore, guard against selfishness. If thine enemy hunger, feed him. Do good, hoping for nothing in return, and your reward shall be great. Love one another.

Love and stewardship are not always easy. One of the most memorable lessons of the degrees for me personally happens in the First Degree, when the Master displays a few kernels of corn and says, “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.”

Are you (in your Grange and in your life) helping with the milking? Do you know the cows names?

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.