| The
Grange movement was a fraternal organization that developed in the US.
Midwest during the 1860s in response to hard economic times, particularly
the threat imposed on farmers by high rail freight rates and the punitive
policies of eastern banks. In later years it helped spawn a populist
political movement. The movement never caught on with any vigor in Canada
but since it was an active force in the nearby State of Maine, it seems
likely that some New Brunswick and Nova Scotia farmers initiated chapters
from that source. By the 1880s organizations such as this had ceased
to be primarily political in motivation, rather they served to sustain
the morale of rural people at a time when urban and industrial forces
were challenging the centrality of farmers in society. This document
indicates the Point de Bute Grange was open to both men and women and
was primarily a social organization that in addition to the practice
of a complex series of rituals not unlike other fraternal and lodge
organizations, focused on reading and discussing essays on farming or
household science issues. |
