JOINING A LODGE

Te Ao Hou, Summer 1954, Page 43

JOINING A LODGE The Wilmots are quite a large family, consisting of five boys and a girl. Two of the boys work on the farm, two of them are still going to school, and the remaining brother and the girl are attending colleges. They derive the utmost pleasure from working on their farm and discussing farming topics at night, when most young fellows would want to be heading off to some livelier source of entertainment. They also rejected television sets, on the grounds that they distracted you from your work too much. All the members of the family, however, did take a very keen interest in an organization called ‘Grange’ and all participated in the activities of their local branch of ‘Grange’. It is an organization chiefly concerned with the interests of rural people, and is operated along the lines of a ‘lodge’ or secret society. Its major purpose is to promote better family life by providing programmes which include topics on agriculture and education, and some form of musical or social entertainment for those so inclined. During my stay so far I have been invited to speak or show films at many of their meetings, but due to the nature of this organization I was excluded from the formal section of their meetings. This meant that often I would have to sit outside the door for a half to three-quarters of an hour, go in and give my talk, and then sit outside again for another half-hour before the meeting finished and supper was served. As this situation was not entirely satisfactory as far as I was concerned, and as I possess the inquisitiveness common to most members of the human race, I decided it would be much more convenient to become a member of ‘Grange’ myself. During my visit with the Wilmots I joined ‘Grange’ and no longer have to sit outside the door, but can go in and participate in normal activities of any ‘Grange’ meeting in the States. At the same time I have found these activities instructive, and thoroughly worthwhile.