274 AGRICUIvTURE OF MAINE). 



Now, Mr. Chairman, I believe that every one of us believes 

 in Maine. Maine is great in area and it is sparsely settled, 

 and in proportion to the area of the State we have no great 

 wealth like many other states. I believe there is greater room 

 for independent operations, I believe there is greater oppor- 

 tunity for a boy and a girl here upon a farm in the State of 

 Maine, for future development, for getting the most of the 

 good things in life, than there is in any other place to which 

 I have recently been. 



I believe a man should have a good word to say for his State, 

 for his county, for the place which he calls his home. In 

 August of 1909, and several times previous to that, I went into 

 Aroostook county and, I found that after I had crossed the 

 border between Penobscot and Aroostook counties, I was obliged 

 to talk about Aroostook county and about potatoes. In August, 

 1910, I went into Aroostook county again, and I registered a 

 solemn vow that after I had got into the county I would not 

 say anything about Aroostook county and potatoes, but I found 

 that I had hardly got ten rods over the county line before I was 

 obliged to talk about Aroostook county and potatoes. Nobody 

 would talk to me about anything else. They even asked me 

 how many potatoes I raised last year and the profit I made on 

 them. I made up my mind that the people of Aroostook county 

 would get up nights, and sit up nights, to shout for their county. 

 That is what has given it prestige all over the State, and has 

 spread its fame as far as the Union extends. 



Mr. Chairman, and friends, I want to say to you that I have 

 had in the past, and have now, great faith in good leadership. 

 I have great faith in those men who have made a special study 

 along special lines of farm work and farm endeavor, and my 

 observation teaches me this : that it is not always safe to pin 

 your faith to leaders or to leadership. However well trained 

 a man may be, however much he may know about certain spe- 

 cial lines of farm work, it is not always safe to place your faith 

 implicitly upon what he may know, because if my observation 

 teaches me anything it is certainly true that every man is sur- 

 rounded by certain conditions which surround no other indi- 

 vidual man, and you and I who are members of this grange 

 organization, many of us, ought to be in our individual capacity 

 studying the conditions by which we «re surrounded and to be 



