524 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. 



our beautiful little city to honor us with their presence. We have very 

 good talent here, and we hope that this will be one of the best meetings 

 ever hold in the State. We have been saying this for some time. We 

 haven't many here at this morning session, but there will be more later 

 on. We have been telling the people for some time what a meeting we 

 were going to have, and I am sure that the people who do not attend 

 will miss a great deal. Without discussing the matter further, I will say 

 that the city feels highly honored on account of this Institute being lield 

 here. We are glad you came and hope you will stay a long time, and 

 when you go away we hope you will say good things about us whether 

 you think them or not. 



President Latta: I see I am on the program for a response. I will give 

 this response, then I will turn the meeting over to you. This gi-eeting 

 was short and sweet. I will try to make mine as short; as to the sweet- 

 ness I will not speak. I really want to say at the opening that meetings 

 of this kind are for two or three different purposes. One of course is 

 to get information along particular lines. Another is to get the broader 

 views that will come from a meeting of this kind. The individual who 

 lives within the plane of his own observation lives in a very narrow 

 plane. We must enlarge our range, and enlarge our knowledge by calling 

 upon one another in these meetings. They afford just this kind of an 

 opportunity. Again, these meetings serve to insure us most earnest effort 

 and most successful work. I trust that we will realize all of these things 

 in this meeting. They will give us jiractical, helpful information, enlarge 

 our views of life, and our relations to life in several lines of work, and 

 we will go out stronger in the work we have to do. These are the prime 

 ends. Of course we will form pleasant acquaintances during these two 

 days, which we trust will last through life. We will be better for meeting 

 here, and that will be one of the good things— to develop and foster the 

 spirit of fellowship. As a class. I think it may be said that farmers do 

 not get together enough. They are isolated. At the present time they 

 do not get in close touch with each other like business men do. I have 

 thought that if we were more chummy it would be better for us. I hope 

 that this spirit will crop out here in these meetings, and will be the invit- 

 ing feature of this meeting. We must be social, friendly, helpful; come 

 with the purpose of getting and giving, one as well as the othei'. We want 

 to make our contribution. We do not want to be sponges, but accomplish 

 our part. I said to a very bright young fellow once who did not wish to 

 .ioin our club, but rather sponge, that it was not a good thing to be a 

 sponge, and always be absorbing things, for he would find that he would 

 have to be squeezed. Now that is one good thing; that under pressure a 

 six»nge will give out something, and the one that has nothing fails to 

 give out anything. So there must be that response on your part of active 

 thought. And so I feel that we should enliven our meeting by questions. 



