No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 2?9 



I was thinking of the county chairmen at the institutes I attendee, 

 and how nicely they treated us fellows. I suggested to some county 

 chairmen the unnecessary questions that were handed in that killed 

 so much time, and I v/ant to advocate here this afternoon the written 

 questions. I don't know how you feel about that but I find that there 

 is lots more hot air in the written question than the question than 

 the question that a man thinks over before he sends it in. There is 

 a whole lot of unnecessary questions. I remember one lecturer w^as 

 kept on his feet an hour and a half. Seeds here — is that so? Lots 

 of questions that he had answered in his talk and questions that would 

 not have been asked if the}' had been handed in to the Chairman, and 

 then the Chairman had a conscience and left out the foolish questions. 

 Now a preacher on a lecture corps in a certain sense is in an unenvi- 

 able position. You ought to have seen. We were consulted about all 

 sorts of questions. One lady wanted to know why it was that there 

 were two preachers on that lecture corps and they didn't open the 

 exercises with prayer. I felt like saying: ''My good sister, come right 

 back here if you need prayer so bad and I will pray for you." That was 

 a question that came up many times, the question of prayer, and I 

 had the privilege of solving it pretty often for when the regular 

 preacher was not there the preacher on the lecture corps was put into 

 service. You have been reading about these trials for heresy. I want 

 to say here that I do not believe it is necessary to open farmers' insti- 

 tutes with prayer. You may have your opinions of that but I have 

 mine. It is a matter of business. I advocate that the people ought to 

 do their praying before they get there and back their prayer with their 

 hustling for the farmers' institute. Just as in a church that I took 

 charge of not long ago. I walked down and I said, ''Now we will take 

 the ottering," and when the plates were returned they stopped for me 

 to offer prayer over the collection and I didn't offer it. T said, "My 

 friends, we won't have a prayer over the collections." 1 said, "It 

 would not matter how eloquently nor how long I offered prayer, it 

 would not make that collection any larger and it would not go any 

 farther and what is more, if there are any here who have not given to 

 their ability it would not excuse their conscience." I had to leave out 

 some of the qu6sti<ms that came in, and we all laughed, and I believe 

 in a good hearty laugh and good jokes in our talks. As I say, the 

 preacher is in a somewhat unenviable position. He is advertised too 

 much. Why everytime I got up to talk on chickens the chairman 

 would say, '"Noav this man knows all about chickens. He is a preacher 

 and he is full of chicken." Well, you ought to see the questions. Here 

 was a lady sent a question up to me saying: ''I have just had a pro- 

 posal of marriage and it came from a man who is not a Christian. 

 Would you advise a woman who is a Chiistian to marry a man who is 

 not a Christian?" I saw the preacher sitting over in the other corner. 

 I said: "I am running a chicken ranch. I will refer it to this 

 preacher over here;"' and I walked over and he got scared and he said 

 he hesitated. 1 said: "I guess I will have to answer this." I told 

 that lady she had better marry him quick for it might be her last 

 chance. 



I want to emphasize what this brother said about Sunday. We are 

 awav off from our homes and the comforts of our homes in most 



