[i'2*) A.\M AI. i;i:i'(»KT OF Tin: OlT. Doc. 



luid a hand in the airaugeiueiil ol' the inslilulc and I lei I you, my 

 friends, that is the secret 1 have had in the whole thing, and that is 

 tlie particular message 1 want to bring to you today. After you have 

 done that you have broken the backl)one of what I term the success 

 of the Farmers' Institute. It works its way out splendidly. You 

 have 25 or 30 men to talk farmers' institute right from the start. 

 They will talk with their friends and put up the bills. But, as I 

 said before, if 1 sim])ly went into that community and called the 

 chairman or local committee together and he and I had a i)rivate C(m- 

 versation together like hai)})ens sometimes, it would have been be- 

 tween us and that would have been the end of it. I haven't had a 

 failure at all since I have adopted the plan just described. 



Now should a good chairman i)reside at the institute Miicn held? 

 This is important. I have i^resided but I have learned this: Kot to 

 do things when I can get the other fellow to do them. Sacrifice your- 

 self every time. Eight here I want to read a little letter that was 

 gratifying to me, that will bear me out on Avhat T say. 1 want to 

 prove things as I go along so you don't think I am here just talking. 

 I received this letter after an institute was held in my county, IJerks: 



• 



''Dear Mr. McGowan: 



I am very much interested in the work oT educating 

 the farmers in better methods of tilling the soil and 

 hope to be situated soon that I may be able to demon- 

 strate from practical experience the truth and wisdom of 

 many years recommended l)y these men at our farmers 

 institutes. Accept my thanks for your courteous treat- 

 ment during our institute, much more than I or we de- 

 served. I told a company of my friends last evening 

 that 1 entertained the very Imjliest regard for you, 

 because you seemed to be so deeply interested in this 

 work, and that you were so generous that you took 

 pleasure in giving others credit for more than they 

 were entitled to, reserving nothing for yourself." 



Now, gentlemen, I contend that this is the position that a good chair- 

 man should occupy. He should be the "power behind the throne," 

 and only do things when he cannot get anybody else to do them. It 

 is not safe, however, to allow an institute to be in charge of some 

 chairman. That probably Avould not be wise. It is safe to select 

 the best man in the community for the local chairman; but almost 

 an}' man can preside as chairman provided the county chairman 

 holds his hand upon the throttle and has tact. That is what we 

 must have. We must know every move that the institute is making, 

 feel every jar that occurs in the meeting, although you can be silent 

 and guide all this; and the chairman in that community will feel that 

 he is honored and that he is respected and that the county chairman 

 is not doing all the work and that he wants to be the whole push. 



AVe are generally active with the query box. 1 make that a feature 

 at our institutes. The chairman of the <iuery committee is not an 

 idler. 1 emphasize the question box and insist on asking questions. 

 Get i>eople at it. Tiiey will be slow at first, but get them at it. The 

 chairman collects tiicse (piestions. Now then I have another man, 



