34 THE COUNTY AGENT'S SERVICES 



"There is only one effective way to reach and influence 

 the farming classes, and that is by object lessons." 



1 1 Can agricultural conditions be changed simply by talk- 

 ing ? No ! By demonstration ? Yes ! ' ' 



In the Smith-Lever Extension Act of 1914, on which 

 the county agent movement is based, the intent of the 

 legislation is defined in the very general terms of "the 

 giving of instruction and practical demonstrations" and 

 "imparting information through demonstrations, publica- 

 tions and otherwise." But this is sufficient to make clear 

 that the chief methods by which it was expected to pro- 

 mote a better agriculture were teaching and the giving of 

 useful information. The Honorable A. F. Lever, Chair- 

 man of the House Committee on Agriculture, in reporting 

 the bill to the House made this still clearer. He said: 



"The theory of this bill is to extend this system of itinerant 

 teaching, the state always to measure the relative importance of 

 the different ideas of activities to be pursued and to determine 

 upon the most important, to the entire country by at least one 

 trained demonstrator or itinerant teacher for each agricultural 

 county, who in the very nature of things must give leadership and 

 direction along the line of rural activities, social, economic and 

 financial. This teacher or agent will become the agent or instru- 

 mentality, through which the colleges, stations and the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture will speak to those for whom they were 

 organized to serve with the respect due all lines of work engaged 

 in by them." 



On another occasion Mr. Lever said: 



"The fundamental idea of the system of demonstration or itin- 

 erant teaching, presupposes the personal contact of the teacher 



