THE COUNTY AGENT'S JOB AND OPPORTUNITY 137 



but to please men; to assist in formulating and carrying 

 forward county and community programs of work ; to help 

 to build and to maintain all the necessary machinery to 

 do the work; to inspire local leadership, create enthusi- 

 asm and keep the whole idea functioning; these are some 

 of the responsibilities and obligations which the county 

 agent must meet and which naturally get to be wearing. 

 Especially when they are not appreciated by those who 

 benefit, as is sometimes the case, is it easy to become dis- 

 couraged. The job is an exacting one. 



The county agent's life is a busy and a strenuous one, 

 if he is a good agent. There is always so much to do. The 

 more capable and successful an agent is, the heavier is the 

 pressure on him and the greater the demand for his serv- 

 ices. The work not only keeps him busy. It drives him. 

 It absorbs his physical energy. Long hard drives in the 

 "fliver" almost every day and in all kinds of weather 

 and conditions. Many "talks" on all sorts of occasions 

 in every part of the county call for thoughtful preparation 

 as well as for energy and skill. Many evenings are spent 

 away from home and midnight returns from meetings at 

 distant points in the county are the common thing. Con- 

 stant telephone calls are apt to be his lot at night as well 

 as during the day. All these and other demands of the 

 work call for devotion and the larger outlook if one is not 

 to be overwhelmed by multifarious details. 



FIRST STEPS IN COUNTY AGENT WORK 



The county agent new to his county is sometimes at a 

 loss to know where to begin what to do first. It may be 

 well therefore to indicate some of the most important first 

 things to be done. 



The efficient county agent will be more than a personal 



