THE CULMINATING YEAR 



him. They thought that he was not a man, but a god and a 

 saint. 



Doctor Hopkins' work is of incalculable value to Greece. 

 Its effects and possibilities are great and profound. Greece 

 is essentially an agricultural country, its prosperity mainly 

 depending on its agricultural products, and yet its land has 

 become so poor and unproductive that most of the time it does 

 not produce even the seed sown, and the nation is compelled to 

 import from other countries most of its cereal grains for bread. 

 Doctor Hopkins was the first man in the history of the nation 

 to study its soils. He discovered by scientific methods the 

 cause of the infertility and unproductivity of these soils, and 

 with his rare ability, remarkable knowledge, and great prac- 

 ticability, he worked out methods of agriculture by which 

 these soils could be made fertile and productive, to remain so 

 for all time to come. He has thus made it possible for the 

 Greek nation to produce its own food to feed its people, and to 

 be prosperous and happy thru the coming generations. His 

 work and its benefits will be permanent and lasting. Con- 

 sidering what agriculture is to a nation and especially to 

 Greece, Doctor Hopkins' service to Greek agriculture will 

 make his name go down in Greek history as one of the greatest 

 if not the greatest benefactors of Greece. 



The Greek people and the Government recognized and 

 appreciated his lasting service with grateful hearts. The 

 Government conferred upon him the highest decoration in its 

 power to bestow, that of the Order of Our Savior, and sought 

 to retain his services for a number of years. The Greek Prime 

 Minister, who was at that time attending the Peace Confer- 

 ence in Paris, sent three different telegrams to his Govern- 

 ment requesting it to try to secure the services of Doctor Hop- 

 kins for a number of years under any terms. 



Great is his loss to this country and especially to Illinois. 

 Still greater it is to Greece because she needed him more. 



4i 



