INTRODUCTION 



reasoning developed not only the idea underlying the plan of 

 extension teaching, but more important than that it gave 

 birth to the great ideal which underlies all this work, namely, 

 the enrichment of country life. 



The great ideal found its natal place in the fertile brain 

 of the late Dr. Seaman A. Knapp, who became its greatest 

 expounder, and who stands out toweringly among a bare half 

 dozen really great agricultural leaders in the history of 

 our country. He was a bold, aggressive, original thinker. 

 His philosophy was tender and broadly sympathetic, filled 

 throughout with the true missionary spirit of service. He 

 was a great teacher, and a great leader, and an orator who 

 had the divine gift of inspiration. Those who came within 

 his spell found themselves unconsciously absorbing his zeal 

 for service. His innumerable hosts of disciples today desire 

 no greater compensation for their efforts than the conscious- 

 ness of being engaged in service to the millions of farm men 

 and women, boys and girls who must depend almost solely 

 upon this creation of his for knowledge. 



In unfolding this philosophy and in describing with such 

 minute accuracy the development of this system, and the 

 ideal underlying it, the author has contributed a real service, 

 not alone to the immediate present, but likewise to the future. 

 The story as told constitutes a thrilling chapter in the agri- 

 cultural literature of our country and no one is better qualified 

 for this kind of undertaking than the author, because not 

 only is he a devoted disciple of the philosophy underlying the 

 extension system of teaching, but he himself is entitled to 

 much of the credit for its development. His work in pro- 

 moting the method among farm women and farm girls has 

 been and is an outstanding feature in the entire system. His 

 early environment has well qualified him for his sympathetic 



