HOME DEMONSTRATION WORK 



ported weekly which indicate that the people regard the agents 

 as trainers, guides, gardeners, cooks, mechanics, artists, archi- 

 tects, leaders, counsellors and friends. One effective example 

 will tell the composite story. It is the case of Miss Rachel 

 Martin, who came from Mississippi to be a county agent in 

 Harnett County, North Carolina. She not only did good 

 regular home demonstration work, but she led her people in 

 a masterful fight against the ''Flu." She reduced want, re- 

 lieved suffering and saved lives. Later, in taking charge of 

 what appeared a recurrence of the scourge, she ran into spinal 

 meningitis and met her death. An extract from an address 

 of the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, deliv- 

 ered at a memorial in her honor, shows how people appreciate 

 such work and service. Following the tributes at the meeting, 

 plans were developed for a memorial building to contain the 

 offices of the Home Demonstration Agent, the Farm Demon- 

 stration Agent, County Nurse, the County Superintendent of 

 Education and other public welfare workers. The authorities 

 were gratified, upon opening the desk of the departed agent 

 afterwards, to find that she had already dreamed of such a 

 building and had drawn a beautiful sketch which was adopted 

 as the basis for the plans. The Chairman spoke in part as 

 follows : 



"My Friends: I fully realize that no words of mine can add 

 any luster to the memory of our departed friend ; but I am bidden to 

 come in behalf of the Board of County Commissioners and the 

 Board of Education, who, jointly with the Home Demonstration 

 Department, have made Miss Martin's presence in our midst possible. 

 We feel that we owe it as a duty, and we claim, as a privilege, this 

 opportunity to publicly acknowledge our sense of obligation to Miss 

 Martin for the splendid service that she has rendered the whole 

 people of this county. 



Those of you familiar with county affairs know that for every 

 dollar the authorities have to spend there are many worthy calls, 



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