The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-09-09

am Of our soil. How is that for d
business. in these days Of big bust
nesses?
And now jast a word about the man
at the head of the business. l had my
first meeting with him today. in his
office at the Agricultural Department,
and we spent an hour or SO talking
along the lines of his great under
taking. He seems a big man, and |
doubt not he will size up to the job.
Indeed. Nj Houston looks more like
a business man than a arme he is
tail, straight and broad Shouldered.
He wears business clothes and he
talks in a practical way. He has a
serious face. with dark eyes which
smile now and then. indicating a
strong sense Of humor. He speaks
in plain English, and his words are
well chosen. He thinks in para
graphS, and il takes close attention to
follow his arguments. you sug-
gest a subject he exhauSts 1t, going
to his secondly. thirdly and sometimes
IT, his sixthly before he gets through.
Secretary Houston's life has been
one Of close thinking. and much Of
his thinking has been along aS,ical-
tural mes. He was bOrn on a farm,
and his father was we'll enough Off
to give his children a good education.
AT the same tiWe he made them learn
farming. AS 500 as little David was
Odd enough to work he followed the
pillow, and later on did every kind Of
farm work from hoeing corn to dyna-
hitting StumpS and splitting rails. He
had also to plan out the crop and see
that it was taken to market.
At the same time he was going te
school, and I venture he liked school
& g., ~ ~
farHa at the Of seventeen. He
then taught country school, and in a
Geftain sense he has been a school
nan tver since. The place where he
U ht was a shells a q house. a
in Il clearing SuTroEf .ded b.. StuEnpS
His pupils ragged IL age from sever
1Nenty-Slx, and about the only ad
SO he ga ys. WAS that he could kGeI
the book in his hand while they ha6
to do the reciting He was secretly
afraid of the skill of one boy in
mathematics, Of a young woman il
geography and Of a full half dozef
: in spelling. and still he knows he wa.
no then below the average of thosl
who are now managing the rura
, schools OF our
But al that was when Day id HOuS
ton was and little mos,
thar a boy. He is a we'll edncates
man now, for he has been going t.
: school ever since. After teaching, h,
entered the chief college OF his Stat.
: of South Carolina. and graduate,
there at twenty-one. Harvard Uni
versity made him a master of art
: at twenty six, and since then he ha
!. received DOCTORS degrees at severa
bic institutions. i believe he got on
= Or more this year.
: Mr. Houston has also had big posi-
= tons as ach He has served as
professor OF political science at tn
tnive1aity OF Texas. has been preSi
: dent of the Agricultural Meehanica
=" College OF Texas. and chancellor @
Washington University at St Ioni
He has a4so been president OF the Uni
versity Of Texass and he was At tn
y head OF Washington University whe
+? he came here. During the create
a part OF his life he has specialized i
lie study and teaching OF
n and his present mission. 81 man rae
a think, Is that OF applying the late,
L discoveries in modern economics
er the uplift OF the farmer.
u The new Secretary Of A~grienlt.s
n does not think thai the farmer las
ID a monopoly OF the good things of tn
&c earth. He believes that the city ma
Is has many advan tages over him, ar
"a that his conditions should be SO ia
v proved that the two will be upon nea-
70 ~ the same plane az to health. edi
cation, business and credit. Said Al
Houston:
< Il want to see the methods IF sal
ne itation which prevail ia the cities e.
ae tended to the country. Every rur
community should have a we'll pa
Is. expert physician. and should be IA
An der the charge OF the State Board
&c. Health. More attention should
al paid to the eradication OF typho
ke fever and malaria and to the elm
. nation OF bad water and milk. A -
q. should be waged upon the mOsqui
and the fly, and the country Schoo
ke should be under medical inspecho
he and every boy and girl should ha
"a the same advantages that the ch
lst dren in our most advanced cities ha
he now. We have been spending a gre
h deal to develop our soil We spea
'ut millions Of dollars annually to Ike