Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-27
A New Type Of Secretary
l;y Frederic J. HAskia

Washington, ID. c., Feb 24.-There is a
new Secretary Of Agriculture on Q JOB
in Washington who is new type OF man
for that position, and who approaches IL
in different way from those wn9 nave
Meredith. He is publisher and banker
and is an aggressive man OF affairs: lie
comes from Des Moines, where he publish
ss a farm paper. He has been director IN
ono of the leading banks of Iowa, In the
FEDERAL Reserve Bank at Chicago, and
in the Chamber Of Commerce OF the
limited States: has been the head OF the
National Association of Advertising Clubs,
And has served on various governmental
bodies during and since the war;
The Department of Agriculture hereto
fore has gone in for two types OF secretary.
The tvpe which has predominated through
most of its existence has grown copious
quantities of whiskcrs, has marked back
to the good old days of whiting sticks ut
the corner grocery, has harbored palr OF
hrocans in It's closet. reminiscent OF earlier
times. II has been of the soil, representa-
five of a CLASS in our citizenship. The sec
ond TYNE has been from the college class
room the laboratory of the scientist.
II has understood the miracle performed
nv the plant root when it reaches into the
earth for natures elements and hands
them TO the farmer in the form OF prize
oars Of corn. 1t has known that clover will
NOT hear seed unless the humble bee Is
present in the fields. carrying pollen from
one blossom to another on its feet as 1T
hunts honey, and thus fertilIzlng those
blossoms.
NO EARMARKs OF FARMER.
p,,+ bore comes n new type Secretary
Meredith has none of the earmarks OF the
farmer. There is none of the dandriifi OF
tho scientist on his coat collar. While he
has edited agricultural papers, and maze
something of a study of farming, he makes
no Dretense of being an authority. Nhile
hc Is a college man from school wlhch
leans toward agriculture, he converses
little of chemical reactions. lie IS a stall
wart. outstanding man, wearing business
suit of the best materials, MADE py the
best of tailors. His mustache IS snort
cronped. his eyes alert, his enthusiasm
unbounded, his geniallty contagious ne
Is the type of man one would set GOWN as
an executive. He might be the head-oi
big corporation, the driving ioice LII any
large undertaking.
II is in the light Of executive general
manager that the new Secretary OF Agri-
culture regards himself. He does not De-
lieve that it is his business to master the
scientific problems OF the department.
There ere hundreds of scientists under hum,
each of whom has devoted years to the
study Of given details. Whenever ne
wants scientific direction he has but 10
press a button to get specialiSV' ne
realizes that the executive must assign
detail not handle ii. lie believes that the
man who sits at the center of an organlza-
tion which is far-fung, natlon-wlde' Is
p,imarilv the co-orduatlng agent Whlch
makes il work rs a single producing ma
chine. and seconda'ily, the sales agent
who sees to il that the product OF the ma
chine is properly marketed.
Theoretically the departments az WASH
ington are executive. Their business Is 10
handle the detail of government. ne
State D,nartrnent takes care of those ISSUES
that arise dav bv day, as between the
limited States and other nations. The
Treasury DEPARTMENT is the fiscal agent
of the government, taking care OF the
business that comes to 1t. thus most OF
the departments are intended merely to
handle the daily grist. The department
of Agriculture is on different basis. Its
purpose is not executive but chiefly Great
i've. 1t is to make two blades grow where
one formerly sprouted but Wlthered' III
IS to increase the quantity OF food that
comes to the tables of its peoples and pro-
vide some for other peoples who are
hungry. 1t is hardly an executive depart
ment at all.
HANMERTNG LESSONS HOME.
Tt was a quarter of a century ago that
The Department of Agriculture began 10
get hold on the consciousness OF the
American farmer 1t was then that that
group of scientific men which il had gath
cred began TO hammer home the lessons
in farming that may be learned from an
understanding of the laws of nature that
lie back of the unfolding Of crops. 1t
vas then that there began TO grow an
appreciation of the possibilities that he IN
studying the results in given crops at |
tanned BY all men everywhere and making |
the best results available at the farm.
1t was a hard fight those first few years |
against the prejudice which the experience |
I'd farmer felt toward the dude who came |
out from the city TO teach him how TO |
farm. II took long time for the book |
farmers. sprinkled here and there through |
out the nation, to demonstrate their re-
suits in profits and thus win following. |
But TODAY the value OF scientific farming |
is undisputed. It no longer requires the |
;eductiveness Of the missionary. All 1t |