The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-10-17
Uncle Sams Army Of Home Demonstrators
 Starts 27th Year Of War On Rural Poverty
CORPS OF WOMEN BRINGS SCIENCE
 TO NETHERLANDS
A AA
x < N
BY ELEANOR RAGsDALE

Wastsngton.-The current talk Of civilian mobilization turns the spotlight of appraisal on a corps ot American women-2323 strong today
 which is marking its 27th year Of achievement as 8 builder of rural defense. These women are the Home Demonstration agents of Uncle Sams Department of Agriculture, who spend their bus days fort1fying the rural families of the U. s. A. Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico with science, common sense, ana 1n- agination.
 Every day each agent jumps into her handy auto and images the rounds of the county which has { been assigned to her. She may nave meeting planned in church < basement of one town and will ma twenty or thirty women from the < surrounding farms gathered to learn about how to buy, make, press or clean woolen garments. She aver \ ages almost one home visit per day for private counsel.
 A country doctor has nothing on the H, D. agent. She has her clinics { to visit, too. But in her clincS she gathers together ailing home equip ment, such as stoves and sewing machines-some of the latter look ing like original Elias Howe models. HER CLINIC IS
 FOR FURNITURE
 or perhaps it's furniture day, and she will find twenty or thirty as sembled farm wives presenting chairB with bulging springs, frayed cane.bottons, or worn upholstery for her diagnosis and treatment.
 Right then and there she will {, tackle the jobs, explaining each step, showing the owner how to oil a machine, replace a missing part, weave a chair bottom, or tie e recalcitrant spring.
 Other members observe each case, and often take a hand ill the repair work. Further instructions may include painting, varnShlng and polishing of furniture or some < artful ways of putting a sewing machine to work. The Home Dem- onstration agent is always practical and deals with materials at hand.
 Of course, the first and main preoccupation of the whole Home Demonstration program is the fooo probIam. It was to combat the pov- erty afflicting the South after the boil weeyil invasion that the De- 2 partment of AgricultureS Extension movement came into being in 1914.
 A few able women in communities here and there in the stricken area Y determined that the farm home should have such scientific help as the farm land was beginning to get. They started teaching other women how to raise garden stuff and pre- serve 1t for winter use.
 The idea took hold and spread. Cooking and dressmaking were added, as were health and sanita- ton. You should see all the things the versatile agent must be an authority on these days. Child de < velopment, mental hygiene, farm home financing, handicrafts, and citizenship are among the the sub iects she tackles.
 Small woner that practically all agents have B. s. degrees in Home Economies. They usually stick to their jobs too-five and half years being the average length of service for the present corps. Average age of these modern pionrs is 34, and thir salary is about $2034 per year.
 With 100000 families affected by the Home Demonstration group teaching, visits, and bulletins, you may wonder how 2323 women can do it. The explanation is that each agent spends part of her time train ing volunteer local leaders. Alto gether there are over 8 quarter of a million of them. They are women with a little more leisure or energy than the rest, usually elected by the group, who can take the time to learn the best methods of cooking or cutting patterns or planning budgets, and conduct meeting on their own. Sometimes community Home Demonstration Club will chip in enough money to send a repre- sentative to the State Agricul- tural College for Farm and Home Week or a Homemaker's Short Course.
 These colleges are the state head quarters for all extension agents. Specialists in many kinds of re- search are stationed there for these centerS. Information on the latest methods of dyeing clothes, spraying gardens, conserving vitaminS is distributed.
 The H. D. agent must touch base" frequently at the college to keep up on the trends and be able to pass them along to her leaders and clubs at metings or by bulletin. state, county and federal govern menB cooperate on the cost of the whole enterprise.