4-H Name
The first use of the term "4-H Club" in a federal document
appeared in 1918 in a bulletin written by Gertrude L. Warren. By 1924,
wider usage of the name "4-H" was adopted. This was used
thereafter throughout the world.
4-H Emblem
The first emblem
design was a three-leaf clover, introduced by O.H. Benson, sometime
between 1907-08. From the beginning, the three "H's" signified
Head, Heart and Hands. A four-leaf clover design with H's appeared around
1908. In 1911, Benson referred to the need for four H's -- suggesting that
they stand for "Head, Heart, Hands, and Hustle. . . head trained to
think, plan and reason; heart trained to be true, kind and sympathetic;
hands trained to be useful, helpful and skillful; and the hustle to render
ready service, to develop health and vitality. . . " In 1911, 4-H
club leaders approved the present 4-H emblem design. O.B. Martin is
credited with suggesting that the H's signify Head, Heart, Hands and
Health -- universally used since then. The 4-H emblem was patented in 1924
and Congress passed a law protecting the use of the 4-H name and emblem in
1939, which was slightly revised in 1948.
The Origin
of the 4-H Emblem
The following information is excerpted and adapted from the Iowa
State 4-H website where you can read more about the history of 4-H.
Club work for rural youth was
organized many years before the term "4-H" or before the
four-leaf clover emblem was used. O.H. Benson, Wright County school
superintendent, reported a gesture of good will by Iowa School children
that led to choosing the four-leaf clover as the emblem for 4-H throughout
the world. One sunny June morning in
1906 at a one-room country school near Clarion, Iowa, 11 pupils spent
their recess outside searching for four-leaf clovers. They had plucked
seven clovers when a visitor drove up. Their teacher recognized the guest
as Superintendent O. H. Benson. At the teacher's suggestion, the children
surrendered their good luck charms and placed the seven clovers into the
hands of Superintendent Benson.
He said, "I'm looking for
an emblem for the agricultural clubs and the schools of the country, and
you have just given me that emblem--the four-leaf clover; it will help
explain to young and old the message of a four-square education." (In
those early days, 4-H was a part of the schools, but it was known as
"four square education" then.) Several years earlier he had come
across ideas for four-square education. The four main ideas for
four-square education included educational development, fellowship
development, physical development, and moral development.
In order to link home life
with school subjects of agriculture and home economics, Benson organized
agricultural and home economics clubs in each Wright County school.
Picnics, fairs, short courses, and play festivals also were held. "In
general, these built a greater brotherhood and community spirit amongst
the people," Benson said. Through
Wright County schools, Superintendent Benson linked these clubs with
four-square development. He saw these ideas in use at the one-room country
school he had visited. This setting along with the good will bouquet of
four-leaf clovers, led him to link the clover to the clubs for the first
time.
Superintendent Benson recalled
that three emblems were sketched in his office--a three-leaf clover, a
four-leaf clover, and a five-pointed star. In 1907 and 1908,
Superintendents Benson and Shambaugh began to use an emblem of a
three-leaf clover with an "H" on each leaf, one each for the
head, head, heart, and hand. This was to be the membership badge for every
boy and girl member of the Wright County Agricultural and Homemaking
Clubs. Superintendent Benson said, "Out of the hearts, hands, and
heads of these farm children was born the significant 4-H emblem."
The emblem was used on
placards, posters, literature, shields, caps, uniforms, badges, and
labels. In 1909 he wrote that the first pins with the clover emblem came
into use. In 1911, O.H. Benson worked
in Washington, D.C. to help organize club work throughout the United
States. He and others suggested ideas for a national emblem to represent
the developing club program. The four-leaf clover emblem suggested by
Benson was chosen.
At that time the fourth
"H" came to stand for "health." The four-leaf clover
became the national membership badge. In the next 15 years all the
agricultural and home economics clubs that had been developing across Iowa
and the nation were joined by a common name "4-H Clubs," a name
that came from the emblem that represented them. Other countries, also,
accepted the clover emblem as 4-H clubs started throughout the world.
"Thousands have helped develop 4-H
club work as it is today, including men and women of national affairs,
officials of state and country, preachers, teachers, and businessmen;
but for the inspiration for the ideas as wrapped in the 4-H emblem, we
owe our thanks to the group of 11 farm boys and girls who, through their
bouquet of good luck clovers, sent the 4-H message to the rest of the
boys and girls of rural America." O.H. Benson
For more information on
this topic, you can visit our 4-H name and
emblem standards explained, and the USDA
name and emblem standards for 4-H.
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