Africo-American Presbyterian., 1899-12-21
The Texas Farmers Improvement
Society.


The fourth annual convocation of the
Farmers Improvement Society opened
at Columbus last week and was by far
the most extensive, best prepared and
most highly creditable meeting of the
association. This meeting was really
a we'll arranged fair, with an admirable
display of varied exhibits, and was seen
and appreciated during its progress:by
thousands. The Farmers Improve
ment Society is an institution establish
ed some years ago by Prof R: L. Smith,
teacher of the school in Oakland, has
branches in some twenty counties, and
membership of about 2OOO. Its cardi
nal objects are To fight the credit
system to diversity crops, especially
in so far as to raise something possible
for home consumption cooperation in
buying and selling care ofthe sick and
burial of the dead the purchase and
beautifying Of homes-all objects COM
mending themselves to the best efforts
of all good citizens. ~
During the past two weeks the society
has erected on the colored park grounds
west of this city a large and commodi-
GUS exhibition hall, which was most
tastefully decorated for the occasion.
In common with most of the white peo-
pie in town a Citizen representative visit
ed the fair and made an effort to secure
list of the exhibits and failed, but motto
ed fine specimens of cotton, corn, wheat,
oats, sugar cane, sorghum, potatoes,
pumpkins, tobacco, and the inevitable
watermelon, besides pears, apples, per-
simmons, squash, egg. plants, beans, Gu
cumbers, and other articles in the vege
table line horses, colts jacks, fine
poultry, pigs, etc. Besides these there
were displays of art in painting and
crayon work, hand painting, shell paint
ing, fish scale work, embroidery, drawn
work, quilting, tOweling, etc. The dis
play far exceeded our expectations, and
showed a remarkable progress on the
frert. IF the cOiored people. and also Inn
parted the fact tnat the Improvement
Society is really one to expand their
ideas and improve their possibilities.
There were booths for restaurants,
fruits, confections, cigars, tobacco, but
not one for any intoxicant--they being
especially tabooed. The order through
out the lour days of the session was ex-
cellent-ro discord-and the deputy
sheriff on duty said he had picnic of
mastery inactivity The fair was
visited by many white people, and at its
close Saturday night it was hard to tell
which was in the majority.
The Farmers Improvement Society
is bent on further advancement of the
race-among the plans being the found
ing of an agricultural college on the
order of Booker T. Washington's Tus
kegee institution. At this meeting $500
was subscribed for this purpose, some
planking down the cash.
The lesson of this fair was that the
colored man has within him the ele--
ments of his own advancement, and Pro
tessor Smith deserves great credit as the
leader in the movement. Ifthe Society s
dominant ideas-to keep out of debt ;
raise all they need at home by diversi-
flying crops cooperating in buying and
selling care for the sick and dead land
buy and beautify their homes-are car
ried out, the race is bound to advance all
along the line. And the interest shown
by the white people in the Columbus
exhibit shows that they will have white
people to aid them in the work.-COl,um
bus, Ter, Citizen.