The Forrest City times., 1909-09-10
MASS MEETING AT
 THE COURT HOUSE
Movement on Foot 10 Secure Agricultural High
 School.
HOUSING SPEECHES MADE
Liberal Contributions of Money and Everyone Enthusiastic
 Committee Appointed.

As the result Of mass meeting as the Court House Tuesday evening. zH organization was effected to work fer an Agricultural High School for For rest City, money and lands to the amount of over s30o0.oo were contfi- buted, and Finance and Executive Committee appointed to appoint sub committees to work through this and adjoining counties in the interests of the school. Without exception everyone al the meeting was very much in earnest. ready with sggges- tions as to ways and means. and liberal in support. and it begins b look as | Forrest City will have a pretty good showing when the time comes for the selection of the site for the school.
 The mass meeting was the result Of a movement started by some Of tie ladies of Forrest City. @H8 are ever ready to werk in the interests Of eda- cation The meeting was called to order by Mr John Gatling. temporary chairman, who stated Ill a few words the object Of the assem mbley-to discuss the adyisabllity of taking steps to se- cure the location, in or near Forrest City, of one of the Agricultural High Schools, provision for the establish ment of which was made by Act of the last Legislature, providing that sl60, 000.00 ts40, GOO, each) be appropria ted for the establishment of four Agri- cultural High Schools, to be located. one in each of the four districts into which the state is divided, and to be under the control of seperate boards of Trustees, consisting each of five farmers, who shall select the sites for schools, and put them into operation immediately after their appointment in October by Governor Donaghey. MT. Gatling mentioned briefly the benefits 10 the community. both im- mediate and future, which would fol- low the establishment of school of applied science in it's midst.
 MT. Gatling was then elected per manent chairman of an Association of the citizens of Forrest City and St. Francis County to work to secure one of the Agricultural High Schools. Dr. J. O. Rush and Miss Olive Cat ling were elected permanent secreta- ries Of the association.
 Open discussion of ways and means followed. MT II. B. Lewis, of Wheat ley general organizer of the Farmers Union in Arkansas, at the request Of some of the citizens, made talk. Mr. Lewis explained al length some thing of the work of the schools, and the provisions of the bill under dis eussion. He said in part as follows;-
 These schools are intended to give to the youth of the land a scientific industrial education, which shall en- able them to develop the resources of the state with the highest possible intelligence and skill which shall give them opportunity of education at home without having to go away 10 get il. and which shall encourage them 10 remain on the farms as pro dactiye workers instead of crowding into the cities as vicious idlers or po0r-pay clerks. As an illustration of the work accomplished by these schools, he told of the red-land dis tricts of Georgia which had been abandoned for number of years as worthless, and which, after the appli- cation of the principles of scientific farming as taught in one of these schools, has been made to yield abun- daDt returns.
 According to the best information obtainable in regard to the provisions of the bill, which has not yet been published, it appeared that no definite amount has been specified as necessary to be given by towns bidding for the schools, nor does the bill bind the Trustees to give the schools to the highest hidder, other questions such as railroad facilities healthfulness, etc. entering in, but the inference was that, other things being equal, the schools will go the community making