The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-01-20
CONFERENCE !.
OF FARMERS
TELL THEIR SUCCESSES AND
FAILURES AND RECEIVE
IL " GOOD ADVICE. IT,. =,
Criminal Element
VIII Not be Protected and Mob Vio-
ence Is Deplored. Acquisition of
property and Regard for Law
Urged In Resolutions Setting Forth
Necessity OF Labor.
(Horace D. Slater.

>'.. ., @t''r.-'F---''- - g.. J. 81.
(Horace D. slatter.) .. -
Utica. Miss, Jan. 15.-Two thou
sand Negro farmers, their wives and
child ren,- attended with profit the
fourth annual conference OF the Ne
gro FARMERS ,,C onfbrence,H held under
the auspiceG OF the Utica Normal
aud industrial Institute, OF which
VIM. H. Hohzolaw;is principal. The
Tuskegee idea In all Of Its whole
someneSs and efhcacious teaching of
self-help ts not even more vividly
shown at Tuskegee than it Is here at
-ut1ca. for the eatablish m ent-an
maintenance Of the Utica Normal and
INDUSTRIAL Institute Is a direct out
come OF TugKegee teaching, IT'S prin-
cipal> being q typical. Tuskegee pro-
duct. Ihe concrete examples of sue
sGs9sfHi, farm life of these Negro far
m4afB WHO, attend the ., conference
M9e,# hSW this institution with all it's
WORE has become very part Of the
iife" OF the people. Ten years ago
these people lived from "hand to
mouth" In debt year in and year
out to the general merchant. Now
through the influence Of this institu-
ton soma-haYe cleared themselves
OF debt; other have erected spacious
modern homes for their families,
while all, more or less, are bending
their every energy to the task of OBJ
tanning O good education for their
children, to the end that they may be
useful citizens. Whatever complaint
may be lodged against industrial edu-
cation. the accomplishment of such
results with it's system would appear
TO all ri ght thinking people as posi-
tive proof OF its effectiveness. The
institution with its teachers and
principal, all young, energetic, self.
sacrificing, people become part of
the community, and IN their dignified
way, living an upright christian life,
make the yuneducated person, feel
that after all there Is something IN
an education y worth having The
consnHn byth $ .fseheeliia~ Elk tension
meetings. rhause to house i visitation
and the farmers. conference, all of
these things have ia great influence on
the lives Of the peopie, who come In
immediate contact with the school.
Just for example, note the common
sense advice contained in Mr.. Holtz-
claws annual address before the far
mers' conferences:
THE great possibilities of our
state can never be fully realized un-
TIL we get out of the habit of moving
from place to place. Until we settle
down somewhere and stay there,
make some place our permanent
abode. No people that is moving
from place to place can amount to
much IN the worlds progress. Health
happiness even Fortune are all right
at your door. Too long have we
seen the fantastic glories Of great pos
sIbllities In some far away place,
and have been all the while neglect
ing the opportunities at Our doors.
1 nave seen many parts Of this coun-
try but / have never seen a spot that
consider better place for the Ne
gro than right here in Mississippi. +"
And again:
"There0are yet many things that
we ought to have, and many that will
come with the progress of the years;
VIII come in fact just about as fast
as we can make the best of them,
But the question that confronts us
today 1s, how are we living our lives?
Let us go home and answer these
questions each in his own humble
way. Go and buy you little home
II not more than an acre of land,
build house on 1t, q house with more
than one or two rooms plant fruit
trees and shade trees, use some
WhiteWash and paint And you, wo
men, help your husbands by raising
chickens to sell In the market, have
one or more pigs, begin the systemat
ic education Of your children. and al
so teach them to work. Let every.
body work, for our temporal saliva.
ton Is largely bound up in our ability
to become intelligent producers by
work" .'l..
y know you have many things tc
contend with, but you must not lei
these thing overcome you. The indi
Vdual that gets up in the world is
the individual that conquers condi
tons, that masters his surroundings
not the one who allows conditions tc
master him. Don't get in the habit
or going about with long face, {
hung down head, just look the worlt
in the face with the head erect, ant
you will find that the world will make
q place for YOU"
large number OF visitors from yarj
Gus sections Of the state, some en-
gagged in the practice Of law, other,
In business, and all willing to la,
aside their work to give q word of en-
couragement to their farmer breth
rem. Among them were such me1
az Charles Banks, cashier of thu
Bank OF Mound Bayou; /. r. Mont
Bomery, in many respects the mos
unique Negro character in the United
States, an ex-slaye of Thomas Jeffer
SOD and the founder Of Mound Pavnu
j. A. Martin, principal of the larges
Negro city school In the state of Mis-
s'ssiDDi: l.. K. Atwood. president O
the Southern Bank OF Jackson; Johl
Green, representative of the Jean
Rural Fund: G. w. Williams. Jprin
cfpal Of the Extension School at Crys
tai Springs; @. G. Cranberry farme