The forum. [volume] (Springfield, Ill.) 1904-192?, 1911-03-11
was the keynote of the conference.
He said in part:

was the keynote of the conference.
He said in part:
We are gathered here for the thirteenth
annual farmers conference. We have not
come for mere show but we have come
for work And | want you all to put In
two of the hardest days work OF your
lives. Here we have brought you experts
who will try to help YOU who VIII not
only lecture but viii answer all questions
anu do what they can to help you earn
more on your farm We have not come
merely to talk. but to instruct and inspire
one another to higher standards of work
and of living And II any man leaves here
without getting renewed inspiration to do
better work on the farm then this confer
ence has been In vain.
We want you to be better farmers; we
want to tell you what the best farmers
are doing on the same kind of land you
use and how they do 1t and want you to
go back to your farm and improve 1t. If
You don't raise but twenty bushels OF
corn to the acre or only a half bale Of
cotton and another maker forty bushels
or more and whole bale to the acre we
want you to find out how he does 1t and
why you do not do 1t. We want you to
buy more land If you can, and we want to
show you how, to pay for your home, to
pay off the mortgage. And, above all,
want to say to you that you must educate
your children. You are too poor to keep
your children out of school. Keep them
In all the time.
1t is better to pay a man dollar or s125
per day than to keep your boy or girl out
to do your work. Not only keep him In
school, but do all yon can to get good
teachers and to lengthen out the school
term Do this even though you have to
go down in your pocket for the money. 1t
Is better to sacrifice that fine buggy and
put the fifty seventy-five dollars it
costs in helping to pay a good teacher and
lengthen out your school term. 1t will pay
you better.
In such practical words President
Wright with an eloquence born of inti-
mate knowledge of the farmers life
and sympathy with the farmers strug
giles discussed subject after subject
the crowded alleys of our towns, our
high death rate from tuberculosis, the
tendency of the farmers boys to leave
the farm, etc. He had occasion to
speak several times afterward, but al
ways in the same happy vein, and he
never failed to secure the most ear
nest attention of his audience. At the
close of the conference several thou
sand packages of seed from the de-
partment of agriculture at Washing.
ton were distributed among the visit
ing farmers.
-Four years ago President Wright
asked the farmers How can we
reach larger number of men and
thus widen our influence-give me
something practical?" Many things
were thought over. Professor Wright
saw that the people were poor, and he
had no money with which to start,
though he had very definitely in mind
what he would do. He would have
state Negro fair-not thing to mere
ly make money, but to encourage the
Negro farmers to exhibit their prod
ucts and thus encourage themselves
and others.
He would have not only the word Of
praise to those who made the best
exhibits, but he would give money
premium. AS he thought out his
scheme 1t grew larger and larger, and
he wondered how he might do it, The
history of this first fair is worth stat
ing In Major Wright's own words, as
1t Illustrates the real heroism of many
of the real leaders of the race in the
south. Said President Wright
"Realizing the greatness of the scope
of the undertaking, my first impulse
was to do as so many of our people
do-that is, go north and try to get
donation. But the more thought of
away from 1t, not that l disapprove
of those who secure large donations
from our good white friends, but l
said that would see what the Negro
could do, SO l decided to organize
corporation to undertake the work.
called together some Of the leading
farmers and stated my plan. Upon
their approval l appointed one to start
| the organization.
after a few weeks he gave 1t up;
then | delegated another with the
| same result, and another. Having ad-
vertised that there would be fair,
had to keep my word so after school
closed ! got out, and with the help of
some others | got together $1,000. But
there came encouragement after dis
couragement. In the first place, l was
sick half the time. Hoke Smith, the
candidate for governor, was stirring
people up against the Negro, and my
friends feared for the fair; then came
the Atlanta riot. etc. But we held the
fair and have held three others since.
We have given out $4,000 as premi-
ums to Negro farmers and Negro wom-
en- for exhibits in domestic science.
We have declared three dividends
averaging 5l3 per cent.
1--WE have In hand every cent of the
$4,000 we have collected from the
people. We have paid all our debts,
and we have loaned to farmers over
81, 1,2S0, and 1t all represents not out
side help, but Negro self help"