The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-05-09
HOWARD ACADEMY COMMENCE
MENT EXERCISES

i:aving a1.erded the commence
ment exercises of Fessenden Acad-
envy Thursday afternoon, and were so
interested in the way the s..nool IS
conducted, as well as the ml:ner III
which the scholars acquitted them
selves, that We decided that we would
attend the commencement exercises
of Howard Academy, and note, by
comparison, the difference III he two
Institutions.
TO be judged by the name III when
the graduating classes acquitted
themselves that both institutions
have right TO be PROUD Of their
management.
Howard Academy is under t e con-
troi of Prof J. d. Mccall, who in
large measure commands the respect
of both races.
The singing was admirable and in
dictated that the younger generation
is keeping we'll to the front the old
traditions.
There were five graduates. The
first of the number was Nettie Jen-
nette Williams She spoke well on
the Independence of Girls" She said
that this age had widened the door
OF opportunity for women and girls.
"WhO are now" she asked behind
was her answer. She went on to say
that girls had possession of the milli-
merry stores, the telephone offices, and
were seen operating type-writing and
type-setting machines, and where
there is one male school teacher
there are ten women teachers. Not
only that, she said, but in some of the
states they were holding official sta
tiOns, and in many of the states were
demanding political recognition. She
showed some of her own handiwork, |!
the material of one piece cost only %
cents, yet she said she could sell it |
for as much as one dollar, and ended |
by saying that the door of opportu-
nifty" was opening for girls if they |
would but take advantage Of the same |
and prove themselves equal to the oc-
casion.
The Negro in Politics" was the
subject of Ora Eta Haines' GRAFTON,
and she handled it very cleyerly. She |
said that the negroes had been in /
bondage for three hundred years, and !
that the ballot had been thrust into |
their hands when they were totally !
to exercise it intelligent
ly. That it was an attempt to climb |
the heights Of civilization from the !
back door instead of the front door. |
She gave a diagram and made an anal |
ysis of the vote in Ocala on the bond |
issue. and showed that while the ne
grOes took only about forty or fifty
per cent. of the interest in the bond |
election for civic improvements when
it came to voting in the prohibition
election there was a ninety per cent.
interest manifested in the fourth |
ward, and the direction of their vote
was to their shame and discredit. She
said that if the negro expected to help |
i'll the struggle toward a higher and
better civilization the young men of
the race would have to stop hanging
around bar rooms, pool rooms and low
dives. Rather than use the ballot I'M
and disreputably, she
averred that it had best not be used
at all. In the course of her Grafton
she paid a high tribute to Mrs. Van
Hood and Mrs Hooker for their eff
forts towards civic Improvement
''The Music of Our Fathers" was the
subject of the Grafton of Herbert Eu-
gene Parker.
He said that the American Indian
had no music in his soul and the mu-
sic accompanying their patriotic war ,
dance was at best a mere tom-tom.
and he gave an example of it on
drum.
The music of the white man, he
said was all imported from across the
ocean That the only original music
OF this country was the plantation |
melodies of the negro. Young Parker
has a good voice, and sang several Of
those sweet melodies most delight /
fully. His was a splendid effort, and
would have been enjoyed by the most
cultured audience.
Mary Estelle Lattimer handled the
subject of her Grafton, "The Spirit Of
the Young Teacher" very nicely. She
was modest in her delivery and chaste