The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1913-02-21

member reading how Lester
Bryant, who went with other
boys to Washington, expecting
to attend the corn show in CO.
lumbia, died suddenly in Wash
ington about month ago. A
touching tribute was paid his
memory by a Congressman in
the house, who said in part:
Last year young Kimbrough,
a 15-year-old boy from my dis
trict, came to Washington to re-
ceive prize for having produc-
ed more corn on one acre of
ground than any other boy in
the state of Alabama. He pro-
duced on one acre 224 bushels
of corn. Well do remember
the impression he made upon
me when | saw him in the gal
lery of this house, how | looked
with admiration upon the manly
little fellow and prophesied the
time when he would become an
ideal farmer in my state.
A few days ago a Kentucky
boy, Lester Bryant, came to
Washington to receive a prize
that he had won for producing
more white corn on one acre of
ground in Kentucky than any
other boy produced on a like
area in half a dozen states
around him. He died in this
city and now sleeps on the slope
of hill near the field where he
welded the hoe and guided the
plow in producing that record
breaking yield. While we have
under consideration the agricul-
tural appropriation bill. as a
member of the committee on
agriculture, want to lay a sim
pie and deserved tribute upon
the new-made grave of this lit
tie Kentucky boy who did so
much for agriculture in the
United States. know that
what | may say will not affect
him now, but it may be of some
comfort to his loved ones and
friends and may be of some val
ue to some farmers boy some
where.
He was born and reared on a
Kentucky farm, and when the
secretary of agriculture called
for boy volunteers to help in
crease the corn supply of the
United States he became a vol
unteer in the army of American
corn growers. This army was
composed of $4,000 American
boys, and Lester Bryant was
only a private in the ranks, but
there was chance for promo
ton, and opportunity was given
10 become an honored captain
in that industrial army. This
youthful Kentucky farmer at
the end of II months service
was one of so boys chosen from
the ranks of $4,000 as a prize
winner in contest where in
dustry and skill of high order
were essential to success. He
won his promotion from the
place of a private in the ranks
10 the office of captain i'm this
industrial army, and he came
here to receive his commission
at the hands Of the secretary of
agriculture, the commander-in-
chief of the corn boys army.
When his eyes beheld for the
first time this glorious capital
of our country, how beautiful
the vision to his enraptured
gaze. But within a few hours
of the time when he would have
heard the secretary of agricul-
ture say: We'll done, my boy;
you have won the prize" death
touched him and he fell into
that mysterious sleep that
kisses down his eyelids still. The
news of his sad and untimely
death sent a pang Of sorrow
through this house and over the
country. Plucked out of life
when hope was high and the fu-
tufe seemed SO bright-dead in
the morning of a happy, buoy
ant youth time. And yet he did
more in his brief time on earth
to teach the art of intensive
farming than thousands Of men
who have lived long and died of
sheer old age. He has done
more for his state and nation in
emphasizing the marvellous pos
sibilities Of one acre Of ground
than thousands of men who
have lived their three-score
L Il