The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-11-06

in the past twelve or eighteen months
school buildings costing more than a
million dollars.
When he travelled in the west ami
in the east and in the north some
years ago and beheld their magnif-
cent school buildings and remember.
ing the meagerness of his own. he
was compelled to hang his head IA
shame; but now, when he visited
Ocala and saw a sixty-fve thousand
dollar structure, Miami, and saw an
eighty thousand dollar structure, and
the state, he could hold his head as
ligh as any public school superintepd-
ent in any section of the country.
He said that the erection of these
buildings was largely made possible
by the special school district tax, ant
ne told how hard battle he had ha
IN having this law placed on the stat
ute books.
He also gave a very interesting de-
scription of what hard battle he had
to fight in raising the curriculum of
he public schools and the standard of
eaching, and how sharply the ex-
| lminations were combatted. But now
he said that in the methods OF teach
ing Florida was occupying a place in
The very front ranks. Her school
buildings and standard of teachers
md school officials were keeping
even pace, and that there was a con
tinual development towards a more
| perfect system.
Mr.. Sheats spoke for more than an
hour, and scarcely sentence of his
| speech was lost as it was listened to
so intently.
At it's conclusion he was warmly
congratulated by large numbers. He
certainly made a most favorable i'm
preston.
The next item on the program was
the dinner, and most sumptuous one
it proved to be.
The war in Europe has certainly
not yet made any impression on the
larders of the people of the Fellow.
ship neighborhood, judging by the
elaborate dinner.
There was roast pig, roast beef and
roast mutton, fried chicken, chicken
pillau, chicken pie, and chicken in ev-
cry imaginable form. There were
pickles and jams, and cakes and pies
of every kind known to the culinary
art, and they were served in profu-
sion and abundance.
The dinner was certainly a rich
feast, and spoke volumes in favor of
the housewives of that community.
1t is one of the oldest communities
in the county, the Fellowship church
having been dedicated the same year
| that Florida was admitted into the I'm
ion.
| 1t was one of the first communities
to erect public school. Like all 9TH
er innovations public schools were
not popular when the law was first
adopted, and the system had to fight
its way into popular favor.
After dinner the meeting was turn
ed into a vegetable marketing bureau
mass meeting. at which Secretary
Rooney presided.
DR.. Weaver, Mr.. L. S. Light and 9TH
ers made addresses, and showed, or
attempted to show, the Importance OF
this organization to the vegetable
growers of the county.
There was also present a represent.
alive from the agricultural depart
ment at Washington, and from the
agricultural experiment station of the
University of Florida.
Among the representatives from
Ocala on the grounds and conspicuous
around the dinner table we noted the
following ladies and gentlemen:
Mr.. and Mrs. E. L. Carney, Mrs.
Park Trammell, Mrs. ]. r. Moorhead,
Mr.. and Mrs. J. d. Rooney. Mrs. Jes-
sic Haycraft, DR.. and Mrs. E. Van
Hood, DR.. and Mrs. Walter Hood, Mrs.
Thomas Sexton, Mr.. and Mrs. w. T.
Gary, Mr.. and Mrs. t. E. Bridges, Mr..
and Mrs. Bunyan Stephens, Mrs. l..
w. Ponder, Mr.. w. d. earn, Mr.. r. A.
Burford, Mr.. Chas. H. Lloyd, Mrs. R.
L. Bridges, Mr.. John r. Martin, Judge
Lester Warner, Mr.. Marcus Frank,
Mr.. NJ. Fishel, Mr.. J. j. Gerig, Mr.. AL
bert Gerig, Mr.. Louis H. Chazal, Mr..
John L. Edwards and Mr.. Frank Har-
ris, Sr.