The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-01-04
A CONFERENCE OF
COLoRED AGRICULTURISTS

Friday was a red letter day for the
colored farmers of Marion county.
From every part of Marion and from
other counties they came to join the
meeting which had been announced
as an Emancipation Farmers Confer
ence.
Every available seat in the audi
torium was filed and the sea of !
upturned human faces waited and lis
tened attentively throughout the long
program which was finished at $3.50
in the afternoon.
The Negro voice is peculiarly sweet |
and in nothing more than the native
plantation melodies which they sang
with velvet smoothness and liquid
sweetness most impressive. The
choirs of the A. M. E., Mount Mo
riah, Covenant Methodist Episcopal
churches rendered appropriate music
The preliminary religious exercises
were conducted by Rev. E. |. George,
/ the rector of the colored Episcopal
church and Rev. A. w. Wallace of
the A. M. E. church. Prof. A. st.
George Richardson, gifted musician
directed the singing and DR.. L. R.
Hampton read clearly Abraham Lin
coins great state paper, the Eman-
cipation Proclamation. The duet rem
dered by Mrs. NJ. Stevens and Dr.
/ E. C. Mitchell, elected much applause
as well as did. a solo by Mrs. Jessie
Mitchell.
Rev. A. L. James, pastor of the
large Baptist church of the city stat
| ed the purpose of the day and call
ed upon DIR. r. R. Williams to act as
Master of Ceremonies, who then in
troduced Prof. Jos. L. Wiley. In con-
else and well chosen words Prof. Wi
ley reviewed the progress of the col
| ored people in America from nine
teen to twelve million in 800 years
/ of steady progress. He rightly re-
Il marked that under the conditions not
another race in the history of the
world had added more of the tenets Of
civilization and Christianity during
the last fifty years than the coloret
people had.
Hatless, landless, ignorant and pag
an in 1861 he was now paying take
4 on $50 million dollars worth of prop
erty, was a dependable worker, new
er struck or disturbed industrial con
ditions, was amiable and not reveng
full, was a race of workers, was ele
I waiting itself through education an
economy, was distinctly patriotic an
had never tried to learn how to max
bombs but spent its time tilling tn
soil, in domestic service, in the de
4 velopment of business that mad
stronger the finances of the South
He said the colored people had den
onstrated their adaptability to An
erica and American conditions thr
the many vicissitudes from the An
erican revolution to the present tim
and that he had been faithful in We
and peace and that the indication {
the present was that colored peop
were trying to elevate themselves {
that as economic units they wou
count for more in service and in lii
He was very sure that the ma
speaker of the day, Prof. G. H. May
Jr., exemplified the progress of tt
average coIored man. Mr.. Mays hs
N started his career in a blacksmi
I, IrrI 4
. school at Tuskegee, instructed IN Il
~ school at Wilberforce, Ohio, served
president of large school IN Vi
ginia, had promoted 5000 oil m
in Mississippi and was now CT
zen of Ocala, selling $4,000 worth
stock just issued by the Metropolit
Realty and Investment Co. He E
sured the audience that Mr.. Ma
would care for the occasion, viii
promise was completely fulfilled.
George Mays began by emphasizi
the Importance Of having it kno'
that the colored people were in A
erica to remain, to continue in
operating with the forces and n
WIZ dSRS4Op S1CdC " i've
peace and helpfulness with the VIII
citizens of America. He believed
securing farms and living upon the
in rearing the colored boys and gi
to be useful and respectful and to
ways be willing to work for a livi
. to help build up the farm by becc
ing superior farmers, to live wit
their means. He took occasion to
of the growth of the Metropoli
Realty and Investment Company "
its $4,000 capital, brick build
city property and prospective
nd velopment and congratulated the
mi mers of Marion county upon tt
mr. lands, their relations with the WI
M tcitizens and the fact that they "