The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-11-15

on our national parks, nine in num-
Der. / wonder how many realize we
have any beside the Yosemite, the
Yellowstone and the Grand Canon.
The Sequoia, the park of the big
trees, and Crater Lake park are
natures wonders, as well as the three
first, while the Glacier, Mesa Verde,
Rocky Mountain and Mount Rainier
parks furnish unparalleled scenery.
Conservation has many sides, and /
was struck with the appeals of the
speakers (mostly men) to the women
for their influence to help. One made
an especial appeal for our help in the
preservation of the artistic beauty of
the mall at Washington. It seems
bill had been railroaded through Con-
gress, carrying many schemes, one of
which was the erection of a power
plant at some point along the mall
That man was a patriot, and recog-
nized the vandalism which would de-
stroy the beauty of Washington's best
reserve. Washington is ours, and
every club woman should protest
against concentrating its national
beauty spot. The whole mall should
bear the keynote of beauty suggested
by the curve of the capitol dome, and
the exquisite art of the library.
As this meeting was breaking up l
heard some woman rush enthusiastic
ally to an old man who sat next to me
and exclaim that she wanted the
honor of shaking hands with him, that
the biennial would be a failure if she
had not met him. was all interested
at once, and innocently turning my
back as if studying the departing
crowd, ! pricked up my ears to find
out who this piece of greatness could
be. / gathered that he had been an
army officer. The dear old man was
so pleased with the admiration ex-
tended him that he went into his bio
graphy in detail. He had been wound
ed in the "war between the states"
and untitled for active service was
given some easy position connected
with the war department. Being call
ed upon at one time to preside at a
public meeting, he was Inundated to
realize he knew nothing whatever of
parliamentary rulings. To avoid any
future embarrassment along that line,
he decided to make a study of par
Elementary law, attending various
meetings and found that ideas var
lied widely as to parliamentary pro-
ceedings, and being interested, de-
cided to adjust things himself. So ]
came to the conclusion that the dear
old gentleman had written book on
parliamentary law and was consider
ed authority on the subject. I men
ton this because it was such a COM
fort to realize that this man had, at
his first attempt to preside at a pub
lie meeting, been just as ignorant as
] had been, and therefore there was
still hope for me.
This conservation meeting was the
Hast / saw of the biennial, and have
regretted ever since that / left New
York before the convention adjourn
ed. New York is so big and the BIZ
ennial was so big that / tried to take
IN too much for the frailty of the
flesh. / was literally worn out; my
leyes were tired, my brain tagged and
Imy feet lead. / have not taken your
time to tell half or a tenth of my ex-
lperiences. mention incidentally the
big reception at the Metropolitan Mu-
scum of Art. One of the finest wom-
len in line was our own Mrs. w. B.
Young of Jacksonville, now the ma
Itional treasurer.
i Butt it was not this social feature
which has endeared the memory OF
the museum to me. I spent a day
Iamong its wonders. I marvelled al
the Altman art collection, the Rem
brandts, the Montegnas, the Franz
Halls in painting. In pottery, ages
had not dimmed the colors of that OF
the ancient Ming dynasty. / saw
those exquisite peach blow vases
each representing a fortune, and the
art of its coloring lost in the passing
of the centuries. It is the museum
which stays in my memory more than
the biennial.
After all my report seems more
like patchwork than a well-woven
tapestry.