The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-02
ENTHUSIASM AND
 VIGORIN HER WORK
 SEEM BOUNDLESS
Bankers Everywhere Are Lending Aid and Helping Her to Get Message to Largest Number
By NETTIE NJ. BEALL

aSm Mrs. G. H. Mathis goes on With her work. She is not stopped by bodily fatigue or long distances or lack of en- thusiasm on the part of her hearers.
 She had just as soon speak to an au- dience of five people as 50 or 500. Some times she says five can do more for their community by putting into prac- tice her helpful suggestions than 50
 can who are enthusiastic listeners and listless "doers."
 However, it is generally the 800 who hear Mrs. Mathis and large majority
 of them are so impressed with the
 methods she explains that they are
 turning to the new way and leading others.
 l During the past week she has been speaking to standing room only' au-
 diences and hundreds have shown their
 eagerness to hear her by standing dur | ing her entire address. Dothan, Column
 bia, Elba, Enterprise, Opp, Brewton and
 Eufaula are some of the places visited since last Friday and many times speak | ing dates were arranged far in the country at places inaccessible except | by travelling over rough roads in auto I mobiles.
 1 | CTS everywhere makes her trips uni- versally delightful and robs them of the monotony or physical discomfort that staying at small hotels might bring. All members of the Alabama Bankers association are extremely ear
 nest in the interest in the work of their | field agent and at almost every place l the meetings are so widely advertised that farmers for miles around drive in to hear Mrs Mathis speak,
 On account of missing train connec- | tions Mrs. Mathis disappointed an au- dience of more than 1000 at Dothan but she was met by George Malone, a 1 prominent banker, who carried her to l Boyds schoolhouse, where she ad- also, impressing the farmers with the l importance of the work Mrs. Mathis is
 doing.
 i Banker J. L. Crawford and Mrs. Craw- ford accompanied Mrs. Mathis to Ash
 ford, where she met an enthusiastic audience of $50 people at the school house. According to J. R.. Dawsey of Ashford the interest manifested by the | farmers was most impressive, and al- l though there might have been some difficulty in gathering the audience 1 to hear the distinguished woman farm CT, there was no lack of enthusiasm after the first words were spoken A FAIR EXAMPLE q tell you, MT. Dawsey," said one of | the farmers who was asked to come to the meeting, we've just heard so much expert talk and so much boil weevil l talk, we don't believe there is any, | thing left to say"
 Well, if you come,'' MT. Dawsey re- I piled, "and then say the same thing. it
 will be my time to treat"
 | That farmer came and his friends came.
 and Mr. Dawsey watched their interest grow. He wasn't surprised when they | came at the close of the address and said: ''It sure is our treat. MT. Dawsey and we want to tote you back to town" | Mrs. Mathis wins her hearers as much | by her keen sense of humor as by her extremely workable knowledge of farm ] ing, and her kindly ridicule of Alabama | is heartily received because it is prompted by sincere feeling of helpful ness. The average Alabama audience canont help from seeing the humor of
 killing the grass to raise the cotton to l buy the grass,'' as Mrs. Mathis laugh
 ingly says the farmers do who import hay from Colorado and put all of their | land in cotton, and 1t helps to impress
 upon their minds the pure, good sense of planting enough of variety of crops for | feed and food and making cotton en- 1 tirely money crop.
 | MTS. MdlnlS ndS WOfh0Q the pTODlem out herself on her own farms and has proved that the methods she advises are
 money making methods. She is not in the 1 business for the fun there is in it. she says, but for the money she can make. l She has been questioned extensively on the exact terms of her rental contract, on what she plants and when she plants it., | and every question demonstrates the | eager interest of her hearers.
 | of ot lho where she was met at the train by MT.
 and Mrs. Rainer and entertained by them at the hotel and during the afternoon she enjoyed an automobile ride to view the beautiful farm lands surrounding Elba, | and Monday morning with Miss Sue Rainey MT. Garrett and others went to inspect the improved potato houses owned | by MT. Garrett, and his Japanese cane beds. One of the interesting incidents of 1 the morning was the demonstrati tion of MT. Garrett's original device for curing
 and caring for peavine hay when first cut.
 SPEAKS ON CHAUTAUQUA TENT
 At 10:3O o'clock Mrs. Mathis spoke to 800 farmers in the Chautauqua tent, this be- l ing Farm Boosters Day. She was in- 1 troduced by MT. Frizelle, manager of the | Radcliffe chautauqua, who stated that in | almost every state in the union in which l he had been, he had heard of Mrs. Mathis; l that Alabama is being watched by east, north and west and that everywhere the work Mrs. Mathis is doing is attracting the favorable attention of farmers and l farm experts.
 l J. s. Pittman the county demonstration
 agent, took Mrs. Mathis in an automobile l from Elba to Enterprise. where there was | another Farm Boosters Day in progress ] She was met by MT Sessoms and other bankers and accompanied by them to the l tent, where between 700 and 800 farmers were gathered to hear her speak. More | than 100 stood during the entire time and shared the enjoyment of the entire au- l dience.
 Mrs Mathis was followed by Con- missioner of Agriculture James A. Wade who spoke on Alabama farming problems. MT. Wade preceded Mrs. Mathis on the programme at Opp, where they addressed 400 people.
 So anxious was Mr. Mizelle of the First National bank of Opp to have
 Mrs. Mathis present at the farm boost CT day in Opp. on March 2s, that he sent an automobile 36 miles to bring her across the country from Enter prise She was the guest ef MT. and
 Mrs. Mizelle at dinner and at o'clock