The forum. [volume] (Springfield, Ill.) 1904-192?, 1917-03-03


Home Owning Discussed.
By HORACE d. SLATER.
Utica, Miss.-The usual experience
meeting of former conferences became
this year, 1917, veritable school.
where men and women We'd with each
other in asking questions that would
make their burdens lighter, that would
make their community better and that
would put them all in position to rem
der better service one to another and
TO understand their peculiar problems
day by day. This In a nutshell de-
seribes the thirteenth annual session
Of the Utica institute farmers confer
ence recently held in this town The
conference lasted two days and was
presided over by William II. Holtz-
claw, principal OF the school. The
meeting was attended by several hun
bred farmers from the surrounding
neighborhoods. Many educators, min
listers and other professional and bust
ness men were also In attendance.
Principal Holtzclaw in his advice to
the farmers in the south with refer
enee to migration to northern centers
was pointed and vigorous, but he main
tanned that the south was the better
place for the Negro. However, he rec
ognized the right of any individual to
change his residence If he thinks best
to do so.
The declarations adopted by the CON
ference were just as frank as the adj
dress OF Principal Holtzclaw. They
reeounted the progress made by the
Negro, congratulated him thereon, but
did not fail in the meantime to point
out the need for the development of
the country round about them, the pre-
yention OF so much disease, the sup
preston of crime and the building of
home life.
Problems of health, community life
and farm improvement were consid-
cred In vigorous manner by the con-
ference. County superintendent r. NJ.
Coleman laid major stress upon the
Importance OF agriculture in the life
of the people, urged larger eo-opera-
ton on the part of the Negro minis
tiers in the large amount of upllft work
the Negro teachers were doing In the
county and told just what the county
department of education was doing to
help the colored people in Kinds
county.
The wonderful fertility of the soil
and the varied nature of the yield that
would be possible under intelligent
farming were demonstrated by Pro.
fessor George w. Carver of Tuskegee
institute in manner that easily made
him the feature of the conference I'm
assuming. quite like farmer in APP
pearanee be hardly impresses one as
a member of learned societies that
have for their object the promotion of
science. He was the most pronounced
advocate OF diversiication and Incl
dentally struck the national hegira a
hard blow when he showed what the
sisslppi soil the year round. Reducing
the high cost of living would be an
easy matter if the farmers would raise
a goodly amount of their own stuff,
according to Professor Carver, who
showed how from the velvet bean
bread. coffee, candies and foodstutr
could be made
Concrete examples of the influence
the institute had exercised over the
people of the community were afford
ed by number of talks from farmers
present, typical among which was that
of Il. d. Morrison, who since the be-
ginning of these conferences had pur-
chased a farm of 100 acres, had taken
the lead in his community near Ed
wards and had succeeded In raising
among the colored people more than
$1,000 with which they had elected a
modern three room school building
To this Julius Rosenwald added $500.
and lately a blacksmith shop has been
erected. Cooking, carpentry and black
smithing were taught in addition to
the common school branches.
Henry Kennard stated that he had
always worked as a renter or share
eropper and wanted to purchase n
home He sought light from some one
in the conference who had succeed
ed. John Tyner who had been buying
a home for ten years, told how it
could be accomplished and made the
point that It was better to be ten years
buying a home than to rent twenty.
as many had done. Sam Field re
counted an Incident that illustrates the
value and influence of the personal re
lations between some white and color
ed men In the south when he showed
how by the exercise of diplomacy he
succeeded in getting the use of first
class mule from his white landlord
United States Demonstration Agent
J. H. Tanner gave some common sense
advice and urged the farmers TO stick
TO the pig as valuable help to get out
OF debt or to accumulate money. He
told the farmers that they were wei
come to take advantage of the coop
eratiye shipping of hogs and stated
that in the last shipment of car and
half from Utica a number of Negro
=