The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-07
AUDIENCE WITH HER

south the benefit of a clear and fair statement of conditions as they really are, l alone was left to defend the south" stated Mrs. Mathis and in the 15 min utes granted me. what l did for that one slanderous paper was a plenty. The audience was with me from the very be- ginning and kept up a constant applause to the end I showed the effort we were making to improve agricultural condi- tions, not only in Alabama but in the south as a whole, showing the class of bringing out the fact that our bankers were in no sense indifferent to condl- tions, but on the other hand were lend ing an active and helping hand in all the work; some even going with me as l go from county to county urging the people to diversity their crops, and first of all to grow the food and feed needed at home.
 q told the gathering that the bankers of Alabama and the south are lending money on other crops besides cotton, and are using every effort to induce the people to go into live stock raising.
 By giving concrete examples of what we southerners are doing it enabled me to stress the important points in my de- fense, and many attending the great conference personally inquired of me as to conditions for lending helping hand. It goes without saying that the crowd evidently had a different opinion of our southland after I got through with my little talk than it did at the expiration of the reading of the paper above referred to-
 Professor Carver of Harvard university, who presided over the gathering, in an interview in the Chicago Tribune stated that Mrs Mathis was one of most power ful agricultural speakers on the Amer ican stage today, and complimented the south in having such representative to defend it. The gathering indorsed the Muscle Shoals site for the nitrate plant.
 Mrs. Mathis also spoke before gather .ings of live stock associations in Chicago and urged them to come south with their great industries and help develop great undeveloped country. On January 25 she will appear before the National Civic league meeting which organization stands for America for Americans and greater patriotism among all people,
 TRIP TO NEW YORK
 New York is also greatly interested in the south and what Mrs. Mathis has to say about Alabama. Edward F. Sander son, director of the Peoples Institute. has forwarded the following invitation for the Alabama woman to appear at Cooper Union in the near future:
 When I saw you in Chicago at the National Conference on Marketing and Farm Credits, you said you would be glad to come to New York sometime in the near future and speak in the great hall of Cooper Union. I am sending sev- eral dates for your selection in the hope them which suits your convenience and we shall be glad to put your name down opposite any one of them you may choose
 We were all tremendously impressed with the story which you told of some of the things you had been able to do for the farming people in Alabama. We are anxious that New York should have an opportunity of hearing something Of this and I sincerely hope you will plan to come.
 sWe hope that at the time you come you will also speak to our students at the New York Training School for Com munity Workers. We have a group here who are to go out into the different sec tions of the country and build up com munity center work, and your message, I. am sure would be a very inspiring one for them,
 Mrs Mathis has accepted the invitation and will probably choose the first of March as the date. She will also hold conference with the National Child Labor committee of New York on con ditions in the south