The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-01-13
AN INTERESTING LIFE STORY

limestone IN me- SeVenIy-One years
fraught with about as much Joy ard
happiness as has ever fallen to the
lot of man. Sixty-nine of these years
have been spent in Cotton Plant. We
have seen this community grow from
a wilderness teeming with wild life
to a community of well-tilled farms;
from a community with less than a
score of persons to a densely settled
community of as good people as live
anywhere. We have seen this COM
munity grow from a community
without school or school building to
community with splendid school
! taught by an efficient teacher in an
up-to-date school building. Sixty-nine
years ago there was no church organ
ization and no church building. To-
day there is good church organiza-
tion worshiping in a building second
to no rural church building in the
state.
Sixty-five years we have been a
member of st. Johns Sunday school,
holding all positions from pupil to
superintendent. For fifty-four years
we have been member of St. Johns
church and have held all positions
layman could hold. Our work though
feeble and much less than we could
or should have done in these two or
carnations, has been for the uplift of
the community and higher standard
of religious thought and action. What
we have done was from a sense of
duty and obligation to God and our
fellow man; for the reward we hope
to receive when we are called higher
and not for the plaudits of any one
on earth.
1t is beautiful custom, Mr.. Editor,
and one we hope will never be aban-
doned, to lay flowers on the grave of
friend, to speak well of and praise
his work during life, but it may be
that some who place flowers on the
grave never strew them in his path
way through life. Some who speak
in praiseworthy manner of their
deceased friend failed during his life
to encourage and praise him when
praise and encouragement would have
been helpful. When all that is mortal
of us shall have been consigned to
mother earth. some one will lay flow
ers on our grave, some one will say
good man has gone to receive his
reward, some one will say he did his
work well while he lived, and is at
rest. If any of the members of St.
Johns Sunday school should do or say
these things, they will have the con-
seriousness of knowing they did these
things while we lived.
On last Sunday at st. Johns Sunday
school a beautiful and inspiring incl
dent took place without any reference
or knowledge as to our birthday. The
incident to which we refer had been
PLANNED and in operation for several
months and had been kept profound
secret from US. Even our children,
: who life in different parts of the
: state, had been invited to be present
and all save one and his family were
there.
At the close of the Sunday school
exercises the superintendent called Us
to the front and in few well chosen
words presented us with a beautiful
loving cup upon which was the in
scription "To d. NJ. Barco from St
Johns Sunday school, NJ. E. c., S., in
! remembrance of life service" We
had never expected such a recognition
I of our services and was so surprised
that we scarcely knew what to say
but in a feeble way we told the
school how grateful we were for thi:
recognition at their hands and among
other things we told them that a:
beautiful as the cup was and as in
:. spring as the inscription, that We
= priced above all the motive that &C
= tuated each one in the giving ant
words could not express our appre
citation of the love and respect tn
school had shown us.
AFTER the services were over
bountiful feast of good things to ca
a was spread at the home of Mr.. an
h Mrs. A. w. Woodward and all tn
relatives of the writer who were pres
ent were invited to share in the feast
each family furnishing its share o
as good a dinner as il has ever bee
our good fortune to partake of.
, Those at Sunday school and at tn
,e feast were Mr.. and Mrs. L. C. Be
of and family of fernando; Mr.. and Mr.
AlW. E. Veal and family of Wildwood
10 Mr.. and Mrs. c. r. Veal and famil.
Mr.. and Mrs. Newcomb Barco an
family and Mr.. and Mrs. L. A. Tucks
and family of Cotton Plant; Mis-
Carrie Barco and Mrs. M. l. Re,
rolds and two children of 0cala. 9
well as Miss Lucas, the eficiel
= ~ teacher of Cotton Plant school ar
Mr.. J. III. Seckinger of Martel.