Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-04-28
Job Hartman Reviews
Two Years Activities

After an extended trip to California,
covering almost two years, made nee
essary by our large interests in proper
ty there, returned to the Colony in
Louisiana on Thursday. April 18th. Ii
was beautiful day; the sun was shin
ing. a refreshing breeze was stirring,
and life, interest and enthusiasm was
manifest on every hand.
Many familiar faces who had trav-
eled the straight and narrow path from
the Antelope Valley in California to the
Highlands Of Louisiana, were smiling
as in the days of yore, all the better
and happier for the wear. With them
were many faces unknown to me, and
yet apparently familiar, for they wore
the distinctive Colony smile, the like
OF which is almost a stranger in other
hamlets. Of course, there were few
faces laboring under an apparent sad
ness, living rather in imaginary than
real sorrows, who after little talk will
almost always say. well. | guess we
don't appreciate what we have" They
are all stalwart and true, and have
weathered the hardships of the pion-
eer colony days with splendid forti-
tude. In the evening large number
were gathered at the usual Thursday
evening nesting, where was made to
feel the welcome Of a genuine home.
On the following morning, Comrade
Pickett and | took stroll about the
colony, and through the industries and
the fields. We visited the store, stock
ed with very nice line of goods and
kept in perfect order. Back of the
store are the butcher shop and the
! bakery, all just as they were when
d left. The bakery was full of bread
;. and the butcher shop full Of meat. One
e new feature had been added to this
part of the store building. and that Is
= the candy making outfit which occu-
7 pies the room formerly used as store
+ house and sausage room. Going from
E the store we entered the office where
\ all were busily occupied with then
+ work. Though the faces were new the
surroundings were so natural that il
: seemed but fortnight since | was
Z there. Tarrying here but moment
= we went on our way. The first thing:
. to catch our eyes. were the two large
! lumber sheds. built by the lumber com.
: pany for storing their seasoned lum.
u Der. When / left for the West, the
, print shop was installed in the north
Z end of the east shed, but preparations
were being made to move the shop into
. a concrete house formerly used as al
engine room. Upon my return tn,
9 printshop had been moved and an en-
I, tirely new industry, that Of a broom
= factory, had been installed. Thi;
+ broom corn had been brought in BY
one of the members who came from
I New Mexico. He had been to the col.
ony just before | left and had gone tc
bring his material. What a pleasure
it was to see the shop full of broom
corn and well equipped with broom
making machinery and a good supply
of excellent brooms. The remainder
of the shed was about as it was ex-
cept the top for the bakery truck had
been finished and was under the shed
waiting until the good roads are fin
ished when it will probably be used
in the wholesale bakery department as
was intended. The road is already
surveyed through our property, just
where we wanted it, and $225, 600
have been in the bank for almost two
years while further preparations are
being made. The bank which pays
4 per cent is loaning the same for 5
per cent up to-. we'll the truth is as
we'll not told. Of course this could not
in any way cause delay. The real
reason for the delay is that these are
Parish funds, while the state funds
which must come before the road can
be built, are not yet available. In the
meantime the bread wagon top awaits
the coming of the road. From here
we went to the west she'd In the
south end is the machine shop practi-
cally as it was, except that new face
was there. A wagon-maker was at the
anvil and material is now being gotten
out to supply him with material for a
new wagon. In the middle of the shed
stood the automobiles. about as they
did, but in the north end of the shed
the colony had installed the sawmill,