The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-01-14

ed his seventy-frst milestone in life
Seventy-one years fraught with about
as much joy and happiness as has
eyer fallen to the lot of man. Sixty.
nine Of these years have been spent
in Cotfon Plant. We have seen this
community grow from wilderness.
teeming with wild life. to a communi.
ty of well-tilled farms; from COM
munity with less than a score OF per-
cons to densely settled community
Of as good people as live anywhere.
We have seen this community grow
from a community without school or
school building to community with
q splendid school, taught by an eff
cient teacher in an up to date school
building Sixty-nine years ago there
was no church organization and no
church building; today there is a
good church organization worship
ping in building second to no rural
church building in the state.
Sixty-fve years we have been a
member of St. Johns Sunday school,
holding all positions from pupil to SUI
perintendent For fifty-four years we
have been member Of st. Johns
church and have held all positions a
layman could hold. Our work, al
though feeble and much less than we
could or should have done, in these
two organizations, has been for the
uplift of the community and higher
standard of religious thought and ac-
tioa. What we have done was from
q sense of duty and obligation to God
and our fellow man, for the reward
we hope to receive when we are call
ed up higher, and not for the plaudits
OF anyone on earth.
It is beautiful custom, Mr.. Edi.
tor, and one we hope will never be
abandoned to lay flowers on the
grave Of a friend, to speak well of
him and praise his work during life,
but it may be that some who place
flowers on the grave never threw
them in his pathway through life,
some who speak in a praiseworthy
manner of their deceased friend fail
ed during his life to encourage and
praise him when praise and encour-
agement would have been helpful.
When all that is mortal of us shall
have been consigned to mother earth
someone will lay flowers on our
grave: some will say that a good
man has gone to receive his reward !;
some viii say that he did his work
well while he lived and is at rest II
any Of the members of ST. Johns
Sunday school should do or say these
things they will have the conscious
ness OF knowing that they did these
things while we lived.
On last Sunday at st. Johns sun
day school a beautiful and inspiring
incident took place without any refer
ence or knowledge as to our birthday.
The incident to which we refer had
been planned and in operation for sew
eral months and had been kept a pro
found secret from us: even our chill
dren, who live in different parts of
the state, had been invited to be pres
ent and all save one and his family
We're there. At the close of the Sun
day school exercises the superintend-
ent called us to the front, and in a
few we'll chosen words presented us
with beautiful loving cup, upon
which was this inscription. "To D.
M, Barco, from ST. Johns Sunday
School, NJ p. G. S.. in Remembrance
Of Life Service. We had never
expected such a recognition OF, our
services and was so surprised that
we scarcely knew what to say, but in
q feeble way we told the school how
grateful we were for this recognition
at their hands, and among other
things we told them that as beautiful
as the cup was, and so inspiring as
was the inscription. that we priced
above all the motive that actuated
each one in the giving, and words
could not express our appreciation Of
the love and respect the school had
shown us.
After the services were over, a
beautiful feast Of good things to eat
was spread at the home OF Mr.. and
Mrs. A. W. Woodward. and all the
relatives OF the writer who we're pres
enf we're invited to share in the feast,
each family furnishing its share Of as
good q dinner as it has ever been
our good fortune to partake Of.
Those ct Sunday school and at the
least were Mr.. and Mrs. =. G. Bell