The Mena weekly star., 1922-02-09
TOLD MfNA FOLKS
 ABOUT ASSEMBLY
w. E. Watkins Talked to Crowd That Filled Court Room to Capacity -"Greatest Investment" and
 "Can Be Had"

get the great Methodist Assembly at q mass meeting held in the courthouse Tuesday night.
 That they are interested was prov en by the great crowd of men and women that turned out and packed inc circuit court room to the doors.
 It was an enlightening and enthusi astic meeting and every one in the crowd left the county building with defermination to win the location of the big assembly when the church committee meets here on March. 2.
 Two things were made clear at this mass meeting of the homefolks:
 FIRST-That the assembly is the
 greatest investment for good ever
 offered Mena.
 SECOND-IT CAN BE HAD.
 Inc principal speaker of the even iil0 was w. E. Watkins. Those who know Mr. Watkins, know him to be a level -headed, clear-thinking man of bpsiness, who doesn't often go wrong when rt comes to investments, and a man who has been unusually liberal in working for the upbuilding of his home city.
 Mr. Watkins spoke of many things and touched on many features and phases of the assembly proposition, but there was one point he made clear and that was this:
 Not Giving to Assembly.
 Mena isn't giving thing to the as- Selnbly; we are making an investment in an enterprise that is to be a part of Mena itself, and we expect to get back not only the money invested, but divi- dends of those good things of life that arc Impossible to measure in money.
 These are not MT. Watkins exact words, but they express the thought that continued thruout his half-hour talk That the Mena folks approved was evidenced by the close attention given him and the frequent applause.
 Rome Golf, one of Mena' busy busi- nfas men who has practically aban- don1d his own affairs to give to the assembly work, acted as chairman of the mass meeting. He called upon Rev.
 o. Owen to open the evenings de- Alterations with prayer When the Methodist pastor had ended Mr. Wat kins was announced as the speaker who would outline the assembly pro- ject, and particularly the plan for financing the enterprise,
 Five States Are Interested.
 The assembly as projected by the Methodists of five states in the south west, is, in Mir. Watkins opinion, the efeatest thing that could come to Mena and he spoke of the many moral and mental advantages it's location here you'd give the home city.
 The speaker made plain the fact that the Methodists of the twelve eof1ferences who seek An assembly To- cation are not asking for anything.
 Ton the contrary" said Mir. Wat kins, "they have something we want and we are going after it."
 0utlining Mena's proposition, the speaker spoke at length of what we had to offer and he listed the money 1:s1 as the least important of them The church people want good climate, good water, good scenery and all the other natural features that make for health and happiness. We have to of fer and have had them for a quarter century,, but in Mir. Watkins opinion, now Is our best opportunity to realize upon them.
 250 Acres and S100,00O.
 His propose to give the Methodists at least 250 acres of land on which to : build their Assembly, which will in- clilde various kinds of buildings, .foads, playgrounds and lake. In addition to providing the site it is pro- posed to give as much money as pos 3ible The sum generally agreed upon as q starter is $100,000. If necessary this sum will be increased for MT. Watkins, like others, looks upon this as an investment for Mena's better 1ael1t and not as donation.
 This money, the speaker explained, ts{j! be used in the building of the As- &4lnbIy grounds and every cent will be ss;<ss1tt at home. The building up of the ASsembly will not only help every < b0siness now in Mena but will create 2 problem to care for the business that will naturally follow the locat- ion. With the Assembly here Mena will become. Mir. Watkins believes, "a Mevca of Methodists," and thou sands of people of this and other de- no1linations will come to the ciey etel'x year. This makes the propo- sitipu what Mr Watkins terms the Kre1fest investment known in right living and doing" for Mena.
 "Details of the Plan.
 In order to provide the land and Funds for the creation of the assem- Ely, <Mr. Watkins states, the finance committee had secured options on 4 about ,000 acres of land of which will < be located the assembly site. The re- ( maining acreage will be sold and the 7 profits accruing will be used in the im- proyement of the assembly. As se- curity for the purchase of the land and the payment of the initial expense on the assembly grounds, it is pro- posed to take notes of Mena residents y In euch amounts as they feel like giv- Ming Mr. Watkins explained at length f the details of this plan of financing \ md Expressed belief that the guar 'onfors would not be called upon to pay 2 morc than a small portion of the notes .I4 c1Iled upon at all. and that eventu- 11lIy Every dollar advanced would be r>ku1ned to the investors.
 -Tf We Do Our Part" x1< speaker predicted that if i've <o olIr part we will have the finest re- < eoF< fn the south. both for winter and