The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-07-04
For TIE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
FLORIDA: HER PRESENT AND FUTURE.
BY L. H. P. G.
No. l..

"Ho for the land of the fig and the
vine!" beautiful Florida, charming Gland
of Flowers !" Seen through that rosy halo
of romance cast around her by De Leon,
Florida is truly, to the uninitiated, the
witching Ell Dorado of their fairest dreams.
In some sense she is worthily so, particularly
in point of what pertains to health. But,
in the main, she is to most of us, it must be
confessed, disappointment And where
fore? Because the majority who seek her
tropical shores go regarding her as truly
"our Southern Italy; land she will not
truthfully and gracefully wear this suggestive
cognomen for some eight or ten years to
comeD expecting to find not only the fault
less appliances of civilization and wealth, but
rare tropical fruits, of spontaneous growth
and teeming luxuriance, scattered profusely
on every hand; gorgeous floral treasures,
blooming and twining and festooning in wild
lavishness on every side. In short, they ex-
pect an earthly Eden They do not look
further than their disappointed expectations;
they do not compare the past, present, and
probable future of the State; do not view
her resources by the sensible and unpreju-
diced light of reason and analysis. They
do not take into consideration that Florida,
though discovered centuries ago, is pecu-
liarly and essentially new country; that
scarcely twenty years of perfect peace have
ever been her lot within the entire three
hundred years since her settlement; that,
consequently, her lands are chiefly in abey-
ance to nature, and as a natural sequence,
her population limited and mainly composed
of that peculiar class who ever open up and
settle all new countries. This class, as a
social element, is obnoxious to many. But,
year by year, like the Inflated "sons of the
forest" it is disappearing-giving place to
better socialistic material material which is
composed of the genuine metal, well pre-
pared and destined to develop in physical
and social point of view her visible and latent
resources, which are many and priceless in
value.
Florida is, in fact, but just emerging, SC
to speak, from her chrysalis state; and she
truly bids fair to become in her perfection q
garden-spot of the world !" Thus hon,
estly recognizing the varied and weighty in.
fuences she will WELD amid her fair sister.
hood of Southern States, through the sheer
force of natural advantages, we propose tc
give a brief summary of those natural ad.
vantages aforesaid; to state honestly the
why's and wherefores for Florida becoming
not only powerin the great world of finance,
but home for those deserving and desiring
home and fortune-the home, likewise, fo]
those wretched victims of that grim Mol9(
of all diseases consumption
Many consider the prosperous futY
Florida purely fictitious one; but ls;
and their ever attendant results spe
themselves.
We speak from knowledge of
tory, from personal observation, bee
have the good of the many at heart
good, we believe, can be accomplish y
making Florida more generally known, not
for individual good.
We do not own foot of her lands-some
day to become priceless not one of her
many orange trees. We only wish We did