The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1881-02-18
Ocean Springs Letter.

IiOm 1uuI idst ISSUE Il ItIctttt
that your whilom itemizer of this
oyster-famed locality has emerged
from The shell Of journalistic sium-
ber aud is again on the tapis to re-
gale us in your colamns with his
unartistically' wrought bundle of
"literary tagots." | certainly ad.
mire the taste and tact he has OK.
nibited to the very unclassicai and
muddled sort of rom de plume,
"Flip-Flop,7 which he has adopted
as representative news-monger of
this enlightened and representa-
tive region.
It is an adage - old as the
hills-that "straws Indicate the
current and /, as an impartial
onlooker, and one who ardently de-
sires that this beautifully situated
village should emerge from sloven.
ly obscuriIy, am Of opiuion that
item shreds thickly coated with tue
varnish of hyperbole will never eff.
fectually advance, or permanently
promote the interests OF any town
or locality struggling for a.respect.
able existence. The stranger afar
may be attracted to our midst by
these, sometimes, excusable exag.
gerations, but when he comes and
sees and experiences and judges
by the light of stubborn facts the
inevitable conclusion will be, that
the greater part Of what he had
heard and read was a uor, ct prete.
rea nihil-" sound and nothing
more.o Mere moonshine!
From diligent inquiries which l
have made, aud frorl conversations
| have had with many persons who
have sojourned here; some of
whom had intended to make it
permanently their home, such ap.
pears for years past to have been
the history of Ocean Springs.
Good and useful citizens have come
here and purchased and built, aud
after q brief experience have de.
parted with their "household
gods;r and / am myself cognizant
that others are now anxious to dis.
pose of their holdings. The sea.
side visitors and health-seekers OF
the summer season, seem, too, to
leave with unfavorable impressions
of our hospitality and social tout
ensemble, SO much so that / have
been informed by a large number
Of persons who patronized a Ger.
tain lodgiDg-house last year that
should they again return to Ocean
Springs they would be sure to shun
that establishment, so irregulally
was 1t conducted, so petty its
mendge, and SO extortionate for
even trivial comforts. In this con.
nection | must say that all whom |
have met have spoken In the high.
est terms of praise of Col. Harvey
Cree, of the Ocean Springs hotel,
and hts estimable lady. 1t is aver
red by all his guests that be made
the best of the material surround.
ings by his courtesy aud affability,
and q plentiful, excellent and say
ory table Thote. This pettlfogging
penchant to extract the dimes aud
dollars of the strangers, and of
which they so pointedly complain,
should be eschewed aud condemned
by every person who feels a gen.
uine aud sincere interest 10 the rise
aud prosperity Of our pleasant and
beautiful location. Often have |
heard the dearness and inferiority
of the articles of consumption and
utility, as vended here, contrasted
with the superiority Of like articles
aud the fair price tor which they
can be had in Pascagoula, Biloxi
and Bay st. Louis. One thing Ger.
tain fleeing system of trade,
within such narrow bounds, will
not localize outlay; people will go
elsewhere for the value of their
money. All, however, are not of
this grabbing disposition = there
are creditable exceptions.
These structures may not be pal
atable to some, but they are expe-
riences cleaned by close, personal
inspection and inquiry, and
put forward in all candor and
with a sincere desire for the
amclioration OF onr social stains.
Blowing = "blsstn in the col.
umns of o newspaper, or itemiz-
ing the erection of two or three
buildings by old residenters, con-
sidering all the circumstancesthere
to sppertaining, are but very slight
indications OF an active aud pros
porous vitality. On the other hand
how many houses are there for
rent, and will those who patronized
us last year visit us the coming
summeri l hope they will, and
hope that am not "hoping against
hope y and that the 100 families of
the Lire Stock Jonrmal, who are
coming here from the North to set.