The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-03-29
I5I2-ISS5.
The Ancient City CeIebrates---Ponce
de Leon Lands Again at ST.
Augustine as he did 37S
Years ago---Bright Sun
shine and Crowds of
People Grace the
Occasion.
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA, March 28, 1885.

occasion.
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA, March %, 1885.
To day thousand ghosts of the past
time rose from forgotten graves and Wis
tied for space the scene of their glories,
their crimes and ultimate fall. The city
was crowded with visitors, and her own
children lent additional attraction to a
pageant whose principal features would
be impossible in any other city on the
continent
Morning broke bright and clear; from
every tree the songbirds began their
mathis. but drew back in silence to
watch in amazement the hundreds who
hurried past to the sea-wall. Then the
sullen boom of our national salute was
heard from the barracks, as the young
est of the great nstions lifted her voice
in honor of the one who gave her to the
old world And as the smoke of the
modern salutation was waited away on
the morning breeze the spectators no.
ticed a schooner in the bay from whose
masthead fioated proudly the rich ban
ner of CASTLE and ArragOn. At / am,
the Spanish chivalry prepared to land,
and their leader was known to the vul-
gar century in which we live as Senator
Genovar, but those in the secret knew
better As the Spaniard, proud of his
victorious career in Europe and Amer
oF 4In L.
four centuries ago, so did he again to-
day. Ponce de Leon, followed by a gal
liant train and dressed in all the flashing
bravery of his time, with the royal ban
ner floating over HIM, came cautiously to
show. In his eye sat the pride nurtured
by knightly deeds against the Moors of
Granada, in his dress shown the splendid
magniicence of the Spanish Grandee
when he was the proudest man of all the
world and in his restless bearing you
might trace the wild hopes which lured
him on. From his crest swept the plume
which had never sunk in battle or fall
tered in the onset; at his eide, ready to
his hand, was the blade with which he
had carved his way to the rule of con-
tinent, and with which he yet hoped to
open a pathway to the eternal enjoyment
of youth and health. Silently he and
his warriors marched to San Marco,
whose stones were piled high by their
countrymen and cemented by the blood
of the native races; then the eye lost its
commanding light and the proud knee
bent in alteration before the shrine of
mercy and love while high mass was
celebrated even as it had been done
under the forest trees four centuries ago.
What matters it to us that Gen. Glib
son delivered an eloquent address and
that Maj. Fairbanks celebrated in glow
ing words the past glories of st Angus
tine? If the procession afterwards march
ed through the principal streets, and the
citizen soldiers of Jacksonville and Pa
latka did honor to their respective cities,
what matters all this? We can see these
any day-even the carnival at the skat-
ing-rink and the grand ball are scenes
which do not take us out of our day and
generation. But with the name of
Ponce de Leon arises a world of dreams,
and with closed eyelids we see the forms
of princely warriors wrapped in the soft
mists of imagination which gave grace
and beauty to all their actions; with mo-
tives wild as their deeds, hands strong as
their hearts and desires keen as their
swords. And all that would break the
sweet illusion is unwelcome-Iet US
dream,