Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-01-11
THE LAND OF FLOWERS.
A Warren Countian Enthusiastic in
His Praise of Florida.


PENSACOLA, FLA, January3, 1890.
EDITOR STANDARD: To the people
in your part of the world, a few pass
ing notes on Pensacola Xmas, may
not be uninteresting.
Leaving McMinnville on Tuesday,
Xmas eve, and coming by way of
Decatur, Birmingham and Montgom-
cry, | arrived here on Thursday,
Dec. Goth to find the town gay with
the recent festivity of Christmas and
eagerly anticipating the equally inn
pOrtant arrival of New Year. Run
ming South, the scenery changes sud-
denly and agreeably after leaving
Pensacola Junction (Flomator) sta
ton on l.. u Y. system within few
hundred yards Of the Florida boun.
Diary. Semi.tropical plants abound
and flowers (roses, chrisanthemums,
hOneysuckle, etc., bloom with. a
profusion that is in many places more
than prOdigal. Florida indeed deserves
her name, for in this "Land of Flow.
ers" the incense-laden gale is not
merely the creation Of poetic fancy,
but the delight of an established fact.
Pensacola itself is beautifully situa-
ted on the bay Of that name. AS a sea
port, though hostile critics may say
what they please, it stands without a
rival in this part of the world. AL
most completely land-locked by SAM
ia Rosa Island, it affords capacity and
depth to float the navies of the world.
Santa Rosa Island, lying about 8
miles off the mainland, stretches East
and West for 40 miles with an aver
age breadth of scarcely mile. Rising
from the blue waters of the Gulf of
Mexico it forms breakwater more
perfect than human hands could ever
have designed, capable of not only
for all time resisting the fury of the
elements, but atfording the most per-
feet protection to the shipping in the
bay.
The lumber trade of Pensacola is
very considerable, for the town is the
outlet of the Southern belt of yellow
pine. 1t should also, and will event
ually, control the great coal and iron
traffic of Alabama. Why the Navy
yard should go is New Orleans, is a
thing not easily understood.
AS regards the climate ofthis place,
it would be hard, indeed, to set linn
its to its praise; genial, mild and sal
ubrious, with an invigorating breeze
blowing almost continually off the
blue and sunny Gulf, the climate Of
Pensacola will compare in a more
than favorable manner with South
ern European and Californian winter
resorts. OF this l have been assured in
a perfectly unprejudced way by gen.
tlemen from these places. The
churches of the city are both numer-
Gus and elegant, and as every seaport
town is cosmopolitan, more or less,
one can easily imagine that all classes
and creeds find representatives here.
The custom house, post office and
other public building are substantial
and beautiful land the business houses
are replete with the fashions of the
world, affording qualification to the
most capricious tastes. Two first
class daily papers supply the news
demanded by population which for
} intellect and culture is abreast of any
people from the Atlantic to the Pacific
slope. Hospitable and courteous, pol
ished and refined, the inhabitants of
Pensacola present in their social as
pect all the charming characteristics
of a heightened Southern people,
who, whatever may be their faults,
in the eyes of some, present the en-
bodiment of all that is good and true.
Strangers among them will find for
a surety truth in the saying, "That
take them for all in all, we never
shall look upon their like again."
Yours sincerely,
GUY WILSON.