Morning journal and courier., 1891-04-16
THE SUNNY SOUTH.
BY ALICE BENTLEY TwITcHELL

BY ALICE BENTLEY TwTrcHELL.
The following is an interesting descrip-
ton of sights and scenes on journey to
the south made recently by New Haven
young society lady:
Many centuries ago down the dim aisles
of history there walked man valnly
searching for the fountain of immortal
youth" Although his search was unsuc-
cessful and he gave us no wonderful spring
of water, still he left us the quaint legend
which ever since has been closely con-
nected with the name of Florida. Of all
the many people who travel there now
there is none who seek perpetual youth,
but many who hope to regain health, and
surely there is hardly more propitious
place than under the bright, blue skies or
the sunny south People who have trav-
eled little in our own country have but q
faint conception of the wonders and
beauties that exist there. They have
never seen the orange groves and the cot
ton fields; they have never heard the
music of the mocking birds and larks;
they have never seen the alligators sun
ming themselves on the logs, nor the tall,
waving palm trees on the banks of the
winding rivers.
The most ancient and surely the most
wonderful city is ST. Augustine. 1t is an
interesting combination of old and new, q
part being much like the Spanish cities of
to-day. The narrow streets, some of them
| scarcely eight feet wide, and the quaint
little old-fashioned houses, contrast oddly
| with the magnificent modern hotels, I'M
surpassed in their splendor. The "Ponce
| de Leon" is like dream, and if seen at
| night with the many colored electric lights
| flashing upon the court, where fountains
ripple and tropical plants breathe out their
| perfume, one could readily imagine her
| self in fairy land. One of the most i'm
| pressive spots in the city is the old slave
market of years ago. The walls almost
| echo with the cries of the mothers at their
children were sold away from them into
slavery. The fort on the edge of the city
is in remarkable preservation. The hor-
rors of the old Indian wars come to one
more forcibly when the dungeons are Wis.
tied and the guide tells his blood curdling
stories of the old tortures. Other inter
esting features of St. Augustine are the
Spanish gates and St. Georges church, the
oldest church in the country.
| Jacksonville to me is made up of three
capital D's-Darkey, Donkey and Dirt
The hotels are very good and the climate
excellent, which, of course, covers null
| titude of faults.
| The sail down the St. Johns river is 6
delightful experience. The scenery is es-
| pecially fascinating, and in the evening
the lights and shadows on the water, to-
| gether with the gentle splash of the waves
make picture like those seen in dreams
| The Indian river, too, is very beautiful,
| perhaps even more so than the ST. Johns
| 1t is rendered especially attractive by thu
| orange groves on its banks, and by the lit
| tie villages that are springing up. Rock
| Ledge, the most important of these, is ont
of the liveliest places in the south. 1t ii
there that the orange culture is found IL
its perfection, and many northerners, es
pecially from New Haven and vicinity
have large interests there.
Silver Springs, in the interior of Florida
is another place that excites our wonde
and admiration. The springs cover abou
an acre and their depth varies from ffteel
to nearly one hundred feet. The peculia
characteristic of the water is its marvelou
clearness. A pearlhandled penknife cal
be distinctly seen lying on the bottom. 1
few miles from the head of these spring
the water flows into the Olklawaha river
which is one of the most wonderful in tn
world. 1t is barely wider than the steam
er in some places, and the way it twist
and turns is q romance in itself. TIL
scenery in the moonlight is wondrousl,
beautiful and wierd. The tail cypres
trees look like grim spectres in the sof
light, the shadows on the river take al
sorts of grotesque shapes, and the wild
birds start up with fitful shrieks q
the splash of the water upon tn
shore. 1t is at such time q
this that our best thoughts come to us
| when the moonbeams seem to be message
straight from heaven, and the waves sig
back replies. This river is an especia
home of the alligators, and many beauti
| full wild birds haunt the trees that horde
the banks on either side. Waking up il
the morning at Palatka, one realizes
great change from the wild, wierd regiol
of the Olklawaha to the noise and confu
sion of city life. Perhaps the most activ
southern city is Atlanta, whose streets ar
crowded with business. To one educa
tionally interested the university is chic
attraction. The buildings are prettil
situated on hill overlook
ing the valley through whic
Sherman passed in his march to the sea
The students are remarkably bright an
intelligent, and with more money the uni
versity could be made one of the promi
nent institutions of the country. The rid
from Atlanta to Chattanooga is fraugh
with interest. In passing through the ole
battlefelds the scenes of the late war com
wildly to mind, and the corn stalks, stand
ing like sentinels, seem almost to take Of
the uniforms of the soldiers, while tn
shrek of the train echoing among the hill
can readily be ikened to the boom of dis
tant cannon.
Chattanooga is noted for its wonderful
historic interest; at every point one cal
see the battle grounds that were so short
time ago scenes of fierce conflict. Th
Tennessee river, too, tells its story of wa
and contention, and of the gunboats tina
filled it from shore to shore while its wa
ters were Redeemed with blood. The fines
| view can be had from Lookout mountain
and certainly the landscape there seen il
grander than artist could paint.
| AS one travels through new and beau
tiful country, each spot is apt to be though
more beautiful than the last. This is Ger
tainly true when one enters the wonderful
caves at Luray. They are too marvelousl,
grand for words Wonder and admiration
deepens the guide leads the way through
vaulted chambers lined with cleaning
stalactites and stalagmites, up winding
rock-hewn stairs and across bridges wher
the blind fish play in the still water. TIL
caves seen by the aid of torches would b.
beautiful, but with electric lights flashing
through aisles and domes, and revealing
the marvellous crystal formations, tn,
scene beggars all description. In one
peak of the cave is narrow gorge called
Pluto's chasm, out of which rises curl
GUS formation of ghostly aspect. Passing
in one is mystifed at hearing beautiful
strains of music echo through the dim cor
ridors. It is the guide playing on a row
| of crystal columns, much resembling or
gan pipes. AS he strikes each one with {
tiny hammer, sounds are given forth
which make perfect melody. In anothe,
chamber is seen figure of Christ blessing
little children. So perfect is the forma
ton that one can almost hear in the hush
ed silence the words of him who said, "Suf
| fer little children to come unto me-" Wher
the wonders of the caves have been ex
plored and the traveller turns for one last
| long look down the cleaning aisles behind
| he goes out into the sunshine again with 6
deepening sense of awe and fuller realiz-
alton of the power belonging to him by
whose creative hand these wonderous