The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1891-04-03
sKIMMINGs
From the Locals Trip TO South
Florida.

EAONt0&s
The persistency which other demands
make ON the space of the BANNER ad
monish me to make my Introductory
short, sweet and to the point, and all re-
marks / may offer in the way of obser-
vation shall be on the line of brief
measurement.
The State Teachers Assoeiat IN,
which convened at Tampa, viii be dis
missed with the assurance it was the
largest, most enthusiastic and instruc-
tive that ever assembled in Florida, and
Marion county was honored in its Off
GERS by re-electing Geo. Stewart, of An
thony, Secretary and Treasurer.
Those who watched the labors i'm
posed on County Superintendent Payne,
insist that on State occasions like the
one in question he is overburdened.
The closing incidents that tried the
patience of the teachers was the Metho-
dist church excursion to Egmont Key,
(mouth of Tampa Bay Harbor), to wit
ness the White Squadron" satisfy
their curiosity and pride in the Ameri-
can navy and assist in contributing 500
towards replenishing the church treas.
ury.
But instead of sailing around the
finest ships of war that float in the
oceans of the earth, they gazed at them
afar off, three to ten miles, and in the
indiscernible mass and confusion that
distance lends ia q case in kind, they
wrecked their bitter disappointment on
Mullet Key, where the general govern
ment is erecting q $4,000 quarantine
and fumIgating station, and all vessels
from suspected or infected countries
must halt and tie up and 60 through q
process of microbe determination in
double quick time, all done by ma
chinery and hot air and with certain and
deadly effect on anything that has the
faint of suspicion of yellow fever about
it.
The works were full Of interest and
instruction and demonstrated that pro-
lection, even against the most insinuat-
ing and stealthy of invading foes, could
be checked and successfully held at bay
through the aid of science and the in
ventive genius Of man.
What almost caused an emute among
the four hundred educators of the State,
was to fiud after they had been quaran-
tined, Commodore Plant, who was on
the excursion steamer Margeret, in
duced the captain to take him 10 see
Commodore Walker, Of the White
Squadron, and not only disappoint them,
but compelled them 10 remain in quar-
antine until O'Clock, when they had
been promised TO be returned 10 Tampa
by six, so that they could take the eve
ming trains home.
Result, they did not get home until 10
O'Clock aud via Port Tampa, and in DO
very amiable state of mind, if they were
willing to admit that Commodore Plant
had built the handsomest hotel in the
State, but one; had created the largest
feet of merchant vessels that sail the
Southern waters and opened up trade
with the South American countries,
whose future promised the greatest re-
turns ever whispered to the United
States, and whose commerce would
make of Tampa the future great gulf
port city Of this continent.
In our journeying 70 Barlow from
Tampa, we passed through Plant City,
where Bro. Merriam is doing good work
in publishing the South Florida Courier.
Thirty miles from the City by the
Gulf" we came within the pleasant en-
yironments of Lakeland, whose history
is remarkable from the fact that five
years ago, in the huTrah and abandon Of
newly developed towns in South Flor
ida, land changed hands at $1,000 an
acre and deeds couldn't be written fast
enough to accommodate the eager spirits
of the investors.
That place has changed-attorneys
and notary's publie's services are not so
excitedly sought for nowadays for simi-
lar advice and work.
Things work slower, because vaulting
ambition and greed for hasty wealth
has overlapsed itself, and the fckel
jade, "fortune" having outwinded itself,
is taking things very moderately and ac-
commodating itself to the hum drum
affairs of ordinary mortals, and so
"things" are catching up.
The town of 700 persons is beautifully
located and surrounded with shining
lakes and rich foliaged orange trees.
That Lakeland is slowly and surely
recovering from the deep depression of
over land trading Of past years, is evil
denced from the fact that this season,
within a radius of four miles of the
town, over 600 acres of new groves
have been planted. This is certainly
healthy aud inspiring work. Like all
progressive Florida towns, it has
good newspaper, the Advocate, another
evidence Of municipal solidity and
prosperity, and to be fully abreast of the
moving procession of growth and sue
cess, we need but name the fact that
gentleman, limb of the law, Mr..
Briggs, who has light in his eye and
deals in briefs, win also handle elec-
tricity by the Jacobs Candle power
and make every denizen of the burg see
that it is to his interest to advertise
their town with the electric lights.
In passing we must not forget to state
that we met at Lakeland, Rev. Mr..
Thompson, a Presbyterian preacher, for
merly located at Crystal River, and who
is serving those people very acceptably
in ministerial way,
A dozen miles south by east brings
the traveller to the metropolis of Polk
county, Barlow, where every prospect
pleases and the only object to cause
wretchsngs of conscience is the too
astute politician.
OF this fair city and her pebble phos-
phate we will speak in our next.