The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-05-12
BILL ARP IN FLORIDA,

Land OF Flowers. The State Normal College
is there and l found gathering OF good peo-
pie, notable people, earnest and refined people,
/ don't care where you go, YOU wi | find the
teachers and the preachers the best people in
any community, and SO l found them here, and
to their own numbers was added notable men
and wonen from the surrounding country
Peace and good wild prevailed, and all received
q cordial welcome from tho gopd citizens OF this
quiet and pleasant village. The recent compile
ton of the Georgia Southern Railroad has
brought tbis wonderful spring in easy reach of
the outside world. A few hours is sufficient to
drop you down from Atlanta or Macon or to
bring you up from Middle and Southern Florida.
This bold, gushing spring bursts out from its
subterraDean cavern and makes a rver--Su-
vance river-that the Poet Foster has immor-
taiized in song. How many other sweet songs
he wrote like "Annie Laurie" and the Cabin
in the Lane" l do not know, but / do know
that he has left loving, fragrant lee ard behind
him. We had many delightful addresses on
the occasion. Literary, scientific and didactic,
and much good was done and no harm Much
pleasure was given and no pain. These Cha
tauquas are getting to be feature Of modern
education and blessed are they who can find
time and inclination to attend them. They are
refining and instructive, and Will leave their
impress upon the rising geheration.
From there tcurneyed to Orlando, the high
est, cleanes, and most beautiful town in FIori-
ds. Its picturesque beauty is feast to the
visitors eye, and just now when the orange
trees are all in bloom, feast to his nose as
well. Orlando has recently solved the problem
of paving streets and sidewalks, fer heretofore
the greatest drawback to the comfort Of man
and beast has been the depth and the dust OF
Florida sand. | don't know what genius dis
covered it, but already Oslando has several
miles Of her streets paved with heavy coating
Of clay, and it has SO far proved to be Won
derful success. 1t has not cost one-fortrth as
much as either gravel OF wood would have cost,
and is better than either, for it does not wear
into holes or sink, and the iron roller and the
sprinkler KEEP it in excellent condition. This
peculiar clay is brought about rs miles on the
cars, and costa only about 900 dollars mile to
dig and haul and put it down. Tampa is Mr..
Plants city, and he has spent millions on 1t and
about it. but an Orlando man told me- that
Tampa recently sent a committee to examine
their streets and see how it was done, and that
Mrs. Plant told her husband that she wanted to
go to Orlando to take a ride, know that this
must be so, for l got it straight from Major
Marks l would like to I've in Orlando, but no
body offered me home with lake and an
orange grove, and go | reckon | will have to
stay where am.
But am now here in Tampa, the thriving
growing city of the Gulf. have heard of
Tampa nearly ali my life. Richard Henry
Wilde, VINO wrote 20 sweety and SO sadly in his
poem,
''My life is like the summer rose"
speaks of
'fIampa's desert strand"
and that gave me an unfavorable impression.
Later on Frank Goulding wrote "The Young
Marooners," and located Tampa as the place
where the devil-hsh ran away with the boat and
the children and l didn't like Tampa for that
But all that must have been some other Tampa,
not this one, for there is no desert strand nor
devil-fsh about here now. Old settlers, however,
do say that the young Marooners landed about
three miles bslow here at Ballast Point. and
that the devil-fSh used to abound in that region.
They saw also, that gentleman named De Soto
landed here and lnxuriated on fl h and oysters
and wild oranges and flirted with the Indian
maidens and still was not happy and went
away to find something better" These same
old settlers also declare that about sixty years
ago British ship pursued pirate on this coast
and run her up into narrow channel in this
bay aud could not follow her, and during the
night the pirate, took all Of their treasure aud
buried it somewhere in the sand and abandoned
their craft and got away. The last of the pirates
died few years agoin New Orleans and on his
death bed told the priest where the treasure was
buried, and they say that this coast has been
dug up for five miles, and that folks are still
digging reckon the Yankees were not here
during the war, for know they would have
found it, They found everything we buried in
North orgia This town is rough yet, for it
is brand new, but it has started out right and
is bound to be n beautiful city. Its main street
is about 100 feet wide and is paved with cedar
blocks and has street-cars that are tirst-class,
and has electric lights, and the stores are
splendid and there are new buildings going up
al about and y-thousand-dolla courthouse.
The Cuban part Of the town IL called Ybor city
pronounced Ebo) and their population about
1000, all of whom are IN the cigar business.
There are four immense factories with about
500 workman i'll each. 1t is the funniest place
to go to that | ever saw. There is u little pull
pit in the center of the great big long room and
up there is an educated Cuban reading the
daily news to the workmen. All listen while he
reads III clear, distinct, musical voice, and
ever and anon they make known their apprecl-
alton, as something strikes them that
they approve or dsapprove. But they don't
stop their work u moment. This reader gels
four dollars day, AMI II comes out of the
workmens wages 1t is their schooling, their
education, and the result is that these Cubsns
are well posted on politics, and religion, and
science, and history There Is no Georgia
cracker about them. The women do the nices',
ceanest work about the cigar business, but they
have no reader, and they say that the reason Is
they prefer to talk. Some Of them are quit
pretty, and some awful homely, and they are
OF all colors from the Anglo-Saxon pink cheeks
u
ban ladies at the Tampa Bay Hotel, and they
were stylish, beautiful and well hammered.
Every race has its col poloi" and its "aris-
tot" as the scholars say Its first class and
second class. AS my darkey, Bob, said when he
hal served his sentence as convict, ''dar is
good people and bad people eyerywhar dar is
some folks in de penitentiary jes as mean as
folks outen dar"
Fifteen thousand dollars week is paid to
these cigar makers, aud it is all spent right
here, and keeps things lively. Then there is the
wonderful Plant Hotel, the most magnificent
structure that ever have seen. 1t is beautiful
and gorgeous beyond conception, and made me
think of the Arabian Nights and Aladdins
wonderful lamp. | wouldn't put up there for
pay. / would be afraid that i would do some
thing wrong or break some hing, or misbehave,
or that the lords and the ladies would look at
me and wonder where | cime from. My good
fir end, Mr.. McFall, chap roned me all over it,
and looked and wondered but wouldn't have
gone through it alone for ten dollars. Why, l
would be afraid 30 eat at the table, OF sleep in
til, beds or snore, or sne re, or blow my nose.
| never was born to be Il plutocrat or to have
his hifa,u.en ways But 1t is all right for rich
folks, ana like to see them spend their money.
These Tampa people say that Florida lives off
of sick Yankees in the winter and yam potatoes
in the sum ner, and that all right. Thank the
oool ord tbav On nh h,tu the nlipna 10 and