The Newtown bee., 1903-02-13
A PICTURE OF LIFE IN FLORIDA
BY REV JAMES P. HOYT,


 A PICTURE OF LIFE IN FLORIDA.
 BY REV JAMES P. HOYT.
 A letter, which recently appeared in the columns of THE BEE, from Florida, reminded me of promise made during my brief visit in Newtown, last Octo- Der, to communicate with former parishiOnerS, neighbors and friends by an occasional letter. As the bee ex- tracts and conveys the essence of flow CTS, so will ask this BEE to receive and convey to many homes the essence or essentials of Florida life in this thriving young city on the west coast of our peninsula. Imagine yourself coming from Tampa across as beauti- full a sheet of water as our country possesses-Tampa Bay. This bay is a trinity of bays-three in one; for Old Tampa Bay extends north and Hills boro Bay, on which the city of Tampa is situated, extends northeast from the larger bay, which opens into the Gulf of Mexico, for all three bays are really one. As you glide out of Hills boro bay into Tampa bay you can see the gleam of electric lights in St Pe- tersburg on the west side; or, if your trip be in the day time you will catch glimpse of this beautiful city by the sea, with it's wide streets, lofty towers, long wharves, fine residences, numer,, ous boats and sailing vessels and steamers as they move in and out and along the bay front. You can land either at the railroad pier and take train up to the depot, where is a ter minus of a railroad line, where trains or sleepers go through to New York, or you can step from the steamer on to the city dock at the foot of Fifth ave- nue and walk up five blocks to. the home of the writer, for the parsonage and church occupy the corner of Fifth avenue and Fourth street. Stand on the veranda over which, as in every room glows electric light, turning night into day: The best room in the side the house. You will see diago- nally opposite our fine park with it's paved walks and tropical trees or plants, graded, terraced, planted and cared for by the Ladies' Lawn Im- provement Associa tion, who have also Surrounded the whole park with broad paths and live oak trees; just opposite are eight graceful palms; farther away are the towers of our churches and our fine High school and Industrial building. Beyond are pleasant homes as far as you can see, with the bay viS- ible on the east, our lake on the west, block away. Step around the corner and see this, our Broadway, lined with stores, some of them of brick, three stories high. Notice the crowd of peo- pie thronging the avenue, the trolley car about to start for distant DiSStOn City on the Gulf, and eventually for Passagrille, the COney Island Of this region. Do not overlook the Annex" so solidly built, and the largest audi torium in Florida, with superb organ, all the gift of Connecticut man, B. H. Tomlinson. Then retrace your steps to the parsonage yard and lawn, where we can show you these trees and shrubs: Orange, pomegranite, camphor, date-palm, grape fruit, cactus and century plant, Spanish bay onet, pineapple, banana, plum, cherry, oak and various towering bushes Now cross the park and enter our Fair building. Here is bewildering dis play of hundreds of Southern fruits, plants, flowers, textile fabrics, pre- serves, curios, etc., a fine exhibition of what nature has done for us and of the lsmiracleS which are wrought on and out of Florida soil. If there were time should invite you to accompany me in a walk to the beautiful orange groves, now laden with fruit; the pineries, where thousands Of pine apples are fruiting, the sugar cane | fields and vegetable gardens, where all the usual vegetables are found and the strawberries are ripening in Feb ruary; and then to ride with me miles and miles over sandy roads, it is true, but through whispering pines, grassy fields, and by the side of orange and grape fruit groves. the trees bending under the weight of fruit and the air filled with it's fragrance. But before
 you leave us and say farewell to Flor l ida for this time, enter our church
 beautiful and ornate with it's low
 double windows of stained glass ano
 exquisite rose window over the pulpit
 You will hear the best choir in Soutf
 Florida and see congregation from
 all over the United States which some times, as last Sunday, not only fill
 the seats, but the aisles, pulpit plat
 form, vestibule and doorway, a rev
 erent company of Christian worshiper
 to whom it is a delight to minister
 some of them eminent in church ant
 state. The windows and doors ar
 open. It is like June at the North and birds sing around us, while per
 haps blizzards rage around our North ern friends. Now ''good bye," bu come again and come to stay.
 For further information about thi place and locality, with numerous en cravings and illustrations, see the S Petersburg booklet, which have sen to all the deacons in the thre churches of which I have been paste in Connecticut, and which 1 will sen to any one requesting it.|[J. P. H. <>>
 ) The next meeting of the Mems clu 3 will be held on Tuesday evening, Fet ruary IT, at the Grand Central hote l as guests of Dr A. l.. Schuyler. Th l literary subject, a discussion on "Ho
 I would spend million dollars" wi
 be in charge of A. M. Tibbetts.
 l MT and Mrs Hollister Sage of Sout : Britain were present at the valentin :, sale and supper at the Congregation; church on Saturday evening.
 f Dr H. s. Nichols has his ofacs