Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1908-02-02
MAKING pRonR Ess soMe.

Frank Harris, editor OF The ocala
Banner and the Oldest editor in Flor
IidA, in point of service. has the fol-
lowing interesting article In his paper
OF January 3Oth, being a partial review
Of the progress Of the country since
his birth:
Some people are disposed to rub
the fur. of cats back the wrong way,
and people of this particular gender
can discern nothing but foul odors and
thlstles where TO everybody else the
whole earth seems redolent with the
beauty and fragrance of flowers.
Perhaps trade Ii not as good today
as 1t was yesterday, or perhaps It is
not as good this month as II was last
month, and they are at once seized
with the idea that the State is grow
Ing backward instead Of forward, and
as gloom succeeds gloom, soon the
whole universe becomes overcast with
a ieaden sky ana nowhere does a ray
Of light or silver lining appear.
But let us go back to angle life
and see how marvellous have been the
changes and the improvements with.
In that period. tt
THE editor OF this paper was born
after Florida was admitted into the
Union, and the improvements that
have followed so rapidly upon the
heels Of each other seem almost in.
creditable. ~ .,..
When he was born there had not
yet been constructed a single mile of
railroad in any part Of Florida, unless
1t was the one now obsolete to the old
town of st. Joseph.
Nov. glance your eye over the map
and see how the State 10 cobwebbed
with these great arteries of com.
mercel
Indeed. when the editor Of this pa
per was born the neigh OF the iron
horse had only become familiar to a
few Of the principal cities In q few Of
the States OF the Union.
The finder box was just beginning
to surrender les place to the friction
match.
"The 'tallow DIP and the huge sill
YER and pewter 'snufHerS' we're q part
Of the paraphernalia of every we'll reg.
ulated household. ti..,g .a-t
The flint lock- yet held liz own and
such thing az a breach.loadins, ham.
merless shotgun had not yet entered
into ones most ldealistic dreams.
"ocala and Marion county were not
yet given place on the map--Marion,
Sumter and Lake all formed a part OF
the territory Of Alachua.
"The cities Of the State were ITALIA.
hassee. Pensacola, st. Augustine. Tam.
pa, Key West. New Port, st. Joseph.
and one or two more places about the |
size Of Santos.
THE telegraph. whose wires now
glrdle the earth and climb over noun. |
tains and under seas, and like so many
sensitive nerves, instantly conveying |
anything happening at any one point |
to the remotest parts; indeed now the |
very currents OF the air are harnesssd |
to our service, and through the same
we keep In touch with ships at sea.
THE great periectIng printing press
es, typewriting aud typesetting ma.
chimes and hundreds OF other lnven.
tons that we now find useful in our
everyday life, were all unknown at
That period
"Thc Concord stage coach, with It's |
relay Of horses every twelve miles,
we thought q rapid and most luxurious |
mode OF travel and the weather was
just as cold then IA now, and the
roads were far more execrable
I'VE made Ares In the early morn.
lngs by burying live Goals In the ashes
the night before. and the tault-flnders
we're much more rare IN those days
than now.
Making progrOssl Well. we guess
so.
Open your eyes and behold the
things that are to be seen.
Florida dotted over With beautiful.
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