The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-08-07

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took a trip TO Asheville, thirty-faur
miles distant. Fer monotoLous gran
deur We dc Lor believe that she dis
Jance can be duplicated on the West
/ en Hemisphere. We say "monot0-
nous" because a grsat writer has 81 ia
that Familiarity breeds contempt"
and this living in he clouds makes
/ one very familiar with natures r.o-t
I gorgeous handiworll, bu, on can no
more lii q IL bec~-T &C ines
/ e,erIai ana majestic AIS than he
can aail 70 be enraptureo by he beau
" u Z glorious sunset.
Asheville is trimmed about with
mountains and is like a jewel in
brilliant setting. Mountains every
where. They rise one above another
and reach such lofty heights that
they are kissed by the clouds and
present panorama of light and
shade, height and depth, beauty and
grandeur that painter and poet love,
and a writer from the fat-woods finds
adjectives entirely inadequate to de-
scribe
There is no prettier picture on can
vas than the view presented from the
veranda of the Battery Park Hotel. 1t
captivates the eye of every beholder.
As the celestial bodies have each
glory of their own, and one different
from another in glory, a visit here
also reminds us that terrestrial bod
les differ one from another in glory.
But in majesty and grandeur this re
gion has a glory all its own, and
stands mrivalled and alone. AIj1o-
lives pale IN their power of descrIr.
uon, I'D n contemplation falls So
,Acr, q the reality.
Tire Sapphire Country" The Land
of ne Sky" and other aphorisms are
b"t feeble attempts 10 convey TO the
cnini,iated some idea of the magnif-
ce2ce and deightfulness Of this IA
yoraG region.
Asheville is both a summer and
Vint-r resort and its hotels are kept
open al the year round. 1t is a win1er
caScrj for northern tourists, the
clowds, or a large part of ITEM, max
ing stop-oyer at Asheville on their
way 10 and from Florida. Nassau an
Cuba. 1t is a summer resort for tn
southern people, largely Floridians.
An examination of the hotel regis
tiers show that a large number of our
people spend their summers at Ashe-
vile, where climate and scenery are
so entirely different from that of our
own state.
Biltmore, Mr.. George Vanderbilt's
state, i, Asheyl!cs chief extraction.
70 visit Asheyi:le without visiting
Rilt.-ar: VIA je like reproducing
le ..ir. Ct Eaml-; With Hamlet lofr
out.
Biit.aore is something exceptional
in the United States. and is What VIC
suppose is wonderfully like the old
castles and estates in England in feu-
dal times, it embraces many thOus.
ands of acres, and nowhere else has
nature been more prodigal in her
gifts on the SAME number of acres.
But where nature has been at all mig
gardly the hand az art has been Law.
ish in making this estate the most
supeTlatively beautiful in the world.
River, lake, mountain and forest con-
spife to add to its attractiveness.
The French, Broad and Swanhanoa
rivers sweep through the valleys of
the broad acres and the banks have
been made a picture OF supreme love-
illness by the transplanting of every
lovely tree and t1ofer that will grow
and blossom in this climate.
The MGuntain ranges are nowhere
more rugged and majestic than those
that encompass the Biltmore planta-
ton, and to make the landscape more
beautiful artificial lakes and serpen-
tine walks, bordered with the most
beautiful plants, flowers and shrub
berry have been added which give to
the intervening valleys a look of trop-
ical luxuriance.
Among other things the Biltmore
estate has ninety miles of macadam,
lied driveways, and on Tuesdays
Thursdays and Saturdays it is open
to the public. An admission of p
cents is charged for single-seated We
hicles, so cents for two seated vehi
cles and 10 cents each for every pas
senger over four in team.
As We passed through the baronia
gates our driver said: eve are now il
Paradise" He was very nearly cor
rect, for if there is a paradise outsid,
the "Pearly Gates" it must be Bit