The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-05-22
THINGS AS THEY SEEMED TO BE
Written for the ocala Banner)

| In the old dream days-you remem
Der. "Ah, them was happy days" You
Law out under the summer sun and
watched the feecy clouds go sailing
across the infinite blue. In the Tar
distance, where the sky curved down
ward and dropped behind the line or
green. you saw YOUR SHlP-your
golden galleon freighted with its
| bounding hopes, beating out to the
open sea. It's cleaning topsail was
bullying with the winds of fortune as
it sank below the horizon; and then
you fell a-dreaming of the things that
you should do with the golden gull
dens that should make real the
dreams of youth on that gladstone day
the day YOUR SHIP came in.
One of those early dreams was
cruise around the world, the world
that then seemed so far away. Your
fancy saw it as a skyline of minarets
and pagodas and pinnacles, as a pan
! Drama of the yellow and the brown
> nd the black, in quaint and respieI-
dant costume, as a menagerle or ele-
plants and camels and tigers. Your
ear caught the call of the MueZZin,
the drone of shorn priest beneath the
tinkling temple-bells, the clang of the
cymbal in the orient theater, the jim
gle Of the ankiets in the dance hall,
! the piping of the cobra-charmer, the
: gutteral growl of the camel, the
! hoarse trumpeting of the elephant and
! the long, piercing note of the jungle
bird. To your nostrils came the
! smoke of incense, the perfume of san
dal-wood, the spice-laden breezes, OF
emerald isles in summer seas. Oh, it
was a wonderful world. and you
would sail around it and see it all.
YOU, when YOUR SHIP came in!
Well, here it is-the VOYAGE of your
dreams.
"Primus circumdedesti me-" which
seems to mean: You are the first fell
low that ever got around me. Here's
to Magellan and Ferdinand.
On Saturday morning, October 81,
1911, at 10 o'clock, the steamer Cleve-
land, on which l had my reservations
for the entire trip around the world,
the third and last whistle blew. "All
ashore who are going ashore." The
ropes let loose and with a slow and
steady movement we turned out into
North River, with our band playing,
our flags flying, and the friends on
deck and the friends on shore waving
farewelIs, across the widening line of
water.
October 2Sth we reached our first
disembarking place, Madeira, after
eight days of ship life, and anchored
just off Funchal.
Landed-our impressions began to
form. Streets were paved with tiny
cobble stones, laid on edge, and worn
smooth by the many passing feet and
ox-carts. Went first to the botanical
gardens. The poinsettias were gor-
geous, and the black swans welcomed
us Indignantly. Took a ride in an OK
cart, low-bodied car set on runners,
with two seats placed vis-a-vis, drawn
by two oxen, driven by Portuguese
man who acted as guide, brake and
general factotum. Visited a cathedral
some four hundred and ninety years
old. Saw wedding ceremony being
erformed-services similar to ones
| in the Catholic church. After the GER
emory the bride was driven to her
home in an ox-team-until recently
the only means of conveyance in the
island. But the English, who have
taken up their residence here for bus
mess purposes, have introduced the
horse and the automobile. A funicu-
lar railway runs to the top of a near
by mountain (Monte). Our way led
past little villas as well as rude cot
tages built in and against the hills
The gardens are made on the steep
side of the hills in little terraces,
made in many instances by carrying
the soil from the seashore, or the
sweepings from the streets or any 9TH |
er dirt producing place, for every
space must be utilized. We reached
the top of the mountain, and wander
ed out to another old cathedral, and
then to a beautiful outlook. A little |
circular rallied space has been arrang-
ed, and from this point of vantage we
| had most magnificent view of the
harbor, with our good ship, Cleve-
, land, riding at anchor, with every
f1eecy cloud reflected in the ripping
waters, while between our outlook
and the ocean was a gorge the steen |