The Pensacola journal., 1914-12-20

Landing + FOTCo VI Nau-
casiau Civilization On
Hemisphere.
The pride of a State is in its records.
the accomplishments Of It's states
men its warriors and it's developers.
Is history is a priceless heritage, for
shows the development of ideas and
great principles.
The annual meeting Of the Florida
Historical Society, brings to mind the
niqueness Of FIorida's history and the
hission voluntarily undertaken by this
ociety, TO preserve these records for
he generations yet to come.
The history of Florida is distinc-
i've different from that of any other
ktate or section in the United States,
or Florida soil was the landing place
n the American continent OF Cauca-
ian civilization. more than four hun
red years ago. Here were fought the
irst battles on this side OF the ocean
F religious freedom-at st. Johns
Iuff-and at MatanzaS occurred the
assacres under Menendez, which
fped out the vanguard of the
Huguenots seeking to plant on the
ew-found hemisphere the standards
Protestantism. Fffty-five years be-
lre the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth
lock- Florida was the scene Of religi-
Us martyrdom, and the strife had be-
un which lasted, with short inter
~
ears
Four Century Battlefield.
1t Is fact. realized by few. that this
rand O' Flowers has been a battlefield
trough most of the four centuries that
ave elapsed since 1t was placed iii st
b the maps OF the world. Less than
twenty years have been devoted to
be peaceful development of its re-
larkable resources, and not until the
erod since the War between the
tates have more than ten consecutive
ears been free from conflict. The flags
five nations have waved in Its
reezes-those of Spain, England.
rance the Confederacy, and the
nited States.
The forgetfulness Of past genera
ons has lost exact records in the
mness OF legend. Many of the his
dcal events of the sixteenth. seven
Eenth and eighteenth centuries have
ben fogged by the uncertainty of in
kact records. Even the date of the
hiding OF Ponce de Leon has Dee..
aimed to have occurred in 1912, in
Read of 1913, the date commonly ac-
epted by students of history.
The substantial value of Florida's
fcorjs as a Territory and as one of
be States of the United States is
uch g eater. however, because of the
'fucial chronicles and state papers
constituted government. Within this
eriod the necessity and value of exact
fcording Of events have been appre-
ated, yet even the stories of these
ears are fragmentary and must be
athered from many sources.
Organized in 1856.
The necessity of collecting such
cords seems to have been appreciat-
more than a century ago, for in
s0 the Historical Society Of Florida !
as organized at st. Augustine, with !
on A. B. Putnam as president, and |
laI George r. Fairbanks as vice |
resident Evidently the existence of /
us society was lost in the emer- |
socies Of civil war. and II was not !
aul 1902 that the Florida Historical !
@ety was organized. This occurred |
The editorial rooms of the Florida
nes-Union and Citizen-November
land ii followed a preliminary
eung at which a committee had
appointed to draft constitu Ion
kd bylaws.
4he report of this committee was
@s'ed and the formal organization
\. = completed by the election of these
tfesident-Major George r. Fair
'nst vice-president-Ex- F.
fleming.
second vice-president-w. A. Blount.
9sacola.
snlrd e-president-J. F. Wei
s0e' Sanford.
SSscretary-George w. Wilson.
,t.saSurer-Rev. v. w. Shields,
az executive committee included.
'1uiHon to the officers. the follow
members: James P. Taliaferro,
s,asohville; George P. Raney, Tai
See Z. M. Cooper, Jacksonville:
e. > Jones' .Titusville, and E. w.
ly'Ody Sanford.
~. Charter Members.
sao- eharter members of the organ
eno were; George R Fairbanks,
nEau1lna; Francis P. Fleming,
sm.. mson'llle' George P. Raney, Talla-
Ea,is W. A. Blount. Pensacola: ].
-Oorne Sanford; James p. Talia-