The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-02-06
THE "oLD" AND THE "NEw"

"a population of five hundred, no
bank, two tanneries, four cotton gins
and Marion county had thousands Of
acres Of state and government lands
open to entry If SO, why demand
Modern Progress, which involves
Paradise Lost?-Times-Unlon.
The above awakens to memory the
din and distant past, and we behold
vision.
Many things troop before US.
We see as in a picture film scene
"a plantation" name then hatefui
to many persons living across an I'M
aginary boundary line, but most sweet
and glorious to those who possessed
one
We see in this film picture of the
"big house" possessed of all the COM
forts and Injuries that virtuous and
discriminating taste could suggest or
a well-flled purse purchase.
We see the mother and the grand
mothe busy with the management OF
the little kingdom, the male mem
bers of the family having some time
since deceased.
In the little kingdom" there is
everything complete even to an apo
thecary outfit including the blood
letting lances," the pneumonia cups,
"jollips and ipecac,", and sheep sher
UNI tea"
AS the reel continues we see saw
mill with a grist mill attached,
blacksmith shop, wagon shop, a
tannery and a shoe shop, a dairy hid
away under the hill near the spring;
spinning wheel and loom; barns and
stables, horses and carriages, cattle,
hogs, sheep and goats.
We see some distance away, what
is termed the quarters" There are
at least fifty of them. They are built
so as to form a circle. Each cabin is
surrounded with little yard. On the
sides and rear are patches of cotton
and tobacco, in front are fruits and
flowers. In the center is the house
of worship, where the word of God is
taught. The slaves themselves con-
duct the services-preach and ex-
hort AS a rule they are very re-
ligious.
The mill is run by water-power.
Everything is busy. The logs are
sawed into lumber and the corn is
ground into meal The forge is giving
forth it's sparks and the workman are
busy building houses, making wagons
and plows, tanning leather and max
ing shoes and the work-women are
carding cotton, making thread and
weaving cloth. They not only weave
the cloth but they make the rugs and
carpets.
There is no kingdom nor principal.
ty in Europe more complete. There
Is song, and mirth and laughter, all
of which betokens joy and content
ment
There is no want nor the fear of
want. The sick are ministered unto
and the aged and decrepit are cared
for as members of household.
The 'sbig house" is not a dream of
happiness but is happiness itself.
There are weekend parties and every
thing to make life delightful There
are carriages and horses and man
servants and maid-servants to meet
and crafty every beck and call and
want.
We go to the courts and the spec
tacle is entirely different from those
of the present day. We see no cloud
of black faces in the criminal dock.
Nowhere throughout the borders of
the state are there any chain-gangs,
convicts camps, peniteniaries and that
monster of evil, Judge Lynch, had
not yet had occasion to put in his ap-
pearance.
Sometime has elapsed and we see
another vision.
The conditions that made the
picture of this 'little kingdom" and
many more just like it, possible all
over the south, has been destroyed,
but the feeling of sympathy between
the rulers and the subjects-master
and slave-are still cordial and both
go hopefully to work to make the
most under the new order of things.
The "old plantations" are allotted
into farms and some are farmed on
shares. Cotton commands big price
and passes current as coin. The
factors in the big cities extend line
of credit to the country merchants
and the country merchants in turn
extend the same favors to the planta-
ton owners and homesteaders and
the music of labor and the fruit of