The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-28
THE LAKELAND NEWS,
A LITTLE JOURNEY
THROUGH FLORIDA

Mindful of a recent experience of
his own the editor of the st. Peters
burg Times says in substance that
little journeys through Florida, out
of the familiar and monotonous ruts
of the home town, would give bene-
fit and furnish some pleasant sur
prises to those who know little or
nothing of the surrounding country
and don't even suspect the progress
that has been made and is being
made every day in the development
of the State.
The writer of this made one of
these little journeys through Flor
ida the other day and it was trip
to be remembered, for it fingers in
the memory like the, charm of a
pleasant dream in which nothing
mars the tranquil, mystic beauty of
the vision How little our people
know of their own State. And as for
the tourist appraising it from the
car window, he would better not
know it at all for he gets nothing
but wrong Impressions; he sees the
very worst of Florida and goes home
carrying an unpleasant picture of
fiat, barren, unpeopled wastes great
areas of swamps suggestive of ma
laria and snakes. squalid cabins,
implanted, tumbledown houses,
patches of stunted crops and I'M
sishtly struggling villages, with
lank crackers" and negroes loafing
about the depots who have apparent
ly nothing to do in this busy world
but rubberneck the passing trains.
1t is unfortunately true that our
main lines of railroad, for topogra-
phical and engineering reasons, pass
through the least attractive parts Of
the State, as a rule. The real Flor
ida, where there is the most devel-
opment in the rural regions, where
are found the prettiest landscapes.
the most fertile and best cultivated
fields, the incest homes and the most
intelligent people, is not seen by the
tourist from the window of the pass
ing train. And there are many
citizens, people who have lived here
for years, who do not even suspect
such Florida as this and to these
we say, with the St. Petersburg
Times, take little journeys through
your State away from the railroad
lines; seek the country districts and
learn to your surprise that there are
great areas of beauty and thrift and
attractive landscapes and up-to-dat
that would do no discredit to the
most highly developed States in the
Union.
1t was the privilege of the writer
few days ago to make for the first
time one of these trips through ru-
raj Florida, 1870 miles in Ford au.
tomobile through the heart OF
several counties as the guest OF
DR.. T. s. Anderson, of Live Oak
in Suwannee county, who was go.
ing from that city to the great tur.
pentine farms of Marion county in
which he is largely interested. Thai
ride was one long delight and charm
ing revelation from start to finish
although the writer had been twelve
years citizen of Florida. Like
thousands of others he knew tn,
State outside him home town onl,
from the car windows, but when gu
Ford rolled through the lovely ave
nues of Ocala at the finish of tn
trip he knew he had seen a Flor
ida of which he had never evel
heard, moving picture 1870 mile
long that had variety and charm il
every mile of it. and without on
ugly aspect.
To describe that ride in deta
would take many columns and moth
ing beyond a brief glance at il
leading features can be given Or
from Live Oak in the early mornin
we soon diverged from the railroa
rolling country where we'll cultiva
ed farms are the rule and spacio,
fields of corn and cotton sweep ava
to the horizon, and hills, real hill
diversity the landscape and NAL
YOU think of the old home State W
came from where hills and hollow
were in plenty. 1t was fair al
productive land and we roll swift
ly and smoothly through it, passiI
on down to the Coast Line which '
parallel for a number of miles, g
ing through several villag
until we reach Branford. who
beauties are never suspected fro
the depot and where we get char
ing glimpse of the romantic al
stored Suwannee. From there
High Springs we pass through mu
of forest land, avery acre of
good for future farms, and cross ty
charming little rivers, and, passil
down a long, handsome, shaded ay
nue.. we reach High Springs, a pre-
~. modern town. clean and invitin
and yet from the depot not one
its attractive features is visible.
From that town we diverge to t
right and soon reach Alachua