The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-28

anu tiuy, % SplCh anu span thdt IL
might have been in Massachusetts,
instead of Florida. And from there
to Gainesville what a rich, fair, un :
dulating land it is! Large, highly
cultivated farms rolled away on ev-
cry side. The white walls and
green blinds of cool, shady country
homes were frequently in evidence,
and in the region around quiet, de-
mure little Micanopy with its many
, pretty homes, 1t was surprising to
see large orange groves in full bear
ing, although we had supposed that
since 1.-The great freeze" there were
no groves that far north.
From Micanopy to Gainesville the
country was all interesting and
those who 4oubt if Florida. is corn
State ought to see that section. 1t
was almost like going through rural
Illinois. Corn everywhere, great
fields of it, rich, dark green and full
of promise for heavy yield. And
also every where along the whole
route through Alachua and Marion
counties large areas in truck of all
kinds, watermelons, canteloupes, to-
matoes, cucumbers, etc., with men,
women and children in the fields at
work and strongly the suggestion of
a contented and prosperous rural
population with high level of liv-
ing standards and intelligent enter
prise
Down a broad and beautiful ave-
nue., past the spacious grounds and
handsome modern buildings of the
State University, we rolled into
Gainesville, that gem city of Central
Florida. 1t was SO clean and fair
and handsome, so polished and mod
ern and up to date, and yet with an
air of genteel conservatism and ex-
clusiveness about it that it seemed
an ideal college town, and excellent
judgment was shown when the Uni.
| versity of Florida was located there
From Gainesville on to cool and
shady Citra was the same inviting
| areas, excellent hard roads. with a
Prosperous air over all the land and
not a hint of that other Florida the
tourist sees from the window of his
car and which he takes back to his
home as a true picture of a State of
whose real beauties and merits he
has caught hardly glimpse.
About four o'clock in the after
noon we glided into Ocala, more
beautiful than Gainesville - in the
natural charms and advantages of its
location, more commercial in its as
pect, apparently larger city and
with so many notable features in and
about it that it would take a chap
ter to describe them The writer
saw them all under the guidance of
that rare gentleman and journalist,
Editor Frank Harris, of the Ocala
Banner, the white-haired philoso-
pher called Nestor of the State press
honored and esteemed of all Florida
newspaper men, and who left moth
ing undone to make the writer's stay
in Ocala a most delightful one. What
a fine character he is in his ripe
wisdom, his fascinating and unstud
led simplicity and the canny shrewd
ess and healthy optimism that beam
from his clear and steady blue eyes
1t is Ocala's good fortune to have
two newspaper men of unusual abil
!, ity and recognized distinction in oul
journalism, Frank Harris of thu
J Banner and J. H. Benjamin of tn,
! Star. They are quite unlike IL
!, temperament and method, but boil
, are big men of strong individualit.
in the newspaper field of Florida ant
: it would be pleasant task to draw
a fuller pen picture of these twt
brethren if space permitted.
And so we say again in conclu
sion to you jewellers in the towns
and cities, shun the hot stuffy rail
road coaches which take you through
: the swamps and barrens, punctuate,
: by ugly and depressing rear-en,
| views of the towns and villages, an,
take little journey, as the write
did 20, Lc1ar do oil = Il
, country roads. In this way you cal
9 see the best of your home State an
e glimpse Florida from an angle whic
e shows her for what she really is
Y not merely in her potentialities, bu
r in her actual development.
: She is great and rich and beaut
e full in her varied charm of field an
forest and silver streams, her re
n mantle rolling landscapes of hill an
S dale, her wide cultivated ares
n teeming with diversified products
e her soil, her pleasant, inviting cour
try homes and fine men and womel
il and when you have seen these thin.
l. as the writer did. perhaps they wi
IS reveal to you the hiding place Of Il
1t jewel of contentment you have her
g tofore missed during all your yea
ID in Florida
&c The Daytona Journal corrects o.
" figures and says that the bri,
: roads of Volusia county are to