The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-02-06
Pensacolian Believes
In Home Town.

The Journal has often maintained
that there is tremendous amount
Of public spirit in Pensacola, and
that there are few cities I'm the
United States where there is a finer
cooperative spirit. Here is an ex-
cerpt from a letter written to a
member Of The Journal Staff, not
for publication, but it is so fine a
tribute to the town that The Jour
nal publishes it, withholding the
name Of the writer, believing that it
win be of interest particularly to
20 those who have worked so hard to
make a success Of the various public
affairs of the character mentioned
I'm the letter:
aAfter all, they talk about the old
town, but It seems to me that we can
get up more enthusiasm and accom-
pIish more in Pensacola, for the size
Of the town and the small amount
Of money, than any town I know of.
Is full Of immensely wealthy
people, and they do big things here.
They pull off stunts here such as
you never heard Of. Prior to the
stunts they are given newspaper
publicity, and everything comes off,
but it seems to me that it always
falls flat.
Thanksgiving Day they had a
song service ON -------, which is
an enormous paved space, similar to
5, Mallory Court, but much larger.
They had three hundred voices, and
over ten thousand people, but it was
the most disappointing thing to me
ever heard.
Their carnivals here are nnagni-
ficent. Every dollar is subscribed
by popular subscription. No enter
tainments or anything OF the kind
are given, yet during the parades
you never hear applause or anything
of the kind. I couldn't help thinking
last year what a difference between
our carnival that we worked so hard
for and raved over and appreciated
Last year they widened-
feet. That is one OF the business
streets. Before it was widened it
was too narrow foH street cars to
run on To celebrate the opening of
the street they had a dansant on
------ street, stretched canvas
on It. All the buildings were deco
rated in natural flowers and outlined
IN electric lights. 1t was a perfectly
beautiful sight The river crosses
-- street and all the trees
an the time are outlined with col
cred lights, but the dansant was a
fizzle. No one danced.
1--WE had visit recently from the
Liberty Bell, on its way back to Phil
adelphia. It was accompanied by
nearly all the Pennsylvania state Of
ficials and Philadelphia city officials.
They scored terribly
about the cold reception they re-
ceived, the few flowers sent to the
Bell, and the way the entire thing
was managed.
81 couldn't help thinking of the
difference the time the State of
Florida presented the silver service
to the battleship Florida. How
much enthusiasm was displayed that
day. And how we stood for hours
listening to speeches, etc. There is
something lacking here"
Now, it may be that the young
writer had bad case of homesick-
ness when that letter was written,
but at any rate the letter certainly
conveys a splendid lesson.
There is nothing that counts so
much, after all, as the spirit behind
the action. All the celebrations in
the world will fall flat, unless there
is the spirit of enthusiasm back of
them. Money is not all, it is not the
half, in the making of town. The
spirit of the people is the thing that
counts.
Pensacola has a splendid spirit that
is. working more and more to the sur
face. The root of this spirit is inn
bedded deep in the lives of the PEG
pie who are proud of their home city
and want to see it succeed. It is this
spirit that is today creating success,