The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-06-10


northern markets. At Tampa fine
strawberries were twenty-five cents
a quart and eggs from thirty-nine to-
forty-five cents a dozen More >ear
Havana cigars are made and shipped
from Tampa than from any other city
in the world. | noticed that some
only a few-of the workers in the
cigar factory visited still moisten
the end of the cigars in the making
with their lips--a practice generally
forbidden and decidedly unsanitary.
It's half-Spanish atmosphere diverts
the tourist You see store signs in
Spanish. You hear the neatly
dressed school children chatter in
Spanish. The trolley cars have man.
datory signs: Keep your feet off
the seats and face forward when
leaving car" Not so sententious as
the New York admonition "Step live
ly!" Watch your step"
They do have curious signs in Flor
ida The Tampa merchants give pub
lie notice in the newspapers that,
with "a view to conservation, they
will insist on monthly cash settle
ments with all their customers and
will report all delinquents. The
/ Lakeland Telegram, live little daily,
has at it's head this warning: Boost
Remember that Satan stayed in
Heaven until he began to knock his
home town" In the Lakeland post
office, this sign was conspicuously
displayed Letters must be prepaid
three cents, cards two cents, before
they will be dispatched" Was this
, sign for tourists or for the natives?
Florida is strongly inclined to pro.
I hibition and in every community
where public sentiment is in favor of
the ban, no "boot-legging" or surrep-
! titious selling of stimulants is per-
! mitted. This is in marked contrast
with what | found in Maine and some
other so-called prohibition states. But
there was time when Florida was
very different While | was at the
Mountain Lake Club a gentleman
from Boston received letter from
Massachusetts friend still in bust.
ness though eighty years old. | am
permitted to quote the following ac.
count of Florida's old-time conviviali-
ty. The letter says:
II am pleased to note you are having
such nice time in the South and
that you have struck new spot
Mountain Lake, which | never hap
pened to hear of. but when | used to
go South in the timber business we
never went farther South than Jack.
sonville, although | did 90 over to
st. Augustine once and thought it
was delightful place That was be.
fore Mr.. Plant or Mr.. Flagler was
prominent in Florida matters. I ex.
pect the development in Florida
would astonish me if should go
down again, as transportation mat
tiers were very crude in 1860, which
was my last visit to Florida. That
was before slavery was abolished.
81 attended most sumptuous ban.
quet at Orange Mills, above Jackson
vile on the st. Johns River The
host was great lumber manufactur.
er and his wife was one of the Span.
ish grandees and on his table was a
gold and silver plate of several gen.
erations, the most expensive layout
! ever attended-before or since.
remember she had twenty-four guests
and each guest had the exclusive ser.
vices of one negro behind the chair
The banquent commenced at 400
O'Clock in the afternoon with the cur.
tains drawn and the banquet table
lighted with candelabras. 1t only
lasted four hours but was very bril-.
liant while it did last. | was a Young
fellow then and felt very much disap.
pointed when the banquet broke M
and all the ladies withdrew to, the
parlor and amused themselves with
the harp and other musical instru.
ments and with singing. while all the
men remained in the dining room and
two old gray-headed coons mixed up
the hot drinks before an open fire
and crane.
u remember one particular mat.
ter: each guest had number on his
back in chalk, corresponding with
the room he was expected to occupv
after he fell off his seat so drunk that
two negroes would have to carry him
up to his room. A gentleman from
Baltimore and myself were the only
survivors at 200 o'clock in the morn.
ing; we could walk up. | remember
sNeAfleaaesA1eaassuAns e>ua~-An.a>~~.al