Middletown transcript., 1918-03-02
INTERESTING LETTER
W. Scott Way Contributes to Our
Columns

W. Scott Way Contributes to Gu
Columns
PLEASING THINGS in FLORIDA
The transcripts readers will be plea
ed to read from the pen of W: Scot
Way who is now residing in Florida, tn
following interesting story:
Dear Transcript:
Delaware is small in square miles bu
you are very likely to run across one Of
more of her sons most anywhere on the
face Of the earth. Possibly the state
can't hold all the ''big" sons she pro-
duces and so they've got to scatter.
And so far as my experience goes,
wherever you find a scattered Della.
warean you'll find him making goo1.
Yesterday in Winter Park a friend
introduced me to a pleasant looking
man by the name Of Gibbs. The name
had sort of familiar sound and the
face had sort of familiar look In
half a minute we knew that we knew
each other, though we hadn't knowing
ly met for something like thirty years.
1t proved to be an old Middetown boy
of long ago Joseph Gibbs, long a pros
porous and honored citizen of Wheeling,
West Virginia. All my older readers
will remember HIM and recall his father
Benjamin Gibbs, as well beloved citi-
zen of the vicinity of Middletown.
1t makes me feel bit along in the
matter of age when thus meet a man
suddenly and without ptemedlt> ton,
that knew thirty or forty years ago
when was bald headed editor trying
to add something to the gaiety of ma
tions, and often with no Thing more ex-
citing to write about than Joe Geary's
dog.
Nliddletown was a bit slow in those
days. There was no water works but
the well in the back yard, no electric
lights and some fellows raised great
row over prospective high taxes when
Col. Joe Hanson and |, who were then
numbered with the town fathers, want
ed to put gasoline lamps on the street
corners. But those were good old days
after all with many fine, big-hearted
men who used to drop into the Tran
script office with a smile and cheerful
greeting, or forgathered at the Middle
town Hotel. But, alas, most of them
have gone 'over the river" to where
fine, big-hearted men went before them
and where others of their sort will fol-
low after.
But am wandering away from nv
friend Gibbs from Wheeling, who does
mt look to be more than forty though
he must be a few y ears older than that
if it has been thirty years since | met
him and he was then grown up. But
like many other wise men and wcmen
he keeps himself young hy spending
his winters in Florida where Ponce de
Leon was not far wrong in seeking for
the Fountain of Youth though, like
good many other folks. when he found
what he was looking for he didn't know
it even when he fell over it. Winter
Park location was right here at that
time with its splendid long leaf pines,
beautiful clear, palm -bordered lakes and
youth giving climate. hut the orang
groves had not been planted or the auto
mobile roads built, or the Seminole Hotel
opened for guests, so Ponce, instead of
sitting down on piece OF land that he
could sell today.f"r fifty dollars front
foot, and no questions asked, just
moved on looking for something better
and got into all sorts Of troubles, in.
clud'ng mosquitoes, Indians and ma
laria. But even with all of that, there
was not tax collector within thous-
and miles. Some men never do know
when they are we'll off and our old
friend, the Hon. Ponce, seems to have
been Of that sort.
But, after all, when you come right
down to facts. the greatest mistake of
the Hon. Mr.. de Leon was he permitted
himself to be born too soon. Had he
waited reasonable time, say a mere
matter of four hundred years or so, he
could have found right here at Winter
Park. in Orange County, the prettiest
and cleanest town under the sun, with
an eighteen hole golf course that mil
lionaires shed tears over because tley
can't take it home with them. hotel ac-
c0mm.dations that are worth all they
cost to man who can pay tor them,
brick automobile roads running in every
direction you want to 60, climate that
one hates to give up even for the pros-
pect of Heaven, orange groves on every
hand and mocklng birds to sing you to
sleep. And yet with all this right here,
"a hours from Washington, all this that
the Hon. Ponce de Leon missed bv be-
ing born too soon, there are thousands
of people who are foolish enough to
stay up north through nine months Of
winter, more or less, spending their
precious lives between fighting with 2,
cellar furnace, telephoning to the coal
ward, giving up money to the plumber
and sitting on steam radiator to keep
from freezing TO death. No wonder
that lif, becomes burden to such and
thew decide that they would just as
leave die at once and be done with it if
it were not for wanting to stay up until
we lick the Germans.
Rut there are thousands of wise ones
who after a Whit OF the first cold
wave. break away from business. plum
hers. pneumonia, overshoes and other
evils and come down here to be we'll,
happy. comfol table, saucy and young
AGAIN. like Mr.. Joseph Gibbs. and stay
till the birds 60 north.
But there is one pleasant thing about
Florida. that is in the high central lake
region of Florida. it not only has fine
winter climate but sumner climate
that you could not surpass if you hadit
made to order. If had known this l
would have come to Florida years ago;
not with Ponce de Leon perhaps but a
little later when one could buy quar-
ter section of land for less than the
present price OF the shoulder of plain
ordinary dead hog. You see it is
,,a;ohtu hard for q northern man t.