The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-10-22

Learned men nave searched Tor my
true ancestors adown the dim corri-
doris of time, and the result has been
uncertainty. The paths where l have
been is plainly marked, but where I
came from, whether | was the original
apple of the Garden or an ancestor of
later origin in different form brought
about by climatic conditions other
than those of the domicile of Adam
and Eve, they, the sages, are unable
to determine. am going to raise the
cloud.-a little. Not for those scien-
lists who wish to pen my history and
place my origin in cold figures, but for
the benefit of those who love me
and whom love.
ST have grown on the vineyard hills
OF Italy and those countries that bord-
er the blue Mediterranean. When men
went to sea in ships that were borne
by winds in their uncouth Tapping
sails / was carried as gifts beyond
price to princes, to kings, to the SEN
ators of Rome. Under the moon to
the murmuring of words of love was
passed from the hands of courtiers to
fair ladies. My increase has mingled
with that of the mOnasterieS on
thousand hills. When Antony sailed
to his moral destruction at the hands
of Cleopatra he carried with him my
kind. / have graced the raised decks
of gondolas on the Venetian canals,
carried as an offering for favors that
might never have been granted other
wise. have seen heartrending scenes
from galleys propelled by oars in the
hands of toiling, whipdriven slaves.
"Grecian mythology has given forth
the pretty romance of race between
some young chaps for the hand of
beautiful maiden On the golden Isle of
Hesperides. | vouch for the truth of
this sweetly beautiful story! Was
not there? The tale is that the maiden
carried With her golden apples, which
ne cropped as she ran. The aspirants
to her hand stopped to pick up the
fruit and the maiden was lost to them
ali. This is where the story ends as
e. as the race is concerned. But l
L the sequel and l here give it.
There was another youth who could
no run and twas he whom the maiden
yVed. In a garden of my kind the
girl met the youth of her choice, who
was despised of his people because he
was physical weakling and grower
of fruit / take great credit to my
self for saving this maiden to the
youth she loved.
"The sunny slopes of Spain knew
me and the monks, with their patient
love and skill, brought me to an ex-
IRENE perfection. My skin became
smooth and more rounded, anS my
color deepened, My juices assumed
then that goG-like nectar that poets
have so often sung about. The kings
of old Spain sent for me and placed
me in position of prominence on the
grooming banquet tables. In the Civ
ing of gifts mine was the favored
place, and my glossy leaves forming
a background made an embracing pic
ture. 1t was found that the cheerful
color of my cloak and the health-giv-
ing juices | contained was an ineSti-
mable boon to the sick. No matter
what the ailment | was always well
coined in the sick ROOM and the court
physicians favored me to the extent of
even recommending my presence as an
aid to all healing.
=
:" ~ am the superIative gift deIicacy!
cause the smile to ripple the wan =
face of the invalid; the blush of =
pleasure to come to the cheek of
the maiden; store the wine of life
in my golden cloak; | love the
world and the world loves me;
am the orange!"
= = = = =
'You see my mission in life was
early discovered and to this l attribute
my journeying into climes far removed
from my original habitat. My seed
was then carried by the early men
who went adyenturing to the Amer
ieas and first bore fruit in those is
lands to the south and southeast of
FIorida-but always in the tropics and
semi-tropics. Those early Spaniards
and French brought me to the shores
of Florida. which beautiful land they
first saw shimmering across an azure
sea. Deep mystery here surrounds me