The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1920-02-19

ganized last Friday when about
sixty men and one woman net in the
Masonic hall, lies hope for a bigger,
better, weather. Punta Gorda. We
hope and believe that this meeting
AID organization Of the Commercial
Club marks the BEGINNING of ali
era of progress and liquidation of
the doctorine of the pessimist for the
doctorine of the optimist - the
! DREAMER--tl.c DOER.
Let's get to work now. Let's be-
gin to plan for an exhibit at the
South Florida fair next February and
TO" fair and carnival of our own;
let's work for q modern hotel, apart
ments, more houses, golf course;
ties advertise our town and commun-
ity intelligently and bring in practi-
cal farmers and truckers to till the
thousands of acres of fertile soil
around us and interest outside cap
ital that will be used to develop the
splendid resources of this section.
There is no end to the work to be
done, and as Col. Waltmire said,
there is so much for us to do it is a
problem to decide where to begin.
Let's dream and then set about
to make them come true. We
MUST dream before we do. Column
bus dreamed of an undiscovered
world; Marconi dreamed of the wire
less the Wrights dreamed of the fly
ling machine; Flagler dreamed of his
overseas railway. They were all
laughed at by their friends.
Let US dream dream. Let's
dream of the beautiful shore OF beau
tiful Charlotte Harbor for miles in
either direction dotted with the
homes of wealthy northern people
and prosperous farmers, truckers
and fruit growers; of a back country
peopled with thousands of practical
| farmers and truckers who will make
our fertile soil yield up the wealth it
contains; of a town which is the COM
mercial center of this country with
miles and miles of paved streets
lined with palms and semi-tropical
growth surrounding pretty homes; a
town with modern hotels and apart !
ment houses for the accommodation
Of the thousands Of visitors who will
como to spend the winter with us; a
town with many modern stores that
will supply every need of its people |
so that they will not have the slight |
est excuse for sending to mail order |
do their shopping; town big
enough to support two good news
papers to boost it and make it big |
enough for three; town of five
yes, ten--thousand people; the coun-
ty seat of Trabue county, which will
he the fairest and wealthieSt in all
South Florida.
Sheer, if you wish, Mr. Pessimist.
1t will never be if it depends upon
your like, but, thank heaven, you
and your kind are few.
A few years ago Miami, st. Peters
burg, FIT. Myers and other Florida
towns were no larger than Punta
GOrda at the same time. We are
ashamed to compare them today.
What made the difference? 1t was
not that any had or has advantages
superior to ours, but on the other
hand the contrary is true. But the
people of these towns were and are
DREAMERS and DOORS. They had
and have faith in their towns and |
had and have visions of a future.
They DREAMED and then WORKED
to make their dreams come true.
When they cease to DREAM they
will cease to DO and when they
cease to DO they will cease TO
GROW. Five years ago Leesburg
was one of the most hopelessly
dead" towns in Florida, but some
OF her citizens had n dream OF the
future and set about to make their
dreams come true. To-day their
dreams are coming true and the
town is growing and prospecting as
none of its dreamers dreamed.
SO let's dream and WORK. Let's
get pessimism and cant" and petty
jealousies out Of our systems. Let's
think, eat, sleep and talk for our
town and county-to-be; let's push.
hustle and pull TOGETHER and
FOR EACH OTHER instead Of
APART and AGAINST EACH
OTHER.
Nature has provided a location un-
surpassed in healthfulness, beauty
and natural resources and thera is
just one thing that can keep us from
being one of the biggest and wealth
lest towns d the west coast-and
that thing is YOURSELVES! !,