The Ocala evening star., 1921-09-27
FAIR FLORIDA
(Florida Growerl

Major J. j. Kennedy, of Los Ange-
les, Cal, who recently purchased
property near Haines City, and pro-
poses to make his home there, has
written the following enthusiastic tri-
butte TO the state to his friend, W. T.
Brooks. who gave it to the Haines
City Herald for publication:
Dear old Floridai She's the tail
that wags the dog; she l. the finger
or the map Of the United States that
points to prosperity; in the anatomy
o. states she is the thumb, the equal
OF all the rest combined, and without
which the glad hand of happiness
would be a sorry thing indeed. New
est of all the sister states, in that she
has recently arisen from the ocean,
she is fairest and cleanest and love-
liest. If scientists are right, she is
the baby of the family of states; and
allow me to say that as usual the baby
Is the flower of the flock and as yet
unspoiled. But she is growing and
c=Yeloping, c and capitalists from the
frozen north and west are flirting with
her; the young and able-bodied are
coming to Florida to grow up as she
grows; the old and infirm from every
state in the chilly north are going to
Florida to spend their winters, little
knowing that they are to fall in love
with the state and stay on and on
watching the sun come up out of its
bed of glory in the great Atlantic,
smile down on thousands of happy
homes and myriad crystal lakes and
orange groves and grapefruit and
green, cool forests, and drop regret
fully down behind the palms into the
placid waters of the Gulf of Mexico
An, Florida, how grateful am l that
nc upheaval of nations severed you
from the galaxy of states! Poor indeed
would we be without you! You are
bound to US by firmer and more en-
| during tie than that of mere earth;
yea, you are bound to US by the ties OF
J blood and kinship, the ties of love, the
bonds of material and financial pros
| perity. Wondrous state, you little
dream that you are to be the play
ground of a tired and nerve-jadec
country. Little think you now that
soon all of your lovely places are tc
be inhabited ,and you may not know
that the time is soon to come wher
people are to value you at something
like your true worth, casting in theil
lot with you before it is too late. Yor
! have been modest, little sister, anC
you have not told your virtues; yor
have been the flower that bloomed il
woodland solitudes, and i will say thai
Il you had the press agent organiza
| ton of your distant sister on the Pa
cific coast, you could scarce entertain
the people who would come to YOU
shores. Do l love you, Florida; You
shouldn't ask me. for you know / do
I've firted with nearly all your oldel
sisters. Some were fatter, some lean
er, some richer and many poorer
Some were longer and, many wer
shorter. None gave me the thrill
that you alone can give. Why, do yol
know that before met you, dea
girl, l had become cynical and hard
ened and skeptical, and wondered VIII,
/ was on earth
81 don't mind telling you this, nov
that we are to cast in our lots to
gether, and that our paths are to b
one (as it were, but not as it was
for there is difference, you mus
know. All true, Florida, is this, AM
when l think of you / think of rip
pling waves along the sandy beacl