The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-09-16

pered ana encouraging in his wr;.,-
ana IN his oral deIiverances as uaIr9
But, giving the matter seria,,.
thought, are his views really nassi,~
is'ic me writer though only cAla.
| prating his forty-frst birthdav 80:
sersary today. can recall sometime
OF the good old times Col Franlr =
Iers 70, before the railroad disturboa
US before we had telegraphic comr,u
nicatlon with the outside world.
Wnen our weekly paper, set bv hand
IN long primer, was considered : won
derful production; when all the nao
pie IN south Florida had close narson
al acquaintance and the arrivaI of !.
stranger was nine days wonder.
When the cows and hogs roamad IL
VIII through the sandy streets of Tam
pa and one man constituted the an.
tire police force and performed the
duties OF tax collector as we'll. when
the mayor and councilmen served the
city for the glory in the positions and
We're never suspected of grating.
when the whole citizenship attended
every wedding and every funeral and
q Dlrth was subject of deep inter
est IN every household; when the fire
department consisted of every able.
bodied citizen and their eouipment
buckets with which water was dipped
from convenient wells; when sailing
vessels touched here occasionally and
steamers more infrequently: when
the cattle business with Cuba was our
mainstay, bringing so many Spanish
doubloons into the country that the
Crackers put them in tin soda boxes
to make rattles for their children.
when the fear Of yellow fever finding
Judgment here was constantly with us
through the summer, but we had not
yet learned about the awful stegomyia
mosquito; when we knew nothing
whatever of appendicitis few Of us
knew we had vermiform appendix
then; when we could shoot bullbats.
turkeys, deer, duck or quail wherever
and whenever we could find them
without fear of arrest by a pesky
game warden. when a horse and bug
gy-even buggy made by the village
blacksmith was considered a sufH-
GENTLY stylish rig for anyone and aus
tomobiles were not even dreamed of;
when rawhide boots, with red tops
and brass tipped toes, were the most
fashionable footwear, and patent Ieath-
ers would not have been tolerated
when a woman wearing sheath
gown or riding in divided skirt would
probably have been driven out Of
town as quickly as an imitator OF Lu-
crezia Borgia; when the erection Of a
onerstory cottage was recorded as
wonderful stride in the march of pro-
gress: when the Jail was dimsy
frame structure and seldom had an
occupant besides negro chicken
thieves; wnen slanderers and scandal
mongers were as scarce as hen teeth
and every white woman knew that
she had protector in every white.
man in the country; when nearly ev-
erybody was welcome at nearly every
body else's table at any and all times
when most of the boys and girls
and many of the older folks, too
went to sugar b'iiin'sH nearly every
night in the season; when ice was an
almost unknown luxury, and we didn't
have the need of it when we didn't
have the telephone to insure the final
Judgment of our souls in torment;
when the dentists pulled out our de-
cayed teeth instead Of subjeeting US
to the excruciating torture Of having
them filed: when any citizen could go
Iout on the bay in his skiff when he
felt so inclined and get a mess Of
ovsters or clans in a few hours with
ant fear az being driven off cnltivat-
cd bar with a shotgun or rife, as ne
would be now: when billed" shirt,
collar and tie we're not essential to a
seat in church or in an opera house
without becoming unpleasantly con-
spicuous; when no man IN all south
Florida owned such thing as a dress
suit OF today; when man wearing
such a thing as the modern rainbow
vests would have excited as much
amusement as 4 circus clown IN ms
most outlandish raiment; when Flor
ida water was the most fashionable
perfume. and oil lamps and tailoW
candles the only Illuminating agen-
.ies when the children did not learn
IS much in one term at school that
they were able to shame and puzzle
their parents with the new'fangied
systems and problems; when It was
not an unpardonable sin for man g