The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-03-16
PRAISE FROM PENNsYLvANIANs

Every once in while, some person
with crouch comes to Florida, from
the north. fails to dissolve the crouch
while here and goes home and abuses
Florida to some paper up there. and
takes mean pleasure in mailing
copies TO acquaintance (they never
make any friends) here. Then our
people get sore and kick, when they
should simply throw the paper away
For they should remember that for
every grouchy letter from Florida
there goes at least ten filled with
good words. A friend has just sent
US copy of the Wayne Independent,
Honesdale, Pa, containing a letter
from some of that papers friends,
now visiting Eastlake. And by the
way, when we first came to Florida,
we ran right into the midst of a col
ony of Pennsylvanians, and they were
of the salt of the earth, and we have
met many of the same SAVIOR since.
The letter follows:
Editor Independent: Being SO in
love with this "land of flowers" our
selves, it occurred to us that you
might be interested to know something
of its beauties as seen through the
eyes of two of your readers.
Florida, with its wonderful climate
flowers, fruits and scenery seems to
US as near heaven as we ever hope to
attain until we are so blest as to reach
"the Heavenly City,; and Eastlake
where we are living, has been APPLY
termed the garden spot of the
world"
After spending week with Mr.. ano
Mrs. E. w. Lee of Mount Vernon we
sailed from New York February first
on the Clyde liner Comanche in com.
pany with Mr.. and Mrs. Lee, Mrs
Kate Taylor of Mount Vernon, N. Y.
and Mrs. Walter Lee, who was re-
turning to her home in Eastlake, Flor.
ida, after spending month in the
north with friends. We left in rag
ing snow storm and found the Allan
tic bit tempestuous at first, but the
latter part of the trip was thoroughly
enjoyable. There were many charm
ing people on board, several of whom
have visited us here.
Landing in Jacksonville on Friday
we found real June weather, with
brilliant sunshine, and were met at the
dock by Walter Lee in his seven pas
senger Cole, and Mr.. and Mrs. How
ard Lee in their Studebaker six, anC
the nine of US started on 20O-milt
trip to Eastlake. We stopped in quaint
old St. Augustine. saw Fort Marion
hoary with age; the old slave market
where the long suffering blacks were
sold; ancient churches filled with
memorials of their pious founders
and last, but not least, many gor
geous modern hotels, filling rapidly
with northern guests. Motoring leis
urely to Daytona and Ormond Beach
we took the noted ride on the shell
boulevard, running eight miles beside
the ocean; passed through DeLand
called down here "the Athens of Am
erica" because there is located ia
nous Stetson University, founded by
John B. Stetson of that name; stopped
at Sanford in the center of the trucl
farming section of the state, anC
marvelled at the acres of lettuce, eel
cry, beets, carrots, cabbages ant
Strawberries. We arrived in Eastlakt
Saturday afternoon, having spent the
night with relatives in Daytona, ane
went to Mrs. E. w. Lees house, whert
We have ever since been having the
time of our lives.
| Last winter, when down here, Mrs
Lee purchased the Carter cottage on
Broadway, one of the handsomest res
licences on beautiful Lake Weir, ant
we have just bought very desirable
place adjoining here on the lake side
Our new grounds are spacious ant
contain 200 bearing fruit trees, or
anges, grapefruit, kumquats, guavai
and figs, a fine vegetable and fiowel
garden and a ten-room house which
commands a view of Lake Weir, foul
miles wide and eight miles long, sal,
to be one of the most beautiful of tn,
thousands of lakes in sunny Florida
We are on bluff on the east side O
the lake. and an elevation of severa
hundred feet is not to be found il
many places in the state. Malaria i
unknown here. and we are told tina