The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-02-18

That will depend upon whether or
not she will pay the price OF the
pace.
Florida's great asset is her climate,
which is invaluable In winter. time.
That she understands this is evil
deneed by her names: Palm, Palm
Beach, Palmdale, Palmetto, Winter
Park, Winter Haven, Winter Garden,
Orange county, Orange Bend, Orange
Centre. Orange City, Orange Lake, Or
ange Park, Port Orange. Arcadia, Co
Goa, Coeoanut Grove, Floral City.
Frostproof, Mulberry, New Smyrna,
ct al
Florida needs to magnify the soil as
well as the climate. The climate will
bring old men and women, and inval-
ids, will bring those who are ready TO
die and those who are not ready to die,
and those who want luxury from
Christmas to Easter, but there is no
great future for any state where die
and don't die" are the slogans.
"A good place to be born" must sup
plant "a good place to die"
The fabulous increase in population
in the last decade is a suggestion that
the change has already come in Florida
propaganda. Jacksonville, in the north,
Miami in the south, Tampa on the
west coast. Daytona and West Palm
Beach on the east coast and the Or
lando country inland are evidences OF
determination to magnify home life
more than tourists trails.
If Florida is to be to the Atlantic
coast what Southern California is to
the Pacific coast she must do the four
things that southern California has
done.
First, all Florida must be Florida as
all southern California is southern
California from Santa Barbara to San
Diego, in Pasadena and the Imperial
valley
There can be no East Coast and
West Coast rivalry. no Jacksonville
and Pensacola, no Orlando and Miami
rivalry.
In the second place the welcome to
all home seekers must be genuine as
it is in southern California, where in
public and private, in press and in
politics it makes no difference wheth-
er one came from Oregon or Okla
homa, from Omaha or Chicago, from
Philadelphia or Pensacola. When one
buys a home in Ventura or Chula
Vista he is at once a southern Califor-
MAN.
In the third place, Florida must
launch every scheme that can make
the peninsula comfortable as well as
healthful, profitable as we'll as enjoy
able. Imperial valley connected itself
with San Diego by highway over the
mountains at a cost greater than
would be a boulevard across the
Everglades, and quarter of billion
water scheme did not phaze the
voters of Los Angeles county. 1t has
cost Los Angeles more to be wet than
1t would cost Florida to be dry.
The taxes paid by the new citizens
will more than pay for all improve
ments in Florida.
William Jennings Bryan needs to
create Florida's faith in her tomorrow
with the same zeal that he is anchor
ing the faith of her people in the truth
as it was spoken thousands of years
ago.
Lastly. southern California proceed
ed to make her schools, elementary
and secondary, the best in the world
The people who were promoting that
country knew that people who came
there to die, or came to postpone the
day of their departure, cared nothing
for education, but they also knew that
young people would not come there to
bring forth heirs and raise children
unless the schools were as attractive
as the climate. They knew that eli
mate without schools was only a 10
per cent asset for virile young people.
When we first knew southern Call
fornia forty years ago It was far be-
hind Florida in every respect. 1t was
as dry as Florida Everglades are wet.
There Were then 100 hotels in Florida
better than any hotel in Los Angeles
county, and the only street cars were
drawn by mules.
We have been there forty times in
the forty years and we have seen de-
veloped the best interurban street car
system in America, as good water
system as there is In the world, and
In Los Angeles county a population
as much greater than it was forty
years ago as Florida's population is
greater than it was 800 years ago.
We have come TO Florida five times in
twenty live years Lau IhS ALIpAOSS-
ment in home making by the out-of-
the state people has been much great
err in the last five than in the previous
twenty years. This is especially true
in the schools. We expect to see the
new Florida go forward by the same
leaps and bounds that we have seen
southern California go forward. So
mote it be.-Editorial Journal of Edu-
ca Education (Boston).