The Ocala evening star., 1922-12-20
PEACE AND PROGRESS

other. Before coming here, we spent
almost thirty years in other communi-
ties. They were nearly all afflicted,
more or less, as Ocala is, few less
and some of them much more. We
considered this trait as part of hu-
turbed when we met it here. One
time we lived in pioneer settlement,
where the men surely did pull to-
gether. They joined hands and helped
build each others houses, cleared and
fenced each others fields, cut roads
thru the forest, built bridges and
finally all got together to erect the
little structure that for years was
church, schoolhouse and community
meeting place. They were fine men,
there were no thieves nor towards
among them. But the women, tho as
hard workers as the men, and always
ready to help any one in need, real
angels of mercy when sickness or
death came to neighbor's household,
gossipped about each other, made each
others men folk cold friends if not
enemies, caused several quarrels,
few fights and broke up a home or
two. We abode among them several
as we were lone boy out there in the
forest with them we made friends
with all, and yet hold that friendship
with those who have not passed across
the dark river. We became wise to all
their differences, some of which sad
dened and some amused US. We have
heard occasionally from that settle
'ment, which is now pretty, pleasant
and prosperous village, and we are
told the characteristics of the people
have not changed, tho so many have
died or removed and so many come in
that there remains only three or four
families, or their children and grand
children, that were there when we
were.
We have lived in town that had a
governor and council, fort with the
flag of a proud nation flying over it,
and streets of neat houses around the
fort, and wide, we'll titled fields around
the town, many years before there
was a house in the great city of
Jacksonville, but when we lived in it
it had dwindled to little village, and
had feud, the people of the north
side of the town pulling against the
Ipeople of the south side, and vice
versa. We went to it stranger, we
made friends on both sides, and may
be we induced a few who had been
enemies to be friends, and then we
went somewhere else. And now that
town is the most lively in proportion
to it's size in the state, and has forgot
: ten its old feud and had several new
ones, but it has learned to pull to.
gether on matters of public good, and
men who are barely courteous, or al.
the streets will stand side by side or
; issues that come up in the chamber
of commerce,
We lived for some years in a bright
little city which people from twenty
states had joined in building in the
pinywoods. They came together a:
: strangers and made friends at once
They all worked together for the gooc
of the town and to help each other. L
was one community where cattishnes'
= was scarce in the female of the spe
= cies. There was hardly anything ex
= elusive. If there was any kind of ,
b. meeting, almost everybody went, ant
L everybody was kind. We remembe
r that city as we would a refreshing
fountain beside the road of life. Blu
s we hear thru reliable sources that tn
e people of that town-few now tn
people we knew, but their childrel
e and grandchildren and many strang
ers-have split into cliques and fac
r tions and strive against each othe
>. more fercely than do the people o
: our city.
{ So let US Ocalans cheer up, for W
: are no worse than other folk, an
probably better than some.
a Many times since we have been i
{ Ocala have we heard people deplor
Y the lack of harmony among our pee
y pie, but if we have watched the de
t plorers a few years or less, we hav
ii seen them go out and create a littl
n scarcity of harmony themselves. l
= almost every city campaign we fin
e ourself opposed by some of those VIII
g stood by US in the campaign befor'
s Some people call US inconsistent, bu
D. they might as we'll save themselve
r the trouble, for we have never elaine
to be consistent. Circumstance
change as does the current of the Mis-
= souri,, and where we had to swim fo
It life two years ago we can peaceful
sit down in the shade of a bush an