Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1934-06-14
Page Seven

country, began in 1865 Houses
were built of coquina, which means
little Shells a rock made into
cement, which also formed the
walls of the city, and the old fort,
San Marco, now Fort Marion. This
is fine speciman of old military
engineering, started in 1910, 800
years ago. Though built by forced
Indian labor it cost $30,000,00O.
Empty moats and ancient draw
bridges are well preserved. You
are shown, courtroom, seat Of the
Judge, dungeon, the place where
Osceola, and many Indians were
kept, and where three signers of the
Declaration of Independence were
held by England, namely Rut-
ledge, Middleton, and Hayward.
1t was here at st. Augustine that
Ponce de Leon landed. He sought
youth, and found death. He sought
a beautiful fountain, and found a
poisonous arrow. "Bimini," the
city of health, he never found; but
he found a land that has brought
health to uncounted millions. Flor
ida is the land of youth. It's rays
are not eneryating as has been said,
but life giving; witness Mr.. Rock
efeller, and the great multitudes of
elderly folks whose life has been
prolonged many years.
Then it is a land of springs. One
half mile out at sea from st. Aug
ustine the ocean has a great many
fresh water springs Lake Okee-
chobee is fed by a number of
springs. Immense springs, they
say, flow a half million gallons of
pure, clear, sweet water daily, to
make that spectacular wonder the
Silver Spring. From lime rock crew
ices below comes a lake quarter
of mile wide, where from glass
bottomed boats one may see the
marine gardens and fishes below.
Florida, more than any other
state, has been nations sanitar-
ium. 1t is also a plant laboratory,
where some 81 edibles from distant
lands have been brought for ex-
perimentation. 1t is a giant hot
house for the production of early
vegetables for the millions. It's
phosphate beds furnish half the
commercial phosphate for the
United States, they claim. In many.
places we saw groups of convicts.
with guards planted at each sic
with rife on shoulder, to keep them
at work, and to corral them in their
cages at night.
In 1925 their chief authorities
prophesied that the state would
have by 1850 ten millions of settled
inhabitants. that a city 500 miles
long would reach from Jacksonville
to the Keys; that another city 100
miles long would reach from Pensa-
cola to Panama City; that city
120 miles long would reach from
st. Petersburg to Ft. Myers, and
still another 120 miles long would
reach from Sebring to De Land.
(Stock bridge and Perry. The state
then would be one Of the three or
four densely populated states in the
union, with 10 million permanent
residents and another 10 million
visitors in winter. Then came the
Mediterranean fruit fly; then the
hurricane; then the great boom;
then the crash. and, then,-fve
years of financial disaster. They
are now slowly coming back again.
1t has been brave pioneer work,
all this effort to snatch victory
from defeat. There is something so
brave and so fine in the spirit of
determination that characterizes the
people in their desire to make good,
that we are sure her best days are
yet to come, the land of Perpetual
Youth, the Play Ground of Amer
lea.