The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-09-07
FORMER KEY WESTER
ON REHABILITATION
Continued from Page one)

from their course of action.
Friendly battles also occurred,
which as l now view them, were
but the testing of each others
mettle in the course of life.
Then there were all the other
people whom | contacted, the tax
payers, whom at times raised oh
jections or questions. The mass
meetings on the pros and cons
were but the forces of strong
men. all strong, who had come 70
question, or approve the expendi-
ture of such vast sums. To know
them all would have been impos-
sible, but to have been in their
presence. to have seen them in
action, now assures me that |
gained a great deal through con-
tact with them. Time still remains
to show which side was right but
the instant showed the strength
of the men who formed the COM
munity.
When l saw it last, it seemed
so seedy and rundown, but I'M
derneath it all, l felt that with a
little pruning of it's beautiful
trees here, a little painting there,
removal of some obstruction to
the growing things in some other
place and all would be the city
had known for many years.
Had Lovely Pasts
The houses | knew just needed
little paint to touch up their ex-
teriors. But the beautiful part
about it all was that they were
homes. They were places with
their lovely pasts, they were not
apartments, where no touch of
the one who lives in them can
ever endow them with the grace
of permanence. The entwining of
the very heart strings around the
homestead are so deeply embedd-
ed that one feels like saying "Hel-
10 Charles" or "Willie" or "John-
ME-, when gazing on some of the
old homes. To an outsider, it
would be merely a house with a
number on a certain street. Not
so with me, the very pitch of the
gable, the combination of paint.
the front porch, its main door, the
trellis or the shrubbery in the
front yard all acclaim the family
name. Individuality stands out.
even in the humblest of it's struc-
lures.
When "times are good" the very
pride of its owner is reflected in
so many ways; and how proud a
Key Wester can be! 1t is a trait
which demands so much admira-
ton and yet it is probable. that
at times it may constitute draw
back. The acknowledgements of
the need for assistance has in so
many instances proven more bene-
fetal for the common veal than
the hesitancy in refraining to adj
nit the need. 1t is impossible to
resist referring to one small event
which demonstrated this. Some
years back when the cigar fac
tories had temporarily closed, due
to shortage of orders, a family
which had been dependent on them
for its support, lived near Divi-
sion street. BY chance, some of
the neighbors found out the con-
dition of near restitution which
prevailed. Three children and a
sick mother without the simplest
of nourishing foods were on the
verge of starvation. But that
mother would not send one of her
children out to ask for even the
most meager kind of assistance.
Yet. when a certain welfare or
ganizatiSn was finally acquainted
with the matter, the family GER
tainly benefited and the people
who aided were glad of the oppor-
tunity to help.
Determined Fight
The financially trained econom-
list, the matter-of- fact individual.
the cold-blooded scientist content
themselves readily with a column
of figures and abides by the re-
sulting equation. But to have lived
on the island is to have imbibed in
true romanticism. 1t is strange
romanticism; for it is backed by
% BENJAMIN LOPEZ 7
4 80 n ~ i