THE BOOMERS AND THE BOOMEES 19 



haps a simple illustration will suffice. We make and 

 sell a complete car every two minutes." The manufac- 

 turer who followed him did not fail to take advantage 

 of the opening. He remarked, " The business of the 

 gentleman who preceded me is undoubtedly of great 

 magnitude, and well illustrated by what he said. The 

 business of the gentleman is, however, not nearly so 

 great as it ought to be. He should be ashamed of not 

 having improved all of his opportunities. He told us 

 that he made and sold a motor car every two minutes 

 he should remember that a sucker is born every minute." 

 Unfortunately all of these suckers are not buying 

 motor cars. Hundreds and thousands of them are in- 

 vesting in orchards, in gardens and in lands. In the 

 past few years there has been a remarkable*revival of 

 land speculation, and many thousands of the citizens 

 of our country have bought and paid for impossible or 

 inaccessible fields and gardens. Especially was this 

 illustrated in the fever which spread over the country 

 for purchasing the Florida everglades. These lands 

 were presented in such an attractive manner that it 

 was impossible to believe that any person investing in 

 them could fail to make a fortune, and that speedily. 

 Visions of orange trees and luscious grape fruits and 

 the less hardy lemon were dangled before the eyes of 

 the hypnotized investor, who could even scent the odor 

 of the flowers and see the glory of the wild orchids in 

 the nearby forests. In so far as the alligator and the 

 rattlesnake were concerned, they almost ceased to exist ; 

 but enough of them were left for the attractive pocket- 

 book and traveling bag. The salubrity of the climate 

 was painted in such colors as to make it no wonder that 

 Ponce de Leon sought for the waters of eternal youth in 

 this floral paradise. 



