12 HOME LIFE IN FLORIDA. 



as to do the most practical good, is the earnest object of 

 this present work. 



Throughout the length and breadth of these United 

 States, north, south, east, and west, and scarcely less in 

 Great Britain also, there are at this moment thousands of 

 hearts turning wistfully toward Florida as a haven of ref- 

 uge and of hope from financial storms or from untimely 

 death and disease. These inquirers are eager to know the 

 real, substantial advantages she holds out to those who 

 elect to cast their lot with hers, and the Floridian who sets 

 forth these advantages side by side with the ever-attendant 

 disadvantages, giving publicity to facts and not to "vain 

 imaginings," will do his State more real service than he 

 who willfully misleads by false statements impossible to be 

 credited by any reasonable thinking being. 



We hold that our beautiful State has no need of exag- 

 geration, no need of that which is bright to be painted 

 brighter. She only wants the truth to be known to mark 

 her out as thrice blessed among her sister States. She has 

 her drawbacks and deprivations, of course, though these 

 are fewer than those of any other new country that we 

 know of. Take notice that w^e use the word "new," for 

 there are those who come to Florida ignoring the fact of 

 its very recent opening up to settlers, and then grumble 

 because things are not conducted in the old well-worn 

 grooves they have been accustomed to in their old homes, 

 whose rescue from the wilderness dates back for many 

 years, even to the hundreds. There are plenty of such 

 unreasonable, unreasoning, impractical people in the world, 

 and occasionally they edify and amuse their wiser brethren 

 by holding forth on the subject of imaginary grievances. 

 Florida has seen a goodly number of them, and some of 

 them not being known outside her borders in their true 

 character have done her considerable injury. Many a man 



