Library : Books, Articles, Clippings Etc.
Title:
The Flaming Sword
Accession#:
1991.10.03
Pubication Date:
1937/01/00
Object ID:
PA—0146
Collection:
Flaming Sword
Additional Notes & Full Text:
Community Current Events - January 1937
By D.J. Richards
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MRS. MARIAN WATKINS of Des Moines, Iowa, arrived in Estero on Friday, December 11, and expects to spend the winter with us here at the Unity. Mrs. Watkins is a sister of Sister Adah Price, and she is much pleased with Estero and Lee County. Bertha M. Boomer, having two weeks off during the holiday season from teaching school at Punta Blanca, in this county, returned home to the Unity on December 22 and will spend her vacation here. Our valued Brother Theodore Naeselius had the misfortune recently of falling on the roof of the newly erected nursery building and fracturing several ribs. Most of this roof is covered with glass, and Brother Theodore soliloquized, before the accident, on his success in placing all this glass without breaking any, when at the last minute he met with his mishap. There is so much work to do, and so few to do it, that it is difficult to estimate whether Brother Theodore suffers more from inactivity than from pain, though the latter has given him plenty to think about. However, he is on the mend and hopes to be soon back on the job. The Unity's fame is well established within the confines, of Lee County, as well as beyond, for its good bread, but now it has extended to Muscatine, Iowa. We were naturally pleased to get the following order from Brother Raymond Pilgrim: "Will you please send me a couple of loaves of that good bread for Christmas." He also stated: "There isn't a day passes but what I think of my brothers and sisters in my beloved Estero." Brother William Fischer is our baker, and he is ably assisted by Brothers Alfred Christensen and Laurence Bubbett. The Unity grinds its own wheat, and while there is much to be desired by way of oven improvement, our baker manages to turn out excellent bread. Mr. F. D. Mendenhall and Mr. Warriner, government engineers from Tampa, Florida, were in Estero on Wednesday, December 16, gathering what data they could pertaining to flood relief for this district. What they desired mostly was to consult an aerial map showing the topography of the surrounding terrain as well as the streams in Estero, Bonita Springs, Mulock and Horse Creeks, which are all within a radius of sixteen miles. Uncle Sam's chief interest in our problem, if he takes any at all, will be in dredging the above streams, and this no doubt will help greatly in getting rid of surplus waters in time of stress. It has been pointed out, however, that our main difficulty is not so much due to our natural outlets, but to faulty engineering in. the construction of the Tamiami Trail and the two railroads, the Seaboard and the Atlantic Coast Line. These were built without proper thought given to drainage, with the result that each project acts as a dam to hold back the waters during our heavy 'rainfalls. It is encouraging, however, to feel that some thought is being given the matter, for the high waters of the past have done much damage to grove property here in Estero and Bonita Springs. One of the most thrifty avocado groves in Lee County was that of our Koreshan friends, the Campbells, here in Estero, which is now practically a total loss. Citrus trees can withstand more water than the avocado; the latter succumb if the roots are soaked for more than thirty-six hours. Florida is experiencing .an early tourist influx; already a steady stream of cars passes through Estero, to and from Miami. Our local gas filling station attracts a fair average of the cars that pass through these small towns along the Trail. It is surprising how many people there are who have never heard of the Cellular Cosmogony, and the station is an excellent medium to acquaint the traveling public with the science of Koreshan Universology. The Trail passing through Estero is pretty well lined with cabbage palms. The Psalmist likens the righteous to the palm tree, for the reason that the life is in the head. The Master valued them highly, and one such tree stands in front of our local store. Brother John Watson, who for many years was the Unity's chief horticulturist, thought this tree would look better (and the large sign back of it could be read easier) if the leaves were trimmed. This he started doing recently with a saw, but it was slow work, so Mr. Strickland, our store manager, produced a steel clipper, and presto! the leaves dropped off in quick order. With this added impulse all the palm trees to and past ihe Art Hall, on both sides of the street, were.given similar treatment, the result adding much to visibility, besides improving greatly the general landscape. The Unity recently received a shipment of fifty azaleas from the Everglades Nursery in Fort Myers. These should add wonderfully to the nice collection already established in our park. Azaleas are exceedingly hardy and can withstand a lot of cold. They also have the charm of blooming in the winter season when so many people visit our gardens. Another beautiful shrub in our park and in full bloom at the present writing is the Dombeya. This plant has large green leaves and grows thriftily, and a number dot the landscape with their large pink blossoms. One sad drawback to the Dombeya, however, is its sensitiveness to cold, and like so many other beautiful tropical things, the first severe freeze and that's the end of them. We sincerely, hope they'll be spared such treatment this: winter, for they must be seen to be fully appreciated.
Notes:
See originals in Archives building. Most issues have been photocopied and are bound. These copies are located on the Public Shelf