New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1862-05-13
TUESDAY MORNING, MAY II, 1862.
NEW ORLEANS AND HER CHARITIES

Whatever may be the faults Of the people OF New
Orleans, and we know that they are many; what
ever they may have done which should make the |
blush of shame mantle their cheeks, and whatever
they may have left undone which should have been
done, without being apologsts for them; but sim
pie chronicers of facts, we must say, that charity
is q virtue for which they have been preeminently
noted. Yes, ,in the fullest sense of the word.
Here the rich never forget that the poor is al
ways with them, and although they may be remiss
in a thousand other duties, charity seems to have
been always uppermost in their thoughts. In no
city in the civilized world does SO general
a spirit Of philanthropy exist, and although
adversely may frown upon her, and the tongues OF
some attempt to sully her fair fame, yet the
record Of the past lives fresh and everasting-not
alone in the minds of those who are now with us
but in the grateful hearts of thousands who wan
der in far off lands.
Remember the many friendless strangers who
have been rescued from an untmely grave by the
Howards-the destitute families fed by them in sea-
sons of pestilence the orphans reared and educated
at the expense of our people, and by the seisacrl
fee of those devoted women, the Sisters of Charity
| Those were not spasmodic acts Of any particular
period but an habitual benevolence which was
persisted in during years of dearth as well as
| PASsSAs
have. our people abated one whit in their benevo-
Hence or kindness of heart The free market
that monument of philanthroph by a
people whose trade was cut off and whose sources
/ of wealth was almost closed, has fed its six thou
| sand destitute women and children week after
week and month after month-the fifty or more
societies Of benevolent ladies, whose members
though unused to toll, have labored so hard and
so successfully to cothe and provide for the wives
| and little ones of the poor-the thousand private
acts of beneyolence done by those who " let not
their left hand know of deeds done by their right
Does all this look as if the rich had forgotten the
poor? or, as if there was none of that Godilke
| virtue, charity, among us Let the poor them
selves-let their wiyess and little ones answer, as
they will, most emphatically And, although
the city may be now almost incapable of afording
that relief she was wont, of her children, We
hope, will never be found 80 base-so lost to every
principle of gratitude, as to seek to curse ane
destroy her, because she has no more to give
4 because the last drop has been drawn frsm hel
wthered breast. But, on the contrary, we feel as
sured that they will love and respect her fair fame
and seek some means by which they can prov
the gratitude Of their hearts.
But If there are those among us who since ther
is no more to be made, are willing to desert an
> decry her, the fact, though proving how low ma
can fall, does not humble or disgrace the larg
majority of the people who are true to her inter
ests and proud Of her record. The baseness 0
the ungratefnliis despised, and their puny effort
to do her injury are scorned and forgotten.
: Weslave long known thatto abuse and deer
New Orleans was popular habit among thos
who were unaequainted with her history or VIII
only judged her from superficial observation. Gu
I population, with conglomeration of habits an
4 customs, was looked npon with horror by tn
narrow minded sectarians of all countries. Be
. cause portion Of our population saw fit to pur
sue fortune and happiness by other roads tha
i .hnse followed by them, they were considere
: ifslle peter than heathens-in many cases worse
We were blamed and abused for all our appa
rent faults, and derdcd for follies-real or inns
gInary. But as they knew us not, our virtue
have remained covered by veil of obscurity, in
: penetrable to even those who should know u
better. Yet as all the good which she has don
was not with the expectation of worldly praise
the sneers and accusations of such affect he
not nor her eople. They will pursue thej
course as in the past, and let history do them juf
| tice.