The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-09-11

He is Kissed by the New Orleans
Ladies.

New Orleans Cor. Cincinnati Commercial.
yesterday had the pleasure of witness
ing the presentation, by the young ladies
of the city public schools, of some silver
plate to Gen. Banks. AS is generally the
case, the recipient of the testimonial is
supposed to be- profoundly ignorant of the
honor conferred. AS the matter had been
in contemplation some months, and such
things rarely leak out, it is highly prob
able that Gen. Banks was completely sur
prised by the demonstration. The hall
was tastefully decorated with flowers and
wreaths OF evergreens, and the seats oc-
cupied by larger number of ladies than
Isupposed could be induced to be present
in New Orleans on such an occasion. On
the walls of the room were inscribed the
names of Farragut, Banks, Weitzel, Nick
erson, Stone, Mcmillan, Grover, Arnold,
Sherman, Andrews, Grierson, Paine, Au-
CUR, Dwight and Emory, together with
the names of the battle fields of Louisiana:
New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Laba1ieville,
La:ourche, Brashear City, Donaldsonvlle,
Alexondria, Opelousas, Camp Birland,
Franklin, Irish Bend and Port Hudson.
The ceremonies began with music by the
band, after which, vocal music by the
young ladies, when young lad mounted
the rostrum on which General Banks was
seated, and delivered an oration with
which he had been primed, of the merits
OF which am unable to speak, on ac-
count of the low tone in which it WAS
uttered. At this juncture the General
appeared to realize that lie was in some
sort OF scrape, and looked as if he wish
ed himself out of it, After the Grafton
| more Star Spangled Banner: then a
young white-and blue miss tried her
hand at speech-making, in which she sue
ceeded much better than the young gen.
tleman who had preceded her. Then Miss
Vining, young lady OF some twelve or
thirteen summers, recited an original
poem of no particular merit, in which
"thanks' and franks" were made to
rhyme frequently and not unpleasantly
with "General Banks" )" but ali defcen-
cies of merit in the poem itself were
amply made up for in the beautiful style
of its delivery Il was as near perfection
as anything l ever heard, and would have
shamed many of the shining lights of the
theatrical world TEen another young
lady made the presentation speech, and
de ivered the "pOrtable property" after
which General Banks replied handsomely.
After a little promiscuous speech. making
by prominent citizens, the meeting broke
up in pleasant little muss, in the course
OF which Gene al Banks was furiously
kissed by hundreds of young ladies. The
General seemed to enjoy this part of the
programme much better than anything
that preceded it.
Interesting as these proceedings un-
dOubtedly are, the most interesting feature
was, not that which was done or said. but
that which was omitted. Among the H.
lustrious names wrought in evergreen upon
the walls, there was missing one name-a
name so intimately associated with the
history of New Orleans since its capture,
that you cannot think of the one without
also thinking of the other-the name of
Major General Benjamin F. Butler. In
the course of somewhat tulsome eulogy
upon the State of Massachusetts, by one
Of the speakers, embracing eulogies of al
most every public man, from Hancock to
ParsOn Kalloch, there was but one name
unuttered, and that was the name of the
man whom our rebel friends coll Butler,
the beast " have never been accused of
being very warm friend of General But
Ter, and mention these facts not to raise
objections, but merely because the facts
are curious-something like the play of
Hamlet. with the part of Hamlet left out.
While all rebeldom is yet ringing with the