New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-13
NUMBER FORTY

tary specimen Of this vegetable production, which
is of exceedingly slow growth, coming out of the |
ground as it were, from a bulb or big onion, and |
spreading its leaves in sort of q crown all
around its trunk, to which latter annually ring |
is added by the dropping of these out sprouting
foiages. One of these trees, very conspicuous for
its form, may be seen in yard situate near Orleans
| street, between Bourbon and Dauphine. There are
few more in the Third District in the vi
entity of the former Touro's Almshouse which
latter never reached its original destination For,
not being completed before the outbreak of the
war, it was taken possession of by the. Federal
military authorities for the accommodation
| of the liberated blacks, and served for
while as barracks and hospital depot fer
these people, until some unlucky accident, by fire,
destroyed, at least for the time, the benevolent
intention of it's testator. Since then we have been
| informed of the demise of Resin D. Shepperd, in
his native State Virginia, who being the executor
| of the testamentary bequest of the late Judah P.
| Touro in favor of the erection of this almshouse
| institution, we must await the further
development of the late Shepherds estate, in
order to form an estimate how far the remains of
that building may serve for the carrying out of
| the original design.
1t may perhaps not be anliss here to mention
that, with respect to public institutions coming to
the assistance of the infant, as well as decrepit
old age, our city may well be cited pre- eminently
Distinguished; yet, if we remember Alright, ac-
cording to the design of the testator, that aims
house was to have been erected and to have been
conducted upon quite peculiar principle, to-wit
That the aged men, as well as women, who would
have been received as its inmates should have
been allowed as much freedom and independence
from all hospital regulations and conditions as
possible Indeed, understood the testator's in
tent to have been, first to procure for these lndl
gent people an asylum, where they might be pro
vided with an abode, fire, and light in winter time
those having the means by work or outside assist
ance, to provide their board, washing ane
F clothing. Next, those who were altogether des
titute, or deprived of eztraneous resources to be
: boarded al q general table, their food to be
sent into their apartments if prevented by old age
from easily moving out of their premises As
much possible the old men, as well as the aget
women, were to be left to form their own associa
tons, and to live two three together in convent
. entity moderate sized apartments SO that, withou
being crowded in large halls, they might still
socially be able to assist and help each other
These general outlines and ideas certainly denoted
the intention of the generous benefactor to hav'
made this institution something nobler than mer
= almshonse would indicate. 1t was not to give
pittance to poor people, but to provide shelter
a living for those who had seen better days il
their former lifetime and as such, those generous
= thoughts certainly deserved to have been carried
J. out. Although the late Touro was of the Israel
= lite persuasion, there was not single sectaria
disposition with regard to this public institution
Il be erected It is true he made large donations t.
: sundry other institutions, to those of his owl
le kindred people, and among other testamentar
. enumerations, stipulated an annual premium to b
awarded to the best Hebrew scholar promoted i
- the scholastic exercises in New Orleans.
# If, as we hope, this provso will not remain
dead letter upon his testamentary execution, VI
e may in course off time expect, upon the bank
y of the Mississippi, foundation laid for the inves
r. tgation of the oldest, oriental language of tn
world, and in which the real treasures of scienc
= and religion have been originally preserved
"a None more than modern, scientific languag
- explorers are now fully persuaded that Hebrey
r, like the Hindoo Sanscrit descends from, if it hs
not the same basis for root; and it is therefore
a. be desired that our New Orleans youth, marchr
~ with the improvement of the age, stay not benin
=. in requirements, when Europe will soon throw,
Ii gauge of challenge, the only superior advantag
that of science and arts to the great strides whic
,e America will make in all other practical progress
"a We have said that in Orleans street may be see
one of these oriental indications, the palm tree, wit
its annual rings marking its age this being tt
- case, we know, by having counted these cortic
Is sapper POSITIONS forming the trunks, that some
- these trees upon the former garden of old Manu-
Andry, below the Touro Asylum, were, so far
- we have seen, the Oldest in the country, for one
e, them had over hundred rings, making its age
nj least a century old. We shall, however, leav
- this subject now, being no botanst ourselves, az
~, turn the readers attention to some other obie
equally worthy and remarkable in this Oriea
street locality and that is the little public squa
AVA called Father ST. Antoines Enclosure, upon whit
NJ may be at present. in a.state frather disc
of der, number of evergreen trees and tropc
= plants, such as the gigantic banana trunks. TT
little public place behind the cathedral, was ba
- tised in honor of the former old curate, the Faith
a Antonio de Sidela a Capuchin friar, and for hi
ing century the much valued "desservant,"
-, officiating priest at the St. Louis church.
to forget the date of his demise, but it must ha'
= been somewhere in 1880, for when we returned
e the city, after an absence of afew years, the form
the low, old cypress building, in which this yenerah
! man used to live, had been removed and the pa
me sage or lane upon which it encroaehed had be
me sraitened with the rest of the church's priva
ing buildings. After some time, the city corporate
!, had the public place properly encircled with
= elegant iron railing, and whilst there was5no p;
ticuiar use for it, the near confectionery Jesse
Inn had obtained from the city council, if we mista
y not, permission to keep upon this locality duri
the hot months of the summer season, seats
be stands for ice cream, refreshments and other
ate modes for the promenadng public in the evenil
Since the unfortunate epoch of our domes
= troubles, this establishment, as well as the
the shruhbery and plants with which this little pla
was ornamented, have fallen into decay and her
= the passerby at present throws but furtive lo
ate upon what once was very pretty picture to 10
no upon indeed the whole of that locality the
- leans theater, the Orleans ballroom, and al
the dining hotel, together with the adjoining coff
. houses and other public establishments. show e
dent signs of great reactionary decadcnce Fl.
former spendos and past greatness.
Al Fifty years ago this was Tue central point of
New Orleans amusement and pastime, az mach
as the vicinity now in St, Ghsres street. hetwe
Canal street and the City Hall. Eut With