The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-03-01

christians, and who seem 10 lmaSlue ~ pa
40 their Christian duties 10 interfere with the
re,irion and social life OF every one else. us
hnt few wears since the city was ruled entirely
by the Creole population; they held the reihs
of power; they elected their own Mayor ana
CITY Council, and made laws according 10 the
French code. Gradually the American popu.
lation increased, growing stronger year by
year. and bringing with IL that grasping, ava
ricious spirit which seems TO characterize the
American people. Little by little, they worked
their way onward. until ut length the original
Inhabitants found that they had but little 10
say in the management OF public AFFAIRS Ihey
could elect their Mayor no longer, and con-
s!dered themselves fortunate In the extreme Il
thew could gain an Alderman or two in any
municipal election. No wonder they wsIs
embittered against the Americans; no wonueF
they fought them and their everlasting pio,,
gress which was gradually swee ha sestahiish.
ed Al this time the French population mas put
little influence in public afairs, ana even
in minor affairs cannot carry single POM
when the Americans are comDiheo agaihst
them. True, they can defeat an obnoxious can
didate by carrying their votes to the Opposite
party but when the two races are opposed OH
any issue, the Creoles are always aoie eve
Whe Their the city has gained or lost by TINS,
cannot say; bat my own opinion Is Inas ~
would be better city Ii still under the RUE OF
the simple minded, light-hearted ana courte-
GUS Creole population ~ ,,,o NOV
broke out. 1t was then quite Inc thing 10
belong to the uptown party ana 70 laug ia, q.
the down town party as OLD iogies. lney
were indeed behind the rapid Americans In
many things, and chung with great tenacity 10
old customs and traditions. 1t was the story
over again of the Fourth and Fifth avenues
| In New York. The Fourth avenue people
heing descendants of the old Dutch families
| the Van Rensaellaers, the Courtlandts, tne
Ten Brooks and DeGroots-looked down upon
those residing in the gaudy new houses on w. .a
Fifth, who had made vast fortunes In 'n teo ,e
dashed their diamonds in the face OF the oid
fogies and gave parties that threw all tne
old FOurth-avenue assemblies Goinple.eiS -
the shade. So it was here. Uptown OUT
shone down town; was richer, lived In better
houses. and kept Respondent carriages, upon
the panels of which might have been painted,
"Iook at us: see what smart people we are.
Down. town cast bitter smile and turned 10
its ancestors for consolation, following the
| old customs keeping the olden holidays, and
main tanning the religion of their fathers.
The war came, four years passed away,
down town and up-to fought side by side
under the Confederate banner, and finally re-
turned to take their places in the Ola Guy
| And both parties found another party heIe-
another progressive American party-out SO
| far ahead of uptown that they actuaily pc
| gan to look upon themselves as the very worst
| of fogies This new party was strange one;
l Its political creed was an anomaly us soci..i
life century ahead OF anythlhg peiole
| known its dress and manners SIMPLY lncoh-
4 ceiyable it's customs at variance with all the
| laws and ordinances of society; It's rehglon
| straight-out Puritanical, and holding the
Catholic religion as little better man an open
worship of Satan himself, or as Pagan idola-
try Uptown simply gaZed in wonder. IL
| had been whipped at its own game, outcome
| with it's own weapons, and beaten IN the race
it had started tornn. Then, Tor the lirst tiihe,
thew began to realize the position and feelings
of the old inhabitants. If gentleman ae-
clined to invite one of the new party to his
house. he found himself maligned IN the news,
papers. If he attempted, ACCORDING 70 lle oiu
idea of politeness, to reprove man Tor ours
ing outrageously in the presence OF ladles, ne
was beaten until all such foolish ideas OF ell
ouette were taken out of him. The city mao,
in fact. become so fast that he found himself
too far behind the age 10 dare mingle In soci-
ety, and consequently modestly turned TO ms
! old down town antagonists Tor sympathy. 90
the two parties became united in feeling, ana
il is now quite the thing to have ancestors ana
to follow the Creole customs. This is beyond
the reach Of the new party, and In TINS the Ola
residents find their strongest bond OF TREND
ship.
Still the two cities are widely different ana
while the up-to people continue 10 reslde
in their old houses, they find their social en-
ioyment in down town style. All now AFFECT the
Creole, because the new party, here calied
| strangers" cannot Not only i'll social lite
but lin politics this change is seen. The OLD
| residents join hands upon all issues, ana the
very measures the Americans opposed III lS?2
| they favor as strongly as their opponents ana
| have Joined the Catholic Church, since they
| have seen to what their old church was tending.
They keep all the Church festivals, and JOIN the
Creoles in the observance OF all traditlonal
| HOLIDAYS !" All Saints Day. and All Soul
| Day were kept by all, while the third party
turned out en- naasse 10 see the people decorate
the graves of their dead as If II were an eX,
| hibition for their benefit; and Adrdt gTdS, OF
| which was about to speak, was enjoyed Dy
hundreds who had never before INDUCED III
| the "uups and quirkS and Wreathed smiles OF
| q ueen Nab" But while the old inhabitants
| of the upper town have joined with the lower
| the new party has grown to be stronger tnan
| both and the same wide difference exists De-
| tween the two. Below Canal street there
| were no houses TO rent, and "stranSers
had to find homes in the upper-ana mere
some fifty thousand of them have found homes,
and they are carrying on the old war success
fully, although those who once fought the
battles are united under the conservative
4 banner. .
| Down town, as I have said, it is like foreign
| civ Within quite a circle near me there Is
not one family speaking the English language,
and in the stores you find great difficulty In
making yourself understood unless there Is an
| INTERPRETER present. Everything is French.
The French language is used, the manners anu
| customs are French, the houses are IN the
| French mode, the style Of living is Parislan,
and the dress an exact copy of that seen ON the
boulevards of Ia belle viile. My daily life is
precisely like that ! led when studentin Paris
some years ago. OF my room, one Oh the
many ctambres garneS lotier, had designed
| speaking, but it must be deferred until another
letter, for in this wish 10 speak of the carni-
val season, and of Nardi grds, the maddest,
| merriest time of all the year.
In all Catholic countries, Shrovetide is con-
sidered a great holiday, although it was once
| devoted TO confession and n preparation for
| the solemnities of Lent; and the last day of
| the carnival, called Mtrdi grdS, is now devoted
| to the games and sports that We're formerly
kept up through the carnival season Latterly
| it has been devoted TO grand masquerade,
| after the fashion of the classical Carnival OF
! Venice" or other cities in Italy or Spain. In
| New Orleans the Creoles have always kept
Nardi graS but it is but a few years since the
American portion took part in the sports. In
1857 it was observed in an unusual manner,
and that year mysterious company OF fanns
and satyrs appeared, under the name Of 1.-The
Mistick Krewe of Comus." Rnmor had 1t
that beneath the masks were some OF the
best citizens of the town, and this soon
gave popularity TO the festival, their an an
season. Every year, mp to 1861, the
" Mistick Krewe' made. its appearance,
marched by torchlight through the streets
to the "Varieties 50 Theatre, gave series
of brilliant tableauX, and then ball.
The war Of cOursq stOpDed all amusement.