The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-12-16
CITY TorIcs.


sented by the present condition Of the Enclosure
should be obtersted, and the square be permit
ted to assume once more its former appearance
of neatness and beauty.
A petition from citizens living upon South
street, opposite Lafayette Square, was read last
night before the council, asking that the name OF
the street running from South to Julia, between
st. Charles and Camp, be changed from st.
Msry's" to "Church." An eminently proper
and reasonable request. in view Of the fact that
there il another st. Mary's street in the city.
Yesterday morning there was described
sneeze which took place at the Academy. There
| occurred few evenings previous rare instance
of demoniac laughter to be heard among the
audience. When the demon Khueborne comes
| upon the stage he utters a haunting laugh" Ha,
ha. bs hs, Ia" 10 the most cultural Of tones. On
this particular night when the demon laughed. the
audience did, and among that audience was some
ventriloqust, for every started to hear some-
where under the right hand gallery another Hs,
bs ha nearer, clearer, desdIier than before, and
as if the Laughter were really enjoying himself.
The audience hearing this only laughed the longer,
and ever and anon, would come from the corners,
the door or the gallery above that measured ia,
ha. hs hs, ha." The man was a wit, whoever he
| was.
During the rain yesterday morning the atmo.
| sphere inside the Custom House building was so
dense and foggy that it was impossible to see
distinctly anything twenty feet of. To enter the
building from the street afforded sensation
somewhat similar TO that of plugging into Geld
bath. so marked was the difference of the temper
stuies within and without.
| Considered without reference to modifying Dir.
cumstances of time and place, the graceful forms,
and beautiful features and elegant costumes of
young ladies from the country are charming to
behold. II is certainly very lsudable on the part
of fair visitors to offer generous contribu
ton to the attrsctiveness of our streets. No one
| car deny that they dress in the height of the
mode, and that they are fully up to the standard
of Hsrpers Bazaar. But we would mildly suggest
to them that there modifying circumstances of
time and place, which, artisiically considered,
| ought 10 be taken into account. Roman ties and
elegantly founced costly silk walking dresses, are
very pretty in themselves, and doubly pretty on
the person of beautiful girl with the roses OF the
country on her cheeks but they are sadly out of
| place. even under the yerandshs of Canal street,
when the sky is covered with leaden clouds, and
| the atmosphere filed with cold penetrating rain
Christmas is coming. The premonitions are eve
rywhere abroad, and not the least significant of
these are the fresh presence in those places where
holiday nogg is compounded for bibulous pub
lie, Of ponderous boxes of eggs. We saw one of
them late last night and beheld fellow reach his
hands through the grated covering, and atterwsrd
enjoying quiet roasted egg at the sanctum fire,
while the keen breeze without ratified the window
ssshes The Turko Grecisn question is soon to be
revived in all our comfortable households The
advance guard or 0rdnt courriers of the barnyard
Ottomans are already marching through our lately
peaceful streets and plaintivey vocing their i'm.
pending doom before the kitchen spit. Let us
have (a) piece
We would like to call the attention of our reed
ers to few facts connected with the City Library
to show them how much tl) the people of New Or.
leans value literary pursuits, and how greatly
they profit by such advantages as they may have.
There is the large average number Of $50 sub
scribers to the library. In this great city, which
aims to be the metropolis OF the Southwest and
10 wear disdem as bright and as beautiful as
that which now crowns the brows of New York.
$50 people are found who desire to avail them.
selves Of the privilege of reading at a small cost.
Of these 800. 60 are paying subscribers. 200 life
members. about so teachers in the public schools,
and so pupils of the public schools. Now, there
are some 1000 life members on the books, but
only ECO make any use Of the privilege. OF all
tie vast number of pupils Of the public schools of
the city, any one Of whom may become a sub.
scriber to the library for Is cents per month,
about so are found who appreciate the worth of
books; and of the 240 teachers in the public
schools, all of whom have the use of the library
free Of charge, some so, or whereabouts, endsavor
to better qualify themselves for their duties by
the use Of the books 10 it.
These facts are something to set the people of
New Orleans to thinking Here ia a collection OF
hooks containing much that is valuable aud 8
great deal tlat is entertaining, drawn upon by
three hundred aud sixty persons. True. people
say that there are never any new books in the
library, that there are simply the same old
things, But with a revenue of s43 so per month =
for to this surprising amount did the subscriptions
of the month Of October reach-it is not to be
wondered at that new books are scarce in il. But
we will undertake TO say that there few men
in New Oreans-there may be few-who could
90 to the Lyceum library and not find much that is
new to them tina: is inst uctve, that interesting
This library is peculiarly a thing of our own.
1t was founded by the generosity of a citizen Of
New Orleans and has been fostered By the govern
ment of the city. 1t should not be allowed to die
of inanition. Besides our people want cheap
reading. 1t is the need of the age, and is need
that is every day becoming greater. Other cities
have their great Libraries with their throngs Of
subscribers. New York has the Mercantile
with its lOO,0O0 volumes, the Aston with It's
$50 geo volumes and numerous others; Baltimore
has two large and fourishing libraries; Cincinnati
has several debating and literary societies, each
with public library, and New Orleans has city
library with SEQ subscribers We are behind thf
eye, and to be behind the age now is worse thar
a crime-it is blunder. Efforts are being made
in the city, we believe, to found other libraries
! Mr.. Ellis has established q circulating library
which has met. we believe, with considerable sue
cess. Some young men have formed an sssocis
ton styled the Young Mems Mercantile Library
Association with the view of building MP 6
.Aoo~ l;h.arv We truzt both fhaaa