The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-12-19
CITY TOPICS.

CITY TOPICS.
Yesterday was smother charming day, and the
streets we're full Of life. The fine weather and
improved condition Of the roads encouraged
people out to the drives, and several dashing
teams enlivened the shell roads. "A drive on the
sheIln has an exhilarafing sound to our lovers
Of horse flesh, and the interruption Of storms Is
extremely distasteful alike to them and the keep
ers Of livery stables, who, the past season,
have been rather heavy sufferers by bad
weather. Yet there are many drives on the
shell, sad alike to participants and observers. 1t
is the highway to the homes Of our dead. and
hesrses and mourning carriages are often incon-
gruously mingled with the elegant turnouts Of
pleasure. seekers and horse fanciers In the stream
Of carriages last evening was one lonely hack.
bearing little white flower streved casket, over
which o wounded-hearted mother was bending
I" in agony that could not be controlled" 1t
was to her mournfu drive on the SHE'LL"
No one can doubt that the weather during
portion of this current month of December has
been execrable-although We feel bound to make
an exception In favor of the last three days,
which have been lovely beyond description. Not
Italy In all its glory was ever arrayed in such de-
neious days as these; never purer skies smiled
upon Camparian wales, or mider airs breathed
through Apulian groves. Indeed, we have the
authority Of Byron for believing that the famous
climate Of Italy Is an unmitigated humbug. SINH
larly, If traveller had visited New Orleans
during the pluvious episodes Of the present month
he would have come to the conclusion that the
title Of ''Sunny South" was q piece Of gentle
irony, intended-lucds non lucendo-to indicate
- Il la. Va.
that time he would have had some consolation in
reading the accounts of q recent rain storm in
Mexico, when forty inches of water fell in the
space of twentyfour hours, and the mining dams
burst their barriers and a whole town was swept
away. We may form some idea of that fall Of
water when we reflect that the average annual
rainfall of the valley of the Mississippi Just abo
forty inches.
How often, coming into the theater late. we have
just struck thrilling scene, and have beheld 10
front of and around Us rows of ladies with their
handkerchiefs up TO their eyes, weeping indus
triously at the sight of the mimic griefs before
them. Such scene to a person who has not fol-
lowed the play through, is not devoid Of ridicu-
lousness, but it is also very suggestive. 1t makes
one think of ve,y curious paradox of human
nature, If we may use the expression, which gives
to some men and women the power Of being able
to sympathIze with and feel for imaginary griefs
and SORROWS, at the same time to behold any
amount of real suffering unmoved. Numerous
instances are on record of this peculiar dispos.
ton. Nero, who could with pleasure behold men
slaughter each other, and even slaughter them
himself used to be affected to tears and even some
times to commissions at the sight of theatrical re-
presentations. Robesperre, that man of blood
was peculiarly tender to some dumb pets which
be kept; of one of the fercest Of all the Jacobins
it Is related that on one occasion lady. whose
husband had been condemned to death, applied to
him 10 intercede in his behalf. He peremptorly
refused all her prayers and fearful solicitations
While retiring from his presence she accidentally
stepped on the tail of favorte cat
of the Jacobin, which lay on the rug.
The animal cried out with pain, when
the man who had laughed wife's prayers for her
husbands life to scorn, rushed forward and
snachiDg the animal up pressed it tenderly to his
bosom, exclaiming "Good Heavens, madam!
Have you no humanity?n 1t is this Kind of uu-
natural ard forced sympathy, in degree, which
brings tears to many eyes when viewing a we'll
played scene. Men are of two kinds-benefcent
and benevolent The bene6cent sort are so b1sy
doing good works that they have little time to
think over the griefs they are alternating. The
benevolent, or well wshers, are 80 OVERLOOKING
with sympathy and sorrow at the tales of distress
which they hear, that their eyes are blinded with
the tears that flow to them, and they cannot see
how to relieve the sorrow which they weep over.
Now both these classes may be useful, bat GER
tainly if the other had to be dispensed with
we would say, vale the weepers and stay work.
ers.
But to return to the subject of crying in thea
tiers. OF course, everybody has noticed that a
larger proportion OF women weep than men.
Why is this 1t certainly Is not because they ap-
preciate the play more, or because it appears
mere real to them. but because they display their
emotions more. Given an equal number Of men
and women, and set them down to see an affecting
play, and the amount of enjoyment and spprecia-
ton will be equal in the two sexes. Women in
real griefs give way to their feelings and find re-
lief in tears men fold their arms and bite their
lips and think. As the Germani, that noblest race
OF ancient men, used TO say:
lis for women to weep
And for men TO ayeuge.
So women, beholding the mock sorrows OF the
stage, are not ashamed TO weep aud put their
hsndkerchiefs up to their eyes, entirely regardless
of who gees them, and rather enjoy their own
tears; while men, II they become much moved
look smother way, or begin to speculate with
themselves as to what cotton will be worth to-
morrow, until they have mastered themselves suf.
fcently to look back again without danger of Gas
they esteem it) disgraciDg themselves. We like
to see a woman weep at q theater. 1t Is a
tribute to her own Observation-Disclosures as well as
to the genius Of the players. 1t may be that she
is only benevolent and not benefceot.' but we
always give her the benefit of the doubt, being at
thesam time very certain tina. II she does not cry
sheis neither. On general principles we would say
to any young man-ssy Fitz Doodle, whom we
introduced the other dsy-we would say TO Fitz
Doodle II we saw him at q thester with young