The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-07-12
LETTER FROM sr. GATHERINGS


Special Correspondence Of the New Orleans Crescent
ST. CATHERINE's, July 4, 1868.
Imagine small town built on high ground
and almost surrounded by hills; main street
with the usual array Of stores, much better, how.
ever, than you generally find in country towns; a
few nice-looking churches; a goodly number OF
handsome residences, and two frst-class hotels
Fill the hotels with invalids and the streets with
cripples drawn about in wheeled chairs and you
have st. GATHERINGS, the famous health restOrer
Of Canada West.
1t is place Of resort from all parts of the
United States and Canada. People from the far
North and from the distant South here meet, as it
were on neutral ground, and discussing mutual
ailments, forget the war and its many sad results
The greatest objection to the place for a tceh
person IS the number OF invalids you meet at
every turn. Actually it makes one feel sick and
you are apt to fancy you have pains and aches
that have really no existence save in magma ion
Ii seems to me the present age one of disease /;
certainly more than half the world is sick.
think our great grandfathers and great-grand-
mothers would be shocked if they could hear
pretty girl Of sweet sixteen say she was suf-
fering with rheumatism and yet such cases are by
no means rare. There is sweet looking girl Of
hiteen passes my window every morning in a
chair with wheels-she is not able to walk The
young people OF the present generation are not
worth much as regards health, and all the middle
aged men have the govt.
Mcluluh5 ii we llNeQ ike the patrldrCl9 Oh Old
this would not be. Our fathers would tend their
hoeks in lieu of the sedentery habits of business
French cook would be luxury unknown, and
the nomatic life, joined to frugal fare, would do
far more TO drive away govt than all the mineral
springs so much in vogue nova days.
We read in the good old book that Rachel kept
her fathers sheep; also, there is frequent men.
uon OF the maidens OF those times drawing water
for the hocks.
What do you think of this, young ladies of the
fashionable WOrld1 nonft hfnk - h..
more conducive TO health than dancing the deux-
tempt IN heated ballroom? II does not seem to
have been the fashion then for damsels to perform
yearly p1grimsges to the seaside and mineral
springs for the purpose of recruiting their health
for the next winters campaign. Fortunately for
rosy cheeks and bright eyes, winters campaign
in fashionable life was an evil unknown.
Still we cannot change " the age we live in -
we must take the luxurIes of these modern times,
and with them the disagreeable consequences
neuralgia, rheumatism and govt.
The mineral water of the far-famed St. Cathe.
rines wells is considered a sovereign remedy for
the above mentioned ills; it has certainly wrought
some marvellous cures.
The baths are taken warm, at temperature
prescribed by your physician. The place actually
supports six doctors, and they all have ample
practice. The water is as salt as the ocean, with
strong taste and color of iron it is only drank
by the wine glass full, as il Is quite powerful.
The season is very late this year the hotels
are not full and the town itself is literal stagna.
tion-there seems to be no business, save in the
doctor and drug store line.
The people reused little to celebrate Do.
minion Day, duly lst) the anniversary of the
union of the provinces. There were races, a
sham fight between her royal majesty's troops,
display Of fireworks at night, torchlight process
sion OF hremen, and the first hop of the season at
the Stephenson House. The last named was not
very big affair the fact is, rheumatic people
are not given to dancing they come to st. Cath
erine's to hop into the baths and not around the
ball room.
But goodby for the present. Your shall hear
anon from your friend, MINHEHAHA