New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-13
German Settlement i'm Opei0usas.
The Opelousas Journal SAYS:

The new German settlement in the west
ern portion of this parish is an accom-
plished fact. There are at present about
sixty persons in the colony, and they have
progressed rapidly in making permanent
and extensive improvements They have a
large saw mill constantly running. and the
lumber sawed is used entirely i'll the con-
struction of their own buildings and in
| closures. The first arrival of Germans
took place in January last, and mp to this
| time there have been ninety entries of land
| under the homestead act, comprising up
ward of $4,000 acres.
We publish to-day communication from
gentleman, with whom we visited the
German settlement of Faquetaique in this
parish last Saturday and Sunday
We halted at Mr.. t. c. Chacheres on Sat
urday, spending the greater part of the day
there, and did not arrive at Faquetaique
until late in the evening. Though it was
Saturday evening, the laborers-and they
all labOr-were still at work, and did not
stop until dark. We stopped at Mr. Joseph
Fabacher's, who founded the colony He
has large, well and neatly built comforta-
BILE house. His stable is the best in the
parish, and We do not except livery stables
His plantation or tract of land, several hun
dred acres, is entirely inclosed with first
rate plank fence. While there We visited,
besides Mr.. Fabacher, Mr.. Huber, and the
sawmill. AT all these places we were forci-
bly, struck with the appearance Of the cook
kitchens. We never before saw such per-
feet order and neatness. The floors and
tables were perfectly clean and polished,
and the utensils were all Furnished and
hung up. Nothing was lying on the floor,
or out of place. Being so far distant from
the more thickly settled parts of the par
ish, they seldom have visitors, and they
could not anticipate our visit; but one
would judge from the appearance Of their
kitchens that they were specially prepared
on all occasions, for rigid inspection.
We did not see single colored person in
the settlement. The Germans do their own
work. They all work, and they do their
work well. The rich work. as well as the
poor.
This is another. cause of their success
where others fail They do not spend their
time in idleness, and employ others to do
work that they can do themselves. They
are self-sustaining.
They seem to have no social distinctions,
but only business ones. The individual
who is employed by another. or does
mental service for him, does not lose his
social footing after the work is over. The
employee is faithful, obedient, respectful,
and everything else that a good servant
should be. But, when off duty, he is as
good socially as his employer. But when
on duty he is as obedient and respectful,
through sense of duty we suppose, as any
servant could have been during times of
slavery. This, we suppose, may be called
perfect democracy.
The only reason we have heard alleged
for the ultimate failure of this German en-
terprise is the less fertility of the soil com
pared with our own part of the parish
NOW, we saw very good corn growing there,
and better than some we see here. The
land improves by cultivation. The Ger
mans will cultivate it well and manure it
too. They are saving the manure of their
stables now. Their lumber for building
and fencing costs them little or nothing but
their labor. Here it takes as much as the
land is worth very often. and sometimes
more, to fence it. They have plenty of
wood; heI Q we have not. They have as good
range or pasturage for cattle, horses, hogs.
etc, as we have. They do their own work,
and do not attempt to specu ate, as we do
with the certainty of losing, on the labor
of others. German laborers do more and
better work than our laborers They are
more economical, saving and thrifty than
we are, and will get along and make money
and property where we would starve or re-
main i'll poverty Those who predict their
failure judge them from their own stand
point The Germans of this settlement
seem to think, as far as the land, location
and surroundings are concerned, they are
living IN an earthly paradise. Their object
seems to be the pursuit of happiness, and
they say they are satisfied and happy
where they are
We think they will succeed.