New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-14
The Carnival Procession.

The Carnival Procession.
The general incidents which antedated
the grand carnival procession were such
as we of New Orleans have seen on many
similar occasion, except that the maskers
were in greater numbers, the dresses more
grotesque and the throngs that crowded the
principal streets thicker than one has seen
on previous days. Gaily bedizened 1ncog-
nita rode in hacks and carriages open to the
sunlight, with an unsettled purpose and
wandering vein. In some OF these vehicles
it seemed as if the Lydia Thompson troupe
had stepped out from the stage and forsook
their mimicry on the boards, and transferred
it to the streets In others it appeared as
if the fair women, dressed for a masked
ball, had concluded to try the open air in
stead of gaslight, each going on its own
carte as far Us regards posturing and ia
bleaux.
Jocko was seen in furniture cart Of ordi-
nary pattern, followed by scores of gamins
that he threatened with his elder truncheon
and gibbered at them to desist. Shrieks
and hootings broke out spontaneously at
other wanderers through the vale OF car
nival that represented the irrepressible
plantation hand, into which type three
quarters of the idea of masking seemed I'M
accountably to run. The more noted OF
these appearances were classic. The. knight
of old, his helmet Lit up with hedizzening
spangles, his shirt frayed in silver fringe,
his limbs encased in mimic coat of mail.
and a pasteboard shield upon his arm,
strutted through the streets, while gamins
halloed, "Circus!"
Probably the chief wonder of all the
scenes was where the boys came from.
| They scrambled under the legs of by
ISLANDERS, to the imminent peril of their
secure footing. They climbed up inacces-
sible awning posts, Skinned up to the feet
of the Clay statue, got up on window-sills
that overlooked the streets, ran after every
cart and wagon containing maskers, slinked
under the bellies of standing horses, and
were in the way on every side, besides
manifesting a great indispOsitiOn to clear
| out when told, and, wherever thew dared.
making faces at policemen, who repeated,
| in many places the figure of patience on d
| monument
1t was not until the first hours of the al
ternoon that pecularities became apparent
on the street. The large number OF EN-
ployes that were turned loose from bust
ness at twelve o'clock found their way back
again to the crowded streets, either as par
| ticipants or lockers on, in which capacity
! they were by no means uninterested specta-
| tors. As two o'clock drew near, the vicinity
of the Clay statue became dlsagreeably
| close, and an undistinguishabi mass OF
| human beings-men, women and children,
the fair and the foul-eddied around that
| monument and formed whirlpools OF men
| about the other corners, i'll which stray
spectators were caught up and cast away
like straws. and were unable to regain their
lost positions. Then the horse, foot vans,
| carriages and unattached persons IN gen
aral began to arrive, and by three O'Clock
| increased the crowd to such an extent that
! Iocomotion without the aid of mounted or
dismounted police was almost impossible.
About 3:45 y. NJ the carnival procession,
led by the King, began to move, IN the fol-
lowing order
Mounted Police.
MusiC.
Eection of Artillery, G. W. Sqn res
Lord Chief Marshal OF the Empire.
Attendants.
King of the Carnival.
Attendants.
Lord Of the Yeomanry-
| Three hundred Maskers on Foot
The Pack.
Fatted OK.
Music.
G.ord of the Carriages
| Music.
Lord of the Vans.
Followed by a hundred carts, milk wagons it"'
| and four-wheeied vehicles
! Lord of the Horse.
Followed by hundred and twenty nno"n'e'
| Maskers.
| The Dan Rice Cavalry.
| Indiscrimnate and miscellaneous liable.
The matter with this procession is imply
this: There was too much order about 1t
Confusion. disorder and discord, both OF
colors and of sounds. is the great beauty o.
a carnival procession, which does not IN
tend to represent a single idea, nor to tell 8
single story, but means to play and make
fun. Every crowd should have gone on it'
own hook just as chance had brought
them together in the world of mimic, so il
should part them asunder. For music
every one ought to have his own lnstru
ment, play it in his own fashion, and II
whatsoever tone he chooses to give 1t. This
is the Italian style. TO control "a carniva
procession by general orders defeats thu
object of the day. Hence the procession
yesterday was a disappointment. The SLOW
order of march, the frequent halts, TIL
system of arrangement, afforded opportu
nity for a close examination and cheal
display of criticism which no one woult
have found time to employ had every
masker, on horse or foot, man or woman
fallen into line at certain hour and set on
to 90 no one knew whittier.
The great body of the crowds that iine'
the curbstone to witness the parade o. thu
maskers, selected individual features of In
line The predisposition to attire of cambria
red orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and
violet prevailed to a considerable extent
and an occasional passer by disguised. cr9
ated war of laughter, the people seizin
every opportunity to break out in goo
humor The carriages were an especia
| feature. Feminine looking individual
aired their pedal eytremlties on the dasl
board and waved their handkercheifs a
the crowded galleries and balconies. o
they sat masniicently i'll the rear OF thci
conyeyances and made themselves sic
smoking and partaking Of other enjoymenis