Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-07-26
AbsurditIes OF Enthusiasm.

1T is fact that men 90 mad in herds,
for nothing is so contagious as enthusi-
asm.
At an early age in the annals of Europe
its population lost their wits about the
Holy Land. Another age went mad for
fear of the devil, and offered up thousands
of victims to the delusions of witchcraft.
Poisoning has been quite fashionable at
different times; fierce desire of military
glory has crazed, shall say enthused, ma
tons; but avarice in the form of money
mania has had as many devotees as any of
these temporary idols.
John Law, & mester and gallant,
escaping from Kings Bench prison, no
one knew how, and fleeing to Paris, ex-
cited the avaricious frenzy of whole ma
ton by his mississippi scheme" which
was stock company for mining purposes
in the Mississippi valley. He meant to be
honest, but circumstances and the enthusi-
asm Of the people were too much for him.
So there was deal of paper and precious
little gold.
But how he was besieged? Dukes, mar
quises, counts, and titled ladies, too,
waited daily for hours before his door.
He removed to the Palace Vendeme; the
crowd of agioteurs followed. The public
gardens We're forsaken; booths anil tents
for business and refreshments were ercted;
the chancellor, whose court was near, COM
planned that he could not hear the ad-
vocates for the noise. Ludicrous were
the stratagems to gain a hearing. One
lady ordered her coachman to drive against
post and upset her If he saw Mr.. Law
coming; and after three days of driving
round the city, praying inwardly for an
NJ rf1 mi fu fn ho N aricic
arrived, over she went and secured a
quantity of stock. Another raised
an alarm of fire near his house,
but this was not so successful, for
Law noticed that while every one else
scampered away she made all haste to
get In. There was an increase of people
in Paris to 305. ZOO; carriages were obliged
to drive at a foot pace for the jam, and
Laws coachman rolled in wealth and a
carriage of his own. OF course this could
not last long.
The South Sea bubble, gaily tinted and
very hollow, was the admiration Of the
English Just about the same time, 1720.
Innumerable joint stock companies now
started up everywhere. There were
schemes to make deal board out of saw
dust; wheel for perpetual motion; for
furnishing funerals to any part of Great
Britain; for insuring to all masters and
mistresses the losses they might sustain
by servants. One adventurer started ''a
company for carrying on an undertaking
Of great advantage, but nobody to know
what it is" Many were duped by this.
The prospectus stated that the capital re-
qui-ed was half million; five thousand
shares, one hundred pounds each; de-
pOsit, two pounds per share; each sub
scriber paying his deposit entitled to one
hundred pounds per annum. How this
immense profit was to be obtained he did
not condescend to inform the public.
Next morning at nine o'clock the Office
opened, was best by crow Is, and shut up
at three. No less than one thousand
shares had been subscribed for and de-
posits paid in five hours. The winner, Of
two thousand pounds was philosopher
enough to be cOntented with his venture,
which was undeniably an undertaking
of great advantage" to himself, and set
ting out that same evening for the conti-
nent, was never heard of more. The
King at last had to forbid such crazy
eculations.-Galazy, for July.