The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-07
LETTER FROM GERMANY.
The Carnival in COIoEne-ObservatiOns Of a
New Oreanan Abroad.
Especial correspondent G Of the Eulletinl

De1r BH{Lttn-l am palned 10 learn Una
owing to the great political troubles that Ell
compass the unhappy people OF Louisian
and the good people Of our dear Crescent Cit
in particular, it has been decided to postpon
all the usual festivities Of Carnival time, an
other public displays that 90 toward enliver
ing the winter and spring season, for Who'll
year. Nothing could speak more plainly {
national distress, Of widespread deeply-fel
grievances, than tor the people Of great cit
like New Orleans, where hitherto NOTHING
seemed able to throw chill upon the ardo
OF pleasure-seekers to voluntarily fOrego al
public f sivities and to enter as it were mt
''sack-cloth and ashes.
TO one in a foreign land, who has seer
those gorgeous psgeants sweep through the
Barlanded streets Of the Crescent City yeal
after year without fail, it seems like dark
foreshadowing Of some great storm, when
from your distant shores comes tie ntelli-
gence that this year there will be no process
sions, and that, instead, men 90 about the
streets with gloomy fees, vessels Of war
trown upon the river, b.yonet5 CLAM in the
Legislative Halls, and military despot sent
from the North lords il over the depressed
and unhappy city. Such tidings from the
home one loves so dearly are not calculated
to inspire a very energetic desire for pleasure
seeking in a foreign country but when there
comes great annual season of f=stivity, such
as we have just had in the Carnival, one must
temporarily forget the troubles that af1l lct his
friends in far America or at least must find
his thoughts more or less diverted from the
subject 10y the gay scenes Of pleasure that are
being enacted all around and IN order not
to appear misanthrope or ascetic, must
enter somewhat into the spirit that generally
prevails, and being il Rome must ''do us the
Romans do"
Therefore, when the day came which her
aided in the long expected Carnival Week,
must admit that | felt both curiosity and in
terest Ia the occasion, for there had been SO
much talk about it, such q display of masks
and dominoes in all the shop windows, that
was naturally little eager to see what the |
affair would be like; whether it would prove
superior or inferior to our own, Of which we |
are so justly proud, and whether the display |
In Cologne would be as grand as these Ger |
mans prophesied. Some time age when the |
subject of the Carnival first came into discus
sion, | was told that the annual procession in
Cologne was very celebrated, that people came
from great distances to see it, and that it was
considered almost equal in magniticence to
the one at Rome My accounts of our great
New Orleans professions were accepted with
polite incrudulity, or, at least, no one seemed
to think that the Americans could get up any
thing to compare with the Carnival ut Co
logne.
Now l live in city only an hours ride
from Cologne, by rail, and, after consulting
all the local oracles. determined to select
Monday as the day for my sightseeing trip as
it was represented that the great procession
would come off on M,t day, and that it would
probably be the best in every respect for nv
expedition. Sunday afternoon the iun began
here, and after doing my duty by putting in t
an appearance ut church III the morning. !
felt justified IN devotng the afternoon and
evening to amusement III passive way that
is, by looking on. The weather. to begin
with, was very clear and fine, but bitter cold,
and IN the weak afternoon sunshine of this
latitude, one needed to keep up the crcula-
lion by brisk exercise and as the crowd of
nasher' increased upon the street this was
was not difficult to do, for there was so much
20 see that it was necessary to keep constantly
moving from place to place in order not to
ose any of it.
1t must be known that in Germany the stu
lent element Is one of great importance, and
IN such an occasion this these gay Young
elbows enter with the utmost zest into the :,
popular amusements. They are troubled
With no conscientious scruples about voltt- l
ng the Sabbath, tor there are but few of them d
hat have any religious convictions worth
MENTIONING and the national idea of Sunday ;,
> that it Is a day of recreation, and not of y
Melancholy repose, for body and mind 50 81
hat on the Sundt ~ afternoon III question the e.
tudents appeared i'll strong force and made :.
prominently conspic nous by their
musing but innocent panks. They were gen al
rally disgulSeiin peasants blouse, a flowing pl
card partial mask with speciacIes, and a ni
lose cap. They most all wore white gloves
nd carried rattles and other noisy iustru
tents In their hands. I'll
Then there Were the usual number of chill c.
rem, who always figure so conspicuously on 81
lese occasions and get into everybody's nv
ay. -
The scene was most animated about sun ir'
,gn, for as soon rs dark came on, it grew so WI
tensely cold that only the hardest maskers Il,
ere content to remain in the open air an
her reason for the general thinning out was,
at there was 4 grand mask ball on IA cheap ch
ale, to which great numbers went, though pli
y respect Tor The customs and obseryances
my own people prevented ME from extend
& my observations that lar. The next by
ornInS, Monday disguised myself so as to We
IN the fashion, Us well as to escape annoy so1
ces hat one who goes out unmasked must ora
counter, and mingling with the crowd Of ~ ~.
otesque figures hat filled the streets had ma
hour or Two of tun before taking the train err,
r Cologne. There WAS procession here wa
10 that morning which, however, did not no
ppen to see. OH
When I arrived IN f,alorpa =, co,,,,,,- An
w :.
til young friend bent pleasure like my -,
/, It was already showing quite briskly, dro
we were undaunted by the threatening cha
ather, and at once fastened into the center On
the city, passing through streets densely pas
cked with people, some III costume, others ger
plain dress, and all hurrying on apparently son son
hout any definite idea Of where they were NOV
ing, while the silent snoN-tl ,kes came float nm
, dotn upon their heads, TUT NJ Their gay plal
sopsI clothes allkeW vi II brIllant but chilly one
sting. The scene was much the same .x- ncll
pit the SHOW of course, as was enacted and
lrdi- Gras upau tba streets of Nay 0rIa,n. bac
oiden times, that is before the day process ~,
II was fully organzeda OF late years; every y,i,
9 seemed to follow his own fancy as to MAJ
ere he went or what be did, and in the /
row thoroughtares Of the ancient city Of GOO
oeln there was much less freedom of mo tine
n allowable than we have in our broad mus