Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-02-09
MARDI GRAS.
"This il Our Opening Day-Come,
Sing You Now, Ny Merry,
Merry aen, This is Our
Opening Day."
The Proceedings Of Yesterday
The Mayor and General COun-
ell surrender the City
to "Rex."
An Immense Throng-OVer Forty
Thousand People on the Bluffs
aud the Strcets-Fair
Promise for To.
day.
Programme of the MemphI and
the Ulks-The Glorious and
Gorgeous Pageant OF
Mardi Gras, 1875.
Retrospect Of the Past-"Tall
Trees from Little AoOrns
Grow From 1872
to 1875.

The APPEAL editorial Of Wednesday,
F-brua-y 10, 1872, thus speaks OF the
Mtrli-Gras he'd In this city: at was
on Suud ,y, The l4ih of December last,
that the APPEAL devoted two cnlum ns
or more 10 tue reproduction OF De Le0n's Z
iniuitsble history OF associations in Mo-
bile aud Sess Or cans that make Mardi'
Graz festivities attractive, and draw in
% those cities vast numbers Of people
from all porto IS OF the south. The
APPEAL then proposed 10 inaugurate q
ke system OF harmless delights In
M-mphi- Mr Joseph Specht and 9th
efs sppr wed, aud the pres OF the city
cun-uring the scheme wss set on foot,
which yesterday 7, suite in the cOnvo-
ca ioa % a vast multitude. The pur
pIss - the APPEAL was simply TO pro
10 To- intercourse AID feelings OF good
fellowship smIug the people, to beget
unity among diverse pOpulati 'ns hither-
TO sIraUters 20 one another, to m axe
men aud women from different parts of
the country recogtiZe each others vir
tu-s. induce all TO forget, for one day At
l,-zst, tue anxietits aud eXsctiOns of bus
iuess lie, and Iedeeming this one
tuil. have Il consecTNted 10 the
genius Of fun and good fellowship
II this r. suit have been accomplished
our Turpus-s are. attained, and
the people owe the press a debt OF graft
tuir. The bs=eT idea that the aggrega
ton Of \ multitude in the streets wO1id
cause vast sums Of money 10 be eXpend
ed that would otha. wisr have been law
jssed on q, her cities did not enter into
our calcu ati0ns. Railroads. hotels,
merchants aud shopkeepers have profit
ed. as an incident OF the celebration
yesterday; but, since these are incapa-
ble u discovering The agency to which
they ave Indebted for their gains, and
ahe press could derive no pecuniary ad-
vantage from the winnings Of the trades
ueople, it cannot be alleged that the
mr. ~ss was actuaied by these sordid mo-
f,v.s The truth il, we wished to see
here on . bright, beautiful day, as was
Yesterday. tie people Of this and ada
cent states as joyous as the sunshine
fhst .bed its genial warmth borne by
n Tinds- am lending un nwOnied luster
10 every happy face THIS once, at least,
We have been forge,tul cf the woes that
for ten years past have oVeIshAnO"eu
tire south This end accom- p'ishen, lne
APl-EAI.-s purlJu,,tss nave bcvD sohiSVeu.
tn re- may have been cOstlier and more
iupOsing exhibitions on yesterday aud
last n ght 10 Mobile and New Orleans,
where the people are ira. oeu
end Accustomed to the task OF
psrfecting spectacular exhloltionsi but
not q sewheTe was there more boundiess
fun. aud not elsewhere have the whole
neon g ~ 4 city aud country participated
nor uuTesfTainedly in delights OF an
osca ion o. this character. Mardi Grss,
from This time forth, becomes as much
an IL sti-utiOu" Of Memphis as Of the
ciiies of the Gulf coast, aod the deh-
ciencies Yesterday will be thoroughly
refu-dipd on the Mardi GTas OF 1873
sunday, December 81. 1871, the AP-
PEAL published the article Of DeLsOn,
a. .i-liad T. from the advance sheets Of
ApD'eton's Journal, furnished by the
alupr From that article we take
she following extract. which was repub-
ri-h4d Ga the APPEAL, in connection
vEi'h lie description February IA 1879
81 the first Memphis carnival: "Mardi
Trs-. the eve Of Lent, is ever the culmi-
ua,tou o. that whirl OF gayety aud en-
isvment crowded iutO the ten short
dNs Of ante Leuteu carnival. Not only
long b sbi., but the very genius OF the
n. ne maLeR this essential. Only IN
The French cities OF America, where
blood T. not only susceptible by
de-esut. bur tempered by climate,
AID hsbit- OF life 10 an absorption OF
recs less gayety-caG q carnival sp.
prlacn to anything like the universal
fessrs n 4 absorb all he Catholic eoun-
tries o. Enn h-Tn Europe. During the
carnival N-g Or cans j. ;be scene OF
uIue continuous revel Private parties
E4iow each other with q rapidly nn.
Ego an al other times; thu psp5r. TEEN
vlh notices of mask balls, military
h.ts ir-meuis balls; the thea eTs are
or ~ led, aud the gaia nights 81 the op
era ai- uaors brilliant than ever. ADd,
not Ieaet, the most cunning secrets OF
the kitchen are called forth To supply
the eudirss round Ci dinners and suppers
slate ani cosy, grand a. d social puo-
lie aud private-gith which the city for
tiie. is inner mao to s y, FRe cdTTae"
The people in the crowded streets are
.lt-Uc Joyous, sBtieipstOry. The city
seems T. bta = it, nerves for the coming
E.ry days wrestle with The q -sn, y
!, orb ~ tha, huge amount OF adlpOse
yp., OF moral Information. But all cll
,,i.,,, - on that asst day, when the LDTd
~ d!-u,le i proclaimed dictator; when
Young a.,i old, Ti:h sud poor, meet III
d. f,,t-tof. Of common subjects; when
Will r-v-I l. the portion OF the gravest
and tpe rperF,sr, until the solemn claug
of mi luight pII'isim. An eud TO that
day %. ! y, Fat ru.-hsy.'
THs BIRTH OF THE CREw.
From tie APPEAL # The sbDye date,
W extract the I'D iOwing article which
vas suij lined Ia proper connection To
D is,-nui-: This ~ ice, widely pup
lt-h, q In cur WEEKLY a. well IS Sun
DAY Appeal. attracted the attention OF
many gentle nan, mnng them two
of oUr editors, who had taken steps
T. r-estz li-h the Sons OF Malta ini-
ffa.ive TO The organization Of q Mystic
CreSi ,sheu We had s visit from our
old friend M.. Specht, WHO declared IL
a1i- purp re 70 cary out the scheme We
hal ia view, inviting the cooperation
OF the people through the press. We
promised, and gave our bet ehJrts' be-
i-yiug lhat in 50 doing we were work.
ing ia the real interests Of Memphis,
ia whose behalf the APPEAL will ever
A,s fund labJTing. We have went for
:, ardi Gras,' We brought it here, and
sra glad o. it. IL hiss chased away the
5,'ua devils Of care: il hss made the peO-
ne iat,gn; ir has put them an Good hu-
NOR ugtt.1 themselves, with each other,
aud slI The world. We join the crowd /;
We fhrpg No our bat aud cry: Long
live Kiug Carnival Vive 10 Mardi-
Ora. nn
THE SPIRIT OF MARDI GRAs, ~.
Tne first Memphis Mardi Gras wss
usirred 10 by mild, clear day, favors-
Die indeed 10 the trial Of the great
.ss hene IN a city which until that time
I'm. not irs meanIBg, and had never
4 II. u.H afFfh finn nd
hfi.fttv. From the APPEALS descrip
tinn We fiad that from an early hour
Tuesday morning, February 10, 1872
the streets were tnroBged with people,
visitprs from he untFy predominating.
Al Que time IL was computed that there
rvere twenty thousaDd persons on the
.-trsers ~ p1ti d 40 -aber three thousand
NF-r- ell mdsque There was q complete
ly-e-cuauge of sexes; wOruen and girls
aue-sred a. men aud bpys, and men
and BOYS a. women and giris, and there
was almost every imaginAble costo me
.sn No such sights or sounds were
- I,af .ra sen or heard in Memphis
= i,dsef. ia any other city OF tnl'
Tnfo, High carnival had hltberH
m a segls 4 book; Mobile aud Ne"
OJs,n. had heretofore moooponzed tni'
fe.tive neriod OF the year. MempnN
s,tv.d that now and beTeaIteI sl'
won q take her place in the reyels OF t tns
LDFdof Misrule. she then swote e Suo
foreve. allegiance to the King OF tne oAt :
uigaL sae then paid, aud VIII neleAi
Ten pay anngslIy, tribute 70 nie ms
jss,y worthy OF his honor ana Bioiy
Aud upoa the fat Mardi Gras Gay
50 u mpats Al APPEAL reporter neie
an later view Tith King CsrpiFay, WHO
IL sus<sF 10 his fNQuest 10 know =
petlp asec3 joarnS lst; "Tbe guttersnips
Ead n1ll4rks Of &eV Orleans call !