New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-01

auu Cne theatres and public places, wore
generally holiday look. And so the day
passed, and our people and the hosts of
strangers found entertainment and pleas
ure such as can only be found in New
| Orleans on Mardi Gras day.
THE MISTICK KREWE OF COMUs.
| At night the crowd was still greater, con
centrated in anticipation of street pa
geant by mysterious society which annu-
! ally comes from nobody knows where, and
goes back as it comes, under cover Of the
night in cloud Of mystery. The spects-
tors were amply rewarded for waiting and
our visitors for coming here, for soon sfter
the earth had been covered with the sable
mantle Of night, came into view the famous
Mistich Krewe of Comus.
! This organization has preserved the secret
! of its membership for nearly twenty years,
! appearing only on Mardi Gras nights. They
flash out in blaze of glory, are seen for an
hour and disappear, leaving wonder and
admiration II the trail Of the pageant and
curiosity as to the identity Of the actors il
masquerade. The displays Of the krswe
a1o talked Of in all parts of the Union, and,
| according to q Boston writer, ARE worth
crossing q continent to see.'
The krewe first appeared on the streets
| Of New Orleans on the evening of February
y, 1857. The characters then represented
| were drawn from Millions paradise Lost"
Tho next display was February L, 1888,
| xrrn 10 a., o,,I GcyS cF
Ancient Mythology"
On the eighth Of March. 1853, the krewe
| treated the expectant throng to traditional
charae ters Of Twelfth Night, or tie
| County, Pageant Of Misrule.'
February II, 1860, most expensive and
! american History" There were fifteen
cars mounted il imitation Of blocks Of gran
tie. on which were living statues repre-
senting groups OF eminent men, from Chris
topher Columbus TO statesmen ike Clay
Calhoun and Webster.
Another pageant wss given on the thir-
teenth OF February, 1851. TIE tableaux
| represented Scenes from Life in four di-
visions, childhood, youth, manhood ard old
| age There were seen infant and nurse. the
| wee thin, ana its cradle: the boy and boy
ish things; the youth and his tempteys; the
man with his virtues and vices; age with
| blessings and curses, according to rewards
OF good or ill-spent lives. This was the last
procession before the terrible civil war
which Tor five years denied all places from
masquerade, and strangely enough the pic
ture closing the pageant OF 1861 was a
shrouded skeleton. masker representing
Death How many brave young men who
witnessed that pageant theI-when the air
was already filled With rumors of war
went away 70 meet real death on distant
fields OF battla. can never be known; but
those who survived all still remember the
grim spectacle.
A hiatus Of four years interviewed in the
| repTesen tations of the krewe, period
crowded with events which should never
| have occurred, when hand was lifted aga nst
hand. and American men met By millions
and spilled the blood Of each other. The
| wounds Of pride and feeling and body were
too terrible and they have been too slowly
healing The record has been written on
fields SCARED by trenches, forts and crooked
lines of earthW rhs; it has been written il
Geso!ate homes, on marble slabs holding
| dear nanes, Oh the consecrated sod Of IN
known soldiers graves.
Ba. life would be uncomfortable II hearts
must ALWAYS bleed, and SO the krewe
walked again on the thirteenth OF Feb
| ruarv. 1866. There were seen that year
| fanciful groupings. dencmnated The
Past the Present, the Future, and the
| Court Of Comus."
March ). 1867, was seen "The Triumph Of
Epicurus."a comical subject for picturing.
In 1868. February %, came representa-
tive Of THE Senses
Ga the ninth Of February, 1863, the
Krewo Represented tie pageant of "LalIah
| Rookie" 10 great splendor
The next procession was March |, 1870,
| wien the figures represented the History
of Louisiana
n 1871 another poetical subject was
| handsomely treated, representing SpeHcef's
"Faerie Queen
The Mardi Gras Of 1877: brought in review
| ..Ths Dreams Of Homer
February %, 1873, were seen all manner
OF living things, to form which art followed
Imagination run rot. The pageant was
! called The Darwinian Theory
On the seventeenth of February, 1874,
.he Krewe again exhibited an elaborate
pageant representing "The Nations OF the
| World q female figure representing
Europe, and seated on white bull leading
the van, tho tableaus closing with picture
of the Arctic Queen seated on throne OF
! ice.
The Mardi Graz of 1875 passed without
tbe usual celebration. The reason given
for the omission was that political troubles
nut the desire Of masquerade out of the
m;nas of our people. The question need
NOT he here discussed; but it 10 sufficient to
know that the lapse Of two years has
brought back Carnival pleasures, follies II
Won will, with renewed zest. and the MS
tick Kreve of Comns displayed last night Q
,.esant which for elaborateness OF proper
ties. accuracy Of dress and armor' accord:
-, ,o ,l.e beet known authorities, attention
:, data, and evidence Of studious historical
.o.a.-.h baa never been 20 iAled by NOV
,,h,a.us IN the New or Old World. The
| sCo.sS- ga
I .pour Thousand Years Of sacred i''s-
| tory
| TIA npriod embraced WAS from the
| dcatruCtl0n