The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1876-12-01
A CITY OF CONTRASTS.

Especial Correspondence of Chicago Timcsl
NEW ORLEANS, Nov. ls.-Ncw Or
leans is the most peculiar city in Amer
lea, If not in the world. 1t is II combi-
nation Of the Saxon and Latin civiliaa-
tions-a combination which is II me-
shanical, aud not II chemical, unity.
The elements Of each mingte, but do
not unite. side by side the two have
lived, have worked, have fought, aud
set the Frenchman here is the French
man of Rue dc Rivoty or 1tUc st. An
tome Of Paris !; and the American is
the average man ofSouthern cities.
This pervading contrast includes not
merely tho present, but takes in the
past. Sitting in the magnificent din
ing-rOom of the famous st. Charles, l
could not but recall the time when it
was in the Hcnith OF its glory. 1t is
yet no ruin, its freseoes are as gorge
Gus, its chandeliers as brilliant and
beaming, it's furnishing as princely as
in its paImiest days; but ii neverthe-
less is not the famous centre of antc-re-
bellion days. Then it was ;,Iiame with
the blaze OF beauty and the flash of
diamonds then, men royal in wealth.
liberality and Sclf-cStimatiOn, crowd
ed its lofty rotunda, and felt that the
external world did not contain their
peers. Now some of these kingfy rem
nants stalk about in seedy clothes, and
with matted hair and gray, unkempt
heads. Here and there, silent, haugh-
ty, and scifposscssed, in deep mourn
ing,go the princnsscs of the old regime.
They cannot retain the old they will
not accept the new. And so they move
about, avoiding contact; and being in
the world are Shrinkingly sensitive to
be not of it.
IIvcrywhcre the niggcr; single mig
gers nfgGcrs in pairs; i'll three, skies,
dozens, iiltics. They roost on door
steps they lounge on dry goods boxes;
they rcSt on curbStOncs; they lean
against corners. tn fine, wherever
there is auyht which can be sat on or
lain upon, or leaned against, II nigGcr
has prc-cnptcd it and has secured II To-
cation one pair of shoes to every
other niggcr; one whole pair to every
80 one entire coat to every fifteen hun-
drcd ono respectable hat TO each fiji
teen th0HsaHtl-titi5 is Il fair average,
Outside Of walters aud BARRIERS, he mis-
sion of the New Orleans negro seems to
be To loaf, TO sun himself, To sleep, to
idly wait for that millennium which
his adhesion to the fortunes OF the car
pct -bagEcr. Thus far he has secured
The priceless boon of being allowed to
votc--as his carpct-bag master orders
him to of being ircc--to loaf, rot, and
starvc of being the white mans equal
in all the worse qualities ofthc white
mans nature.
Perhaps the most marked feature OF
he city is the present condition ofthc
old st. Louis Hotel. lis past and pres
cnt perfectly reflect the past and pres
cnt ofa large class Of citizens. Before
the war, the st. Louis Hotel was IA
centre nj which gathered, during four
months in the year, the flower of the
Creole element. During these months
the hotel was Il palace, containing more
! wealth, beauty, and cultivation than
any court in Europe. The women who
t-cuucntcd it were proud of their line
age as are any of the most aristocratic
families Of the Old world. They were
beautiful. naughty, graceful ; theii
| wealth was unlimited; and they con.
stitutcd Il class uueauaied for accom-.
! plishmcnt5, for high breeding, for pa =
| trician surroundings.
The war came, slavery was abolish
ed; the fathers, husbands, brothcr
! went into the service and were killed
or lived to find themselves beggars.
| new regime came in, and along will
| its Creole patrons, the st. Louis deciin
ed and became valuelcSS. 1t was take
by the State for capitol. Its gran.
dining rooms and parlors, with thei
elegant frcScoes, are cut up into office
and the coarse heel of the African no,
grindS over floors once swept by tn
trains of the Creole women.