The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-03-09
LETTER FROM NEW ORLEANS.

E. C. D.
LETTER FROM NEW ORLEANS.
MardIs Gras-Southern States Fair
immigration Convention.
New ORLEANS, La, March 3, 1876.
MIssRs. EDrroRs: Believing you may wish
to hear from this city at this time of unusual
activity, I will write you briefly upon its
salient points of interest It'll has so occurred
that the Southern States Fair, the Carnival
Season, to say nothing of the immigration
Convention, have oil come off at the same
time These various influences have COM
bined to make New Orleans, for the past
week, one universal scene of life and festiYi-
ty. And it may be safely assumed that citi-
zen and visitor have alike enjoyed to the
full measure the opportunities for pleasure
of the gay and voluptuous city. The days
and evenings have passed but too rapidly.
On Monday and Tuesday the streets were
thronged with an immense multitude-even
the visitors being estimated at some fifty
thousand people. About noon of the former
day, Rex landed from his steamer amid the
acclamations of his loyal subjects. How
instructive is the reverence for royalty in the
popular mind, to respect the symbols OF
power and to participate in its splendor. In
this case sham king-the king of day or
two and for defined purpose-is received
into his capital with the welcome of music,
the thunder of cannon, the applauses of
multitudinous thousands of people; and
very promptly the aristocracy, the CONNER
cial classes and riff-raff of his kingdom
gather around to do him honor. The pro-
cession of Prince Comus on Tuesday evening
was admirably executed, symbolizing the
more prominent parts of the Jewish scrip
lures. There was seen the fair garden OF
Eden, and Eve tempting with seductive
grace Adam to eat of the forbidden apple
There, too could be seen the uncxamplod
splendor of Solomon while entertaining his
charming visitor the voluptuous Queen of
Sheba, from the upper waters of the slug
gish Nile. The gorgeous procession of orr
entail costume and sensuous beauty, closed
by the triunlphal entry into Jerusalem of
the Emperor Vespasian, and his conquering
son and General, Titus. During the evening
the Rex ball came off at Exposition Hall,
where could be seen the beauty, grace and
accomplishments of New Orleans. And
now the question may be asked: What is
the use Of all this public pageantry and this
grotesque or gorgeous pantomime? 1t is
becoming habit of the country, for which
no apology is needed. 1t is the popular as-
sertion that there must be pleasure as well
as business, recreation as well rs economic
energy 1T is n moral protest against the
puritanism of the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries, which sought to Danish pleasure
and beauty from the interests of life. Tho
spirit of the occasion is the wholesome spirit
of pleasurs-the joyous spirit of wit, inyen-
ton, art and taste; the spirit of the society
and the spirit of comedy combined; the
spirit of gayety and of the charming license
which the masquerade always gives to the
refined and innocent.
But now, gentlemen, let me call your at
tcntion to the immigration Convention,
which assembled in this city on Wednesday
last, and which was composed of delegates
from thirteen States. The object of the con-
yention has been to induce immigration
into the South and West; or, to speak more
correctly, mainly in the South, for consid-
erable number of people in the West desire
to move into the Cotton States. have met
in this city men of capital from the upper
waters of the Mississippi, who desire to in
| vest with us and to move here. But they
say, as it has been said for years past, that
an apprehension exists in the North that
such immigrants would be unwelcomc and
indeed in danger in the South. The con-
vention, therefore, very properly directed
some of its labors to the removal of such
misapprehensions, and to assure them that
laborcrs and cntcrprising capitalists were
earnestly desired by the Southern people,
and that dislike was felt only for the carpet
Dagger, who comes not to work, but by ap-
pealing politically to the lowest and most
dangerous clements in our midst, seeks to
obtain Office against the interests and rights
of the respectable people.
Further, the convention recognized the
necessity of bringing out popular interest
in the subject, and to induce, if possible,
practical support on the part Of the States
for the advancement of policy so necessary
for their wcll.being. Our people are just
beginning to learn the mumentous truth
that power goes along with population; that
no civilization, whatever its character, can
afford to overlook suchan element ufstrcngth.
We have learned this truth when, alas, it
was too Intel IIud We but realized this fact
twenty-five years ago, how different the po-
sitiun of the South History would not bc
what it is. But we may ut lcast act moro
wisely for the future, and recover lost in
huence and create rral power.
The South needs many more people than
it has to cultivate its suil and 10 diversity
its pursuits, intellectual and material. Such
policy will create higher aud more varied
civilization. The country requires the in-
dustral manhood of the lrshman, German
und Frenchman To bring out its capacities
for prosperity and wealth. Everything i'll
life requires labor for its support. 1t is the