West Feliciana sentinel. (St. Francisville, La.) 1876-1877, 1877-06-09
THE CARNIVAL FAILURE.
memphis Appeal

Xhe New Org people, resolved to
show the folks living ia the land Of
sunshine how they. =" the wise men
Of the East" can paint the lily and
adorn the rose," undertook, some
time ago. to get up carnival, but
the New York one was 10 make
that of Rome pale before it. all the
grand professions Of Naples, Milan
and Paris were to fade at the shin
ing of its effalgence. while those Of
Memphis, Mobile and New Orleans
were to be quenched, extirpated
and annihilated, now and forever.
The Southern carnivals, beautiful
as they had been, were to be inn
pafed on the New York harpoon,
and the glories Of their last Mardi
Gras, like the gorgeous hues Of the
dying dolphin, were to be the final
throes preceding eternal extinction.
In New York committees were
raised, money was subscribed, the
taste. the talent. and the vast re-
sources of the Metropolitan city
were laid under contribution, and,
one day last week, the sun at noon
day, aud the sparkling stars at
night, looked down upon the mighty
pageant, the wondrous outcome of
the skill, the genius. and the con-
summate taste of New York. As
the Eeuphian, accustomed to the
woca-- th.- rake each Mardi Gras
an elysicn. ard stamp it on his
memory, reads the account of the
New York effort to rival tho Mem.
phis carnival, to leave it behind a
drooping, paid shade, he cannot but
smile with pity. He can see how
utter was the failure, and can I'M
derstand why failure came. First
aud foremost, there was not that
sympathy among the multitude we
End here ; nothing of that quick
sense of beauty and that admiration
for it, that perception of the flush
of poetry, and that subdued yield
ing to it's power. There, the line
Of procession was broken many
who were made personators of tie
characters we're hobnobbinp and
testing with the crowd ;.Itihe lights
were bad, some Of tthhe floats bum
sled along che street in gloomy
sa'ence;; looking like dilapidated
w.sx>work shows under q tallow il
Elimination ; now came two or three
cars together, then, after lapse of
FIVE minutes, another, solitary and
alone, isolated, dreary, and discon-
ISOLATE, like "a painted ship upon
painted ocean," It was the old
story somebody made money by
accepting poor material, or by pre-
senting bills for material that was
never had , and for services that were
never performed. Advertisement
buggies, show cases, and beer
wagons were sdmitted into the pro
cession " for considera ton, (which
consideration went Tito somebody's
private pocket. The corpulent
tradesman who performed the part
of Rex, paid dearly for the honor.
but the money became the private
perquisite of an enterprising indi'
vidual. Spite Of these sources Of
income, the concern "didn't pay"
and the committee and managers
have had sharp quarrels over loug
bills, for whose discharge there are
s no effects" Floundering in
troubles, out of poc1et- disorder,
fraud, and failure all on hand to-
gether, the New York carnival like
the once celebrated buffalo hunt on
the rural plans Of Hoboken, haunts
the lately boastiog citizens like
ghost. Contrast this
with our Memphis Mardi Gras-
with the good humor and orderly
- tbo o,o,pla %ho+ Gil tho