New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-05-30
E6lTORlA lksTl.
PA oHRrslaAN, Nay 81, 1917.


4
white paint to offer a cheerful reception
to the visitor, The occupation of the in.
habitants is fairly divided between fish
ing, bathing, assembling at~the depot ia
witness the unexplained miracle of q
steam train, returning to discuss the
vision bf strange faces, and sleep the
sleep of the unsophis ticated under the
tranquilizing effect of good conscience,
good mosquito proof bar and sea
breeze fresh from the Caribbean Sea. No
one could choose more tranquil and re-
spectacle place to doze or dream away a
day or two. After that period the aver
age American, like Crusoe, explores his
island to find whether there be not some
thing to reform or improve. Here he will
find little change since the earliest Settle
ment. 1t is the case with most Southern
villages, and arises from the entire alb
sence of mechanical employment for the
inhabitants. Located usually at some
conspicuous point on highway or some
central point of parish, the entire sub
sistence of the population is drawn from
the agricultural expenditures of the sur
rounding county or the professional ac-
QUESTIONS of official employees. Under the
extraordinary and universal competition
of railroads the profits on the retail of
merchandise are everywhere very small,
and the capacity of village to clothe
and feed its inhabitants and keep its
buildings in repair is about the same with
that of a small attorney with large
family. Note the Southern village found
ed long before Cincinnati, capable of
standing as the grandmother of Chicago.
Its limits are precisely what they were
thirty years ago. They may be unchanged
thirty years hence. The village can sub
sist population according to the agricul-
tural surplus of the surrounding country.
There is no other creative industry, and
the surplus population beyond this re-
source must emigrate. 1t is when we
compare these villages with those of Eu-
rope and America in which the people are
employed in some mechanical production
that the art of building up village into
town becomes interesting and i'm
portant.
If, then, we compare Pass Christian
with other Gulf shore stations, we find
that there are resources which might be
employed in enabling the population to
subsist themselves, and accumulate capital.
There is in the first place climate which
allows tho regular pursuit Of indoor in
dustry without the deduction for fuel,
clothing, and interruption by cold, which
must be charged against labor in all
Northern climates. Then there is the
cheap and abundant supply of vegetable
and fish diet, with access to markets by
railroad.
| Manufacturer
There are many handicraft industries
which may be established in villages,
even without the employment of water OF
steam power. The manufacture of shoes
or of gloves may be as well conducted in
| Ouc VI OuE gOHub 10 III tuObO WulCh dig
strung along any Northern or European
railroad. The straw goods business might
be applied to the palmetto or other fbres
of the country, and it would be as easy to
import the Abres of Yucatan or Panama
into an American village as into France.
Panama hats are manufactured in France
| ,o,,- oA;v,ao &c kba yaIua 80 On00 F-oaoc
each, and if we mistake not there may be
seen on Canal street "Freneh Panama
hats" the material of which has crossed
the sea for manufacture, and returned to
America for market-perhsps under a
protective duty.
A walk through the streets and lanes of
our Gulf villages or others of French set
Element will show that the mulberry tree
abounds. 1t is not probable that the
prominence of this shade tree is accident
al It is most probable the colonists
brought to Louisiana their own staple in
dustries. Silk and wine were as natural
to Frenchman as potatoes or cabbage to
an immigrant from the north of Europe.
Some of the ministers of France were de-
voted to material industry. 1t is probable
the heat of the climate and the ravages OF
insects may have defeated the vine grow
ers. The superior profits of slave grown
staples may have made the smaller indus
tries Insignificant. Though Louisiana is
more favored than Italy itself in the pro-
duction of the silk worm, the compensa-
ton Of labor employed in the filature Of
the cocoon was too small to justify the
employment of female industry. With
the change in the circumstances of our
1 people, why should not community EN-.
ploy every probable resource of incomei
There is one step certainly safe to take.
Italy and France have for some years pas;
suffered from disease OF the silk worm
and have been obliged to import every
year fresh supply Of eggs to insure Q
healthy stock of silk worms. Italy has
appropriated 50,OOO,0 COO francs annually
for this purpose. II has been stated on
the floor Of Congress that the eggs Of The
silk worm, to the value Of $4,000, 900,
passed in one year from San Francisco "a
New York on the way from China and
Japan to Europe. The experiment Of
producing and exporting the eggs Of the