The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-10-13
THE PROSPECT.
NEW ORLEANS AND THE EP1DEK1c.
N. O. Price Current October ..

discouraged under our present situation
Bat, bad as it really ia, it is not nearly al
much 80 as described by a certain class o
| sensational writer's for the Northern presa
We will not call these il.-omened birds
'croakers." By croakers We understand
men who habitually view only the DARK
side of the prospect, and may possibly ex
aggerate it's evils but predicate their views
from facts and what they suppose must be
their natural conse 4uences.
The penny-a liners we refer to not only
exsggerate, but invent. Their statements
are so far from the truth that we canno:
but attribute them to intentional misreI-
resentation for the purpose of making them
readable-interesting- sationally excit.
ing. Oae describes Canal street as being
nearly entirely deserted-that only a few
haggard pedestrians are seen upon it, here
and there, to give certain degree of life to
the general desolation.
This, undoubtedly, is artistic. The
landscape painter understands it when be
places in the foreground of his picture q
solitary figure to heighten, by contrast, the
loneliness of the view. But unfortunately
for the pen-limner it is not true. We have
passed through Canal street daily. We
have seen the same throngs of earnest men
vending their way to and from the Post
once and the Custom House and the same
female groups, embracing various condi
tions in life, which usually distinguish this
animated thoroughfsre, and make it second
only to tie New York Broadway of the
olden time, before the retailers were driven
from it up town and their places occupied
by Importers, wholesale dealers and bank
era.
These throngs it is true are not numerous
less go than even in the usual dimipished
volume presented during the summer.
But they are still there. The street is not
dead, but alive. In fact it presents 80
much life, that one is surprised that the
wayside retailers should complain of stag
nant trade. But even these complaints
are not always free from exaggeration. If
this be not so, the crowds in the stores of
those dealers who advertise freely must
visit their counters merely from idle
curiosity.
If we pass from our office to the Cotton
Exchange we witness even greater numbers
Of people apparently intent on business.
One who perambulates other streets of
Sunday evening will see the same family
groups assembled on their doorsteps enjoy
ing the balmy evening air. In this they
are doubt inprudent,I the night being
the time when all infectious and malarial
diseases are most readily contracted. So
well is this known to the faculty, that one
distins uished medical writer has placed on
record his conviction that yelloW ferer is
never contracted in the day time. We are
not aware Of any change within the past
few years, but formerly a rice planter in
the vicinity of Charleston, S. c., from May
or June until November spent his nights
at hls city residence and his days on the
plantation, with the assured conviction
that TO sleep one night on the plantation
would certainly result in an attack of what
is there called the "country fever"-a
disease more malignant and fatal than
) elbow fever. If the night air DO 30 pests
lential there, why should it not be here
during an epidemic
The absence of the desolaton described
by the sensational writer's we have referred
to, is DO doubt owing to q very large por-
summer being acclimated, and feeling 10
apprehension whatever of the prevailing
epidemic. So strong is this sense of security
that many have been blind to the fact that
their children of tender age are not sceli-
mated and are therefore in danger of the
mslady, which has prevailed to such an
extraordinary extent among that class of
our population.
All this is the more striking when we
consider the actual distress among the un-
aud the acclimated with unac-
children, who have not only suf-
fered from aickness but from the interrup-
tion to business or the lops of employment.
In this particular the sufferings of large
portion of our people have not been exag-
gerated. Even with all the considerate
kindness and bounty of their neghbors,
friends and fellow citizens who have been
less unfortunate, and the m1nifcient con-
tribution of Northern, Western and foreign
charity, multitude have remained with
out succOr. All classes of our community
have aided in relieving such distresses.
1t has been giving-givlng-giv giving-week
in and week out-from the dime to the
dollar. A true picture of this epidemic
would represent the golden tide of outside
charity flowing in wide, deep and SEEM
ingly exhaustless volume, but mingling
constantly with innumerable rills of home
beDevolence to such an ex tent as to often
drain the donors of the last dollar.
AS a general proposition it may be
safely asserted that ouch drafts upon pri-
vste charity are drains upon capital. In
most caees trade has shrunk to such mar
row proportions, that profits have hardly
sufhced to pay current business charges
in many cases not more than . moiety of
such outlAys. AS q whole, therefore, trade
has resulted in a loss, instead of profit,
and, of course, whatever is given by our
residents in the sacred cause of charity iE
draft upon capital and not on income.
Al $500 IL. 4