The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-25
MARDT GRAS.

New Orleans is the only American city in
which reproduction Of the carnival of the
Latin cities Of Europe is possible. For this
very reason 1t Is to be regretted that all of
the associations In our city, devoted to the
development and perpetuation of this peculiar
feature OF our singular social organism. have
not participated In the festival to-day and
contributed to It's success.
Mard Gras is an impossbility elsewhere in
the United States than here. New York tried
1t last year. and, with all its wealth aud adj
vantages, made miserable failure. Other
great and rich cities have made the same
effort, and invariably with the same result.
In New York the attempted carnival was q
mere procession of advertising vans. The
spirit was not In the people. Rex was but q
player King, and he elected but mimic and
insincere loyalty. Not flag with its purple
and gold and green, was unfurled to the
breeze con amore The breeze itself was crisp
and cold and uncongenial It was not the
soft and pleasant air whose caresses were
| familiar to the banners OF the jocund mons
arch In other words, New York was outside
OF Rex's domain. This is his only loyal city
In the new world and 1t is rank disloyalty for
him to fail of his homage here under any Cir
cumstances.
| Comus and Momus have both been recusant
this year. but we are told th9E Rex has only
been urged by this circumstance to greater
manifestation Of his kindly propensity to
amaze and delight the people, and that his
pageant to-day will (be unparalleled In the
history Of his reign. II will certainly be q
| Me- tsN
know that there IL no perceptible diminuton
in the multit6des of people who have gath
cred here this season. In spite of the disloyalty
of Comus, to witness his royal entry. Every
hotel and boarding house Is full, and the
keepers of 'rooms to rent" and "chdmbres q
louer' have taken In their swinging cards and
mufiled their door bells in order to secure O
little peace of mind.
This only proves that the Carnival is our
destiny and we can't escape 1t. Never again
let there be anything left undone to make of
it grand and complete success-a gorgeous
and unequaled display
The New Orleans Mardi Gras differs from
all others In the world Neither in Rome,
Naples nor Venice are the peculiar features of
our carnival to be seen. Here the whole oc-
casion has taken on new and distinctive
character OF its own. In the place of the roll
licking street fun and dsorganized gro
tesquerie OF the Italian Cities we have o
grand and royal pageantry, such as is not
seen anywhere else in the world. Year after
year this display is becoming more and
more artistic, accurate and beautiful.
The effect of 1t on the esthetical
tastes Of our people is more pronounced, nor
is it confined to the denizens Of our city. 1t
extends far beyond our borders, and one has
only to look over our hotel registers to see
that people are drawn here to witness these
festivities from sections that we have no in
tercourse with, even Of commercial nature
It Is In this way that our fun Is not unprofita-
bic. There are hundred ways In which to look
at this fooery, and IL the glass be fitted rightly
the most rigid economist can take as rosy
view OF 1t as the most profiigate and reckless
The truth Of 1t Is, that Mardi Gras is bo-
nanza for New Orleans, and scatters more
money among the people, there and there
and everywhere" than can be computed. It
Is the habit with the vinegar-visaged moral
lists Of Chicago-for example-to decry our
season Of revelry, and to cite the cost of 1t as
an evidence Of false pretenses on our part to
poverty and distress. III these displays were
dead expense these comments would be but
just. But this Is not true. The Carnival
pays New Orleans, and pays her handsomely,
and for this very reason 1t should be sus-
tanned. Every practical man here knows this
fact, and, from an artistic standpoint, 1t only
remains for us to make these displays as
grand, impressive and true as possible.