The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-26


ment. These proceedings seemed to have a
two-fold purpose the enjoyment of the ac-
tors and the edifieation of a long legged,
slim-bodied idol, which, II 1t had possessed
the ability to do It, would have deliberately
and In cold blood murdered them all
Africa was followed by
Europe.
during the time of the Druids. Six of THESE
good men, who would have been the better for
a wash and the judicious use of a comb, were
on hand, attending an altar on which was
burning sacrifice. The altar was erected In
front of one of the most desirable residences
of the day, built of sticks and clay and peb-
bes, and rooted with straw, 1t was the dom
icile of a very interesting couple, whom the
public were requested to consider q bride and
Bridegroom, waiting for the Druids to get
through with their mummery to be madeone
There was a quantity Of dried fish artisti-
cally spitted on stakes. which made eonve-
nient and attractive iarder.
= representation OF
Greece
came next. On throne was Midas, the
king who thought it would be jolly thing
|
gold He appealed to the Gods for the favor,
and the deities, laughing in their sleeves, as
they had way of doing, conferred it. Midas
enjoyed himself until dinner time, and, salts
fled with the sport of the day, he sat himself
down to his favorite dish Of corned beef and
cabbage and found that the Gods had been
entirely too obliging, for as fast as he ladled
the appetizing matter into his mouth 1t
turned into the precious metal. As the ee ing
Of it under the circumstances was ct21ula-
ted to injure his digestion he passed. It, II
was good joke for little while longer but
1t was continued until 1t became entirely too
| practical in its nature, and Midas was in
danger of starvation; and then he made
another appeal, and the Gods being of an
accommodating disposition, advised him to
soak his head AMI take d bath, both OF which
he did, and washed all the gold out of him.
He lived for number of years after this and
enjoyed his meals to the day of his death.
| Midas on another occasion, got into
trouble He acted as umpire in musical
match between the gentlemen of the other
world, and gave the medal to one Of them
named Pan, whereupon Apollo, a rival confess
tant ornamented Midas head with pair of
asses ears which, as no amount of pulling
could remove them were buried with him.
Homer was at the foot of the throne show
Ing Midas what he could do with harp,
and reciting blank verse. Poor Homer, his
was sad fate. After writing poetry for
number of years, andsin this way doing all
the harm it is possible for one man to do. he
was taken off in an unusual and unnatural
manner
On q certain occasion he met party of
newsboys who had been over to Harvey's
canal fishing, and as might have been ex-
pected of him or any other average poet, he
couldn't let them pass on without putting In
an oar and he sweetly inquired, "What luck ?"
which every sportsman will understand means
how many did you get. One of the boys
seeing he had a "duffer" to deal with. after
getting light for a cigarette, answered, "As
many as we caught we left, as many as we
left we caught" Homer saw it was eonun-
drum, but instead of asking for "an easy one
as any right-minled man would have done he
undertook to guess it. He pondered on it for
| a long, long time and at last gave it and the
ghost up together. The mental strain was
too much; he could wrestle with poetry, but
when it came to riddles he was floored Be
sides Homer was Alcibiades, the states
man, looking more like modern ward
politician the day after O primary than
anything or anybody else. He was buzzing
Plato. endeavoring to get that old philosopher
to support his party, promising in considera-
tion constables position. Plato, however,
was not that kind of man; he was figuring
for the Legislature, with the intention, ii he
got in there, Of introducing an act entitled
can act to prohibit marriage" When Plato
was young man his girl went back on him
and he soured on the sex, and advocated
community Of wives and property. He died
an old bachelor.
Behind the throne of Midas was Perieles
another patriotic citizen Of Greece. He was
also politician lin those days they called
| them statesmen, and was without doubt one
of the boys, and ran with the short hairs, for
he lobbied through the Legislature, first se5-
sion OF the year 46i b. c., an act which broke
up nice little ring of kid-gloved gentlemen
known as the Court of the Areopagus," which
had for years controlled the politics of the
city and State and had meddled considerably
in religion, and tried all political cases COM
ing under the election law. He got rid of
trial by jury, with all the facilities for buying
them and fixing them which exist at the pres
ent day After q brisk political career, and a
busy life, he took the plague "a very foolish
thing on his part, and died.
There was also in the party that erratic old
party, Mr.. Diogenes, who had the reputation
of being n very wise man, and in consequence
was at liberty to do a great many foolish
things which would have got man Of
average intelligence into the City Insane
Asylum.
1t is related of him, that one day when he
was, no doubt, drunk, though historians are
polite enough to omit mention of the fact, he
stole an old lantern, and lighting it went
wandering around through the principal
thoroughfares Of Athens, and when the police