St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1880-06-05
COnlmendabie Enterprise.
Lake Charles Echo.

|
The New Orleans Democrat announ-
ces lts intention to publish a detailed
description OF the different parishes of
Louisiana, embracing particular ac-
count OF their location, resources, faGil-
tiles, history, and all other features
| necessary to set forth their social, phys-
ical and agricultural condition, so that
the outside world may be brought into
a nearer relation with US. and acquire a
full and Intelligent understanding of
our status.
The importance and value Of such a
publication can scarcely be estimated.
Owing to the hitherto almost total alb
sence OF railroads in this state, Louisiana
is practically a sealed book to all her
sister states, and, Of course, to all
foreign countries. Indeed, for the same
want OF easy and rapid inter -communi-
cation, thousands Of her own citizens
are profoundly ignorant of large por-
tions Of the state. A few years ago we
were present when one of the ablest
judges of the Supreme Couit, a native
born Louisianiau from north Louisiana,
who had never resided out of the State,
made his first visit to the Opelousas
country, to preside ON the supreme
bench. It was in June, the garden
season of the year, and he was shown
the various farms and stock ranges in
that neighborhood. If he had been
shown for the first time the cultivated
districts OF the West India islands his
expressions OF wonder and admiration
could not have been more emphatic.
In substance he said "TEis is all new
to me-. thought this was a low, marshy,
malarlal region, excessively warm in
summer, and cultivable only by an
enormously expensive system of dykes
and drains. l lind 1T country of high,
broad and naturally drained prairIes,
of rich soil and heavy crops, with i'm
proved breeds of all kinds OF farm stock,
with an intelligent farming and stock
raising population, and with climate
much more healthful and cool in sum
mer than that of the heavily wooded
regions of North Louisiana. And be-
cause July on the Opelousas prairies is
much more comfortable than on the
upper Ouachita river, the same supreme
bench procured a change in the law reg
ulating the country terms, so that they
are now held at Monroe in June and at
Opelousas in July.
The very mystery surrounding the
social, historical, climatic and agricultu-
raj features of Louisiana, in the minds
of citizens of other states and foreign
countries, and the glamour of romance
with which she has been invested by the
genius of Longfellow and Gayarre, and
by the scantily published traditions OF
her early settlement, and of the success
i've rules of France and Spain, have ex-
cited abroad all intense curiosity to
know the real facts about life in Louis
lana and now that railroads are about
to. open up every portion of our state to
the inspection of the outer world, that
curiosity will he powerful incentive
to immigration hitler. The New Or
leans Democrat therefore evinces a
most commendable spirit of enterprise
ID determining to publish, at this most
period, a descriptive history
Of every parish in the State, and we are
confident that enterprise will be rewar-
ded, not only by that general prosperi-
ty which immigration will bring, and in
which every Louisiana journal will
share, but by that large increase in the
Of the Democrat which the
publication will surely invite
and merit.