The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-12-30
NEW ORLEANS LETTER.
oOrrosnondence Of the Herald.

NOitOSlOuutHIS VI NilC A1OloAu-
New ORLEANS, December 26-Well, the
day of mince-pies, fat turkeys, horrid horns,
egg-nogg and Chinese tire-crackers, has
come and gone, and the streets are compar-
atiyely quiet this morning. 1t was a
murky, drizzling day the leaden skies did
give US, cold and bleak, and so pster famil-
las had as rule to keep himself indoors
and spend the birthday of Christendom at
the domestic hearth-stone. Canal street,
the grand boulevard of this gay, beautiful
metropolis, was all aglow with moving
masses of humanity on Christmas Eve, and
the magnificent store-window cases shene
resplendent with their gorgeous contents Of
gems, rich and rare, or tastily-arranged
wearing apparel of silks and sstins
or whatever else they were dressed with
There are more people in New Orleans new
than there have been for years, and money
is more abundant and more generally dis
ributed Services were held at
THE VARIOUS CHURCHES
throughout tn: day, while midnight masses
were celebrated by the Catholic denomina-
ton and in eloquent appeals to the Holy,of
Holes went up the thrilling tones from the
organ and human Threats as they peaed
forth the Credo, the Veni Sancti, the
Glora in Excelsis, Nozart's 18th mass
ETC., all in honor Of the two soft hands of
infancy and gentleness that were controll-
ing the stars and the world some eighteen
. centuries ago when the nobility of a stable
birth eclised the grandeur and the lux
ury of chiseled marble home.
At the asylums, on Christmas trees,
hung the evidence, of memory and
charity and generosity, hung toys and cor
nucopias, hung clothes and hats and bon
nets and shoes for the fatherless and moth
erless inmates of those honored sanctu-
aries.
ADJUSTMENTS, ETC.
The opera-houses and theatres were IN
full blast. At the Grand Opera House,
Genevieve Ward played Stephanie in her
great piece, Forget-Me-Not; while at the
Bourbon ST. Italian Opera House, Madame
Gerster gave us Lucia for the matinee,
moving to rapture and tears her large and
select audience by her eloquent and SYM
pathetic notes. We heard many Of the
dilettanti who have heard Patti, Frezzalini,
Sontag, Lucca and other celebrities of the
lyric stage, say that they never heard any
thing equal to that of yesterday. At the
Academy Of Music, Mr.. Jos. Murphy still
runs Kerry Cow and Shaun Rhue. Atthe
st. Charles Theatre spiritual seances are
being given for the benefit of those who like
to see feats OF legerdemain and sleight of
hand, or for those deluded ones who are
swindled into the temporary belief that
spirits from the other wsrld are among
them playing all sorts Of undignified and
absurd pranks. The
PHoRTY PHUNNY PHELLows
will again appear during the Mardi- Gras
festivities and will give grand ball on the
evening of the Dist Of February, which, you
know, is Mardi-Gras evening. Their ihvi-
tatIons are out and are perfectly exquisite
in design and finish, and will be long kept
q Gnntyanir Of tho fata tbou
memorate. Last season, it will be recol-
lected, they created the highest amuse-
ment, representing Sarah Bernhard; Re-
becca at the Well, caricatured, and some
of the leading political and social events of
the hour.
One of the peculiar celebrities here is the
once
CHAMPION CHESS PLAYER,
Paul Morphy. He is crazy new, and may
be sometimes seen on Canal and Charities
streets quietly walking along communing
aloud with himself about some fancied law
suit he is being afflicted with and which is
reducing him TO poverty. He is now about
45 years of age. Poor Paul, | knew him as
boy and loved him for his magnificent in
tellect, his noble heart and his genial man
ners. | was his college mate at Spring
Hill, near Mobile, Alabama He was in
the graduating class when | en-
tered and was put in the Fresh
man. have seen him learn
letter by letter, word for word, the PROPOSE
tons in geometry, his history lessons for
examination and the grammar rules. Hewas
q rigid, communing Catholic. | have seen
him play there by the hour with one Of the
professors, and with that magnificent speci-
men of manhood, my friend Edward Ber-
mudez, now Chief Justice of the State OF
Louisiana. He played subsequently against
the foremost champions of the world and
defeated them all. Once he played nine
games blindfolded simultaneously, winning
six of them, drawing one and, think,
losing two But alas, that brilliant intellect,
trained for the law, that honest heart that
neverswould bet on his own or any others
games at chance is now eclipsed in
the gloomy night of insanity
whose merciess phase keeps
him in continuous misery, despite
his really comfortable pecuniary condition
On last Friday night another chess
champion here, Captain George II. McRen
sic, undertook a tournament against al
corners in his fayorite game At Stable:
placed in ellipse, were seated rs players to
contest the palm with him. Passing rap
idly from one table to another, never paus
ing beyond a minute for move, one by
one his distinguished and skillful adverse
ries succumbed to his superior ability be
fore the midnight hour. Captain McKen
sic is a cannie Scot and has vast reputa
ton in Europe, is larse-lramed, tall anc
vigorous man.
THE RUSSIAN JEWS.
In conversation this morning with q
wealthy Jewish citizen, he said tc
me that this country might
expect during the coming yea
an immigration of Russian Jew!
exceeding in number 10000. These moi
speaking our language, it becomes serious
question how best TO provide for them
Plans are on foot here tor colonizing them
and furnishing them with good, cultiyabl,
farms, until they can get under way, Learn
the language the customs, the laws ans
the people of this country and their vicin
age. The subject is one of national i'm
portance and concerns not only oar Jewish
otizenry but all of us. They will doubtless
be valuable acquisitions to our general in
dustrial system, and Texas should at once
look after the matter and do what she cal
to secure them. Many of them are excel
lent mechanics and understand tho trades
such as tailoring, boot and shot
making, wagon manufacture, etc, The!
can be utilized to u wondrous degree
The merchants of the Crescent City ar
lnakino fnr a hpnyv influx of business whpl