The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-04-01
OUR NEW. YORK LETTER.

l
Scenes at the Walking Match-The Rui
the Exhibition has Left Behind-Politica
Excitement on the Nomination of Rosco
Conkling-The Weather, Business, Etc
| New YORK, March II, 1882.
EDITOR CHIEF:
1t is no use to moralize, to preach, o
to howl. We may as we'll take things a
we find them, and acknowledge the fac
that we are not naturally good, but ar,
prone to evil as the sparks fly upward ,
The average man is about the same th.
world over. 1t makes very little differ
ence, after all, whether he is bootblacl
or a minister, a tinker or a congressman
When you rub through the outside shell
and come to the natural man, they are 81
much alike that it would require q
chemical analysis to find out the differ.
ence.
A year ago, if man had asked nv
opinion, I would have told him that
walking matches were dead rs door
nail in point Of fact, as dead as two
door nails. This week all is changed,
Once moro the city is wild. The stately
New York Times fills a couple of columns
with an account Of the tramps. The
somhre Tribune was also filled with the
report. The Herald, to which dog fights
and prize mills are worth many thou
sands q year, was in its glory all the
week, and huge bulletin in front of it's
Office kept the eager public Informed of
tho fluctuations in the scores of tue
sawdust knights. Ifyou want to moral
ize, so look at the crowd that stands in
the street from early dawn to the going
down Of the sun. It won't do to classify
them all as fools, for they are not. Beside
q ragged hoodlum, with his blaekinp-box
siung over his shoulder, you may see a
banker'or a merchant. The same eager
look is in tho eyes of both. The boot
black has forgotten to sing out shine,
sir" for he is intent OH figuring up how
much Hughes has caught upon Rqwell,
and whether Hazel or Hart will hold a
third place in the race. What are plilos-
ophy, or moral reform, or religion, along
side of such al important question as
his! A broker passes Oh his way to
Wall street; his pockets are full of
and Jay Gould stocks; the
market has tnnbled tive points, but he
hardly knows it; for just now he is try
ng to find out how long the little En-
5lishman's wind is likely to last. The
gentleman leaning agains: the lamp-post
With straightforward coat and a
ound white coliar-band is the minister
If a fashionable Fifth Avenue church. It
nay be possible that he is gathering
for 4 sermon; bnt you see he
marks little book every time the Herald
ulletin man changes the score. He was
famous college athlete few years ago,
nd rowed in several of the college races.
nd the form Of ordination failed to |
ill the old Adam in him, and now,
Thile he should be preparing his sermon,
g is studying the score. Near him /
lands hod-csrrier, with his empty hod
pom his shoulder. He is a friend of
[nghes. and, as an 1rishman, he will feel
'rever disgraced if the Englishman
bould come out ahead. And why should
OF hod-carrier, snd broker, minister
nd hoodlnm feel interested The victor,
II Saturday night, pocketed for his six
ays' work almost as much as would pay
,e salary OF the President Of the United
tates for d year, and as much as would
ay the salary of u Judge Of your
upreme Conrt for fonr years, aud more
ian = halfdozen first-cl,ss mechanics
'uld earn in long life.
The walking exhibition was instruc-
We, if not profitable. On the opening
Ight, while the peaceful Sabbath bells
ere ringing and thousands were wend.
g their way to church: crowd of
pickpoc!Sets, burglars, horse
ckies, gentlemen, women who were not
sntle, loaters, bummers aud street.
alkers, surged and fought, screamed
I'd svore, trampfing down the weak
I'd dcfying the police till, at last,
aptain Williams sometimes known a.
'e cIubber) called ont tue reserves, and,
: lively use of the locust, which
suited i'll several black eyes and broken
'ads, succeeded in obtaining a whole
me respect for the police, if not for the
'bba.h. All the week, while these
vagabonds have tramped II
rough the sawdust aud tanbark, thou
n,s upon thousands have roared them
Ives hoarse, aud foolish women have
ent hundreds Of dollars for flowers.
nrt, the Negro, though away behind n
e race, found lots of admirers to give
IN floral tributes.
can be more melancholy than
Q last days Of even a frst-class race.
10 men who began full of life and
gor gradually become pale and worn
d baggari. Those who are ahead
-nggle on after nature cries out "Stop.n
I'd when the goal is i'll sight they
'gger and totter on to the last point
human endurance. But, as 1 said at
e beginning of this letter, it is no use
moralIze or to preach; the hard fact
,res MS in the face that Thousands of ,
eple in the past week have paid their ,
liars to see the walking match who
IN LII not lrira e.. ,-.