The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-12-23

Opera Season-Mrs. Langtry's Defamer
Weather Chnnges-Leglslatiye and The
atrical Notes.
New York, December 18, 1882
EDITOR CHIEF:
The week has been as sensational a
could reasonably bc desired, co,npassin,
within it's seven days three mysteriou
dlsapW,arances, two elopeMents, coupl,
of snicitles, fo,,r murders, the transit o
Venus, the execution of the penal cod,
in the administration Of the Sunday law
the row at the opera aud tho latest Lang
try scandal. His palate must indeed
need high-seasoned food who would mol
be satis6ed with sncl, n repast as this
The way the week began was not indicn
tive of peace or harmony. As have de.
/ clarcd many times in these letters, the
sinners are much moro numerous than
the saints; and while Temperance may
be a most excellent thing to preach
about aud even to practice in certain
cases, there is no denying tho fact that
ram is Il stable institution in New York,
and when you strike ut it you disturb
the foundations of society.
| Sunday broke ominously. There was
an uncarthly stiffness about the day that
was strange and embarrassing. Men
were rushing abont in search of BARRIERS,
but tho BARRIERS were remembering the
Sabbath day to keep it holy and to avoid
II visit to the police court. A festive ci-
gar man thought lie would defy the law,
30 he let down his shutters aud opened
his front door; lie had scarcely got be-
lind his counter before hc was in the
/ grasp of stalwart policeman, and in
precisely five minutes by tho clock he
was immured i'll dungeon cell. Thirsty
souls by dozens tried the ''family en-
trance," but for once the ':family en-
trance" was delusion and Il snare, and
the perishiny men turned sorrowf,lly
away, c,,rsing the authors Of the new
codification who had dug from the moul-
dering debris Of the past the accursed
law which, i'll the language of the old
| Enylisl, ballad, "robbed the poor man of
his beer"
Strange as it may seem, the law which
was put in operation with snch stunning
effect Sunday last has been upon the sta
tnto book for over one hundred years.
We often used t" indulge in fling at
our neighbors in Connecticut about her
Blue Laws, when here in the liberal
State Of New York We had statntes nearly
as stringent, aud although there was no.
special law which prevented man from
kissing his wif., there were Il number Of
statutes which were nearly rs bad, which
would not allow you OH Sundays or week
days to kiss anybody else's. It was a
terrible day to many, and to very few
subject OF much sscongratulation. TIE
good were not made better and the.
wicked were made much wickedcr than
ever they were before. There was an
amount of profanity indulged in that
brought back memories of Sotlom and
Go,norrnh, and spirit Of geacral cnssed-
ness seemed to get possession of the
great body Of The people which bodied
but i'll for the future welfare of the
church. There is over hundred mil
lions of church property lntaxed in tho
State of New York, and this exemption
is purchased by tho snlfcrancc of the
people. The threats of vengeance were
loud and deep that if the church folks
enforced the provisions of the Penal
Code the great unwashei' would tax
every parsonage and church from Cha
taqua to Montank, u mode of reprisal
which woald be far from unpopular with
the great body Of sinners. Notwithstand-
ing the fact that tho police enforced the
law according to tho strictest letter, the
magistrates, i'll almost every case, gave
the law the most liberal construction,
and many poor bootblack and apple |
vendor, who had incsgscd the penalties
of the Penal Code, got off with mills!
reprimand, being told, like the erring
woman of Samaria, "go.and sin no more"
An Irishman who had been hunting all
the morning for toothful of mountain
dew and had been unable to find it, met
a conntryman of his OH the corner of
Mott and Canal streets. "Arrah, jimmy"
says he, edo you know where we can get
a snpf" "Indecd do not" says Jimmy.
''An' is this the result of the great Dino
cratic vichtory I" says Pat. II believe it
is" says Jimmy. "Thin bcgorra," says
Pat, "1'l mover vote the Dimocratic tick
ct "yin."
On Wednesday the town went wild
"ver the transit Of Venus. On every cor
ner from which the sun could be seen,
and from tho windows of thousands of
houses, eager observers, armed will, bits
If smoked glass, could be seen watching
The passage Of Venus across the disk of
tfe sun. Quite a nnml,cr Of people saw
,wo or three Venuses and one man
whom l met on the corner of Warren
street and Broadway, who had just come
'ut Of Harry Comets, swore that lie had
nst taken an observation through the
bottom of a tumblcr, aud be was quito
certain that there were 10 less than six.
Our opera season, which promised to