The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1883-04-28
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.

icuffs at the American Institute-Anothel el
Big Defalcation-Dynamite Congress.
mans Method of Paying Debts-Beechel
and Gehenna-Wan Ssreet-May Day In
New YORK. April 81, 1883.
EDIToR CHIEF:
1t is only a week since we laid to rest one
of the grandest characters that this land has
ever known. Bowed with the weight of
four score years and ten, his heart remained
green and youthful till the angels sum
moned him. And yet with all his humility
with all of his charity, this man was an
autocrat, with moro power over the hearts
of men than the Emperor Of Germany or the
Gar of Russia. The ca,,aiUe of New York
pay but little Difference to anybody; we
have truckmen here who 60 about looking
for fight, and sometimes they don't have
to go far to get it; they never turn out il
they can help it; they glory in street block
AIDES, aud are never so happy as when they
can lock wheels with an omnibus or pri-
vate carriage. 1t is just victuals and drink
to them to break the wheel off q stock
brokers' buggy or passing grocery wagon.
They are an ugly lot, and yet the worst of
them would turn out for Peter Cooper's old
rusty buggy, and give him the road. Nc
matter how crowded Broadway, Peter
Cooper never had to look for passage; all
the drivers knew him, and they gave him
tho road as if no were an Emperor. No
Spanish King with his Alguazils, no Caesar
with his lictors could have received moro
Difference than this infirm old man from the
roughs of New York. He might have gone
with bank bills sticking out of his pocket,
and doubt if there was pickpocket bad
enough in our city to rob him. In the
storniest times of riot and disorder he could
have walked the street unharmed as if he
bore charmed life. Think of it, ye rich
men, who are boarding your millions, which
will soon take wings to themselves and fly
away. This dead man built his own monl-
lnent a quarter of q century ago, and he
visited it almost every day, and he made
that monument blessing to thousands and
thousands, who remember him as their
benefactor and saviour. Other men in this
city have left benefactions which, measured
financially, dwarf the splendid gifts of Peter
Cooper. john Jacob Astor left library to
the city which, with the buildings and en-
tlowment, will cost couple of millions.
James Lennox left library, too, which is
one of the chief ornaments Of our noble
park, but these gifts were intended for the
rich. The poor man had no business there !;
unhappy the wretch with poor coat aud a
ragged vest who put his nose inside of their
magnificent portals. Not many tried tho
experiment, or if they did, not above once.
Dives and Lazarus had no common meeting
place inside the Astor Library, but in the
Cooper Institute be could come if he was
ragged, but clean and orderly, and receive
as much attention as If he were worth a
million. Good books were at his service,
and plenty of them, and he can read them
at his case. Peter Cooper was the autocrat
of mems hearts lie ruled by divine right !;
no man envied him his possessions, for
every man was willing to acknowledge til at
none could administer his wealth so Justly
aud 80 wisely as he. No strikes troubled
Peter Cooper no discontented workmen
laid in wait to mob him or to kill him no
evil tongues made sore his heart. What is
Jay Gould, or Vanderbilt. or Astor, or Rus
sell Sage, or Jim Keene alongside of Peter
Cooper What monumentdid A. T. Stewart
leave behind him with his fifty millions of
dollars compared with the Cooper Institute
He raised a towering spire over the most
noble mausoeum on the American Cont
nent, where he thought his ashes would re-
pose; but they never will rest there till the
Judgment day. Astor is only remembered
by the rich-the poor have nothing to re-
him by the names of Gould and
Vanderbilt are execrated by the millions
from whom their millions have been wrung,
and who patiently wait for the day of rcck-
oning, which they hope may come at last.
There is something in immortality after all
Peter Cooper in his grave is more alive to-
day than any other thousand men in the
United States his name is on evcrybody's
lips with blessing ; his example is quoted
as model for the youth of all aftertime.
Will the soulless money changers profit by
his example, and earn blessing before it is
too latel
Looking over the papers the other day, /
saw, grand exhibition at the American
Institute Monday, April 10TH Now the
American Institute is situated in the Cooper
Institute, and the American Institute is
Dne of our ablest conservators of science in
the land, so seeing this was {; scientific ex-
hibition, thought must take il in for the
benefit of the readers of I" Broadbrm let
ters who are uncomm only heavy on science
1t was not long before discovered that the
American Institute building was away up
town, and the scientific entertainment con-
sisted of game of tisticuffs between one
! phenomenal English boxer named Mitch
ell. Many of the most noted boxers in the
country were present and the usual assort-
nent of bankers, politicians, gamblers and
thieves. All sorts of buffers, buffers and
oafers were mingled in the crowd men
who had served long terms in States prison,
md promising young chaps who expected
eventually to reach there, were seen ON
every hand. After various encounters the
stars of the evening appear red-one Of them
/ man of colossal mould, the other youth
resh and rosy, but one of the most perfect
specimens of physical manhood ever seen in
New York, but to all appearance no match
or the giant whom he faced. The con-
est commenced, and in a few moments the
agile little Englishman convinced that tur-
suleut crawl that hefore thana stoal .ha