The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-11-06
THE MAGNOLIA CITY.
The Poet of the sierras Discovers New
Orleans, and In a Letter Treats ofits Pc
culiar Features and Varied Attractions.
Correspondence of the co,ricr.Journas.

Orleans, and In a Letter Treats ofits Pc.
culiar Features and Varied Attractions
Correspondence Of the Courier. journal.
New ORLEANS, Oct. "a, 1884.
have discovered a city here, not fal
from the Mexican seas, which is built
below the levels of the river. I have
before me city here where the wells are
built above the ground. I have come
upon a city here Of nearly quarter Of
million people, where the graves are built
on top of the earth. And the dead
people in these graves which are built on
the top of the ground in the heart Of
this mighty and antique city outnumber
the living.
But Notwithstanding all that this is a
healthful and delicious city. The wa
ter is not so bad after all. I have not
yet tried the graves.
. New Orleans, on first sight, reminds me
of very pretty girl with smudged face.
And it is to be admitted that she is a
pretty old pretty girl, too. And she
knows tremendous lot, I can tell you.
But for all that, she is a girl that you
can't. help falling in love with at first
sight to save your life: -
BY THE BANKS OF THE MIGHTIEsT RIv-
;'ssiS & Err.
It has mouth and cab speak for itself,
l hear you say. MY friend, take of
your hat, and be serious in his presence.
Millions of thoughtful men of Europe
would gratefully bare and bow their
heads here. These waters come down to
.usr from the stormy North with their story
of nearly thirty States. They have
nourished and ministered to needs of a
hundred millions of people. Their work
is done for this year. They are on their
way to the seas to rest. They are entitled
TO respect.
: I have basked on the banks of the
Amazon, gone allthe way to the Ganges
ito see the worshipers of water, made my
home on the banks of the Nile, but no.
where have I found a river at all like
this have come upon here. This is a
strong and swift and sweeping river. 1t
is up and doing and entirely alive. 1t is
an American river in its fullest sense.
An Independent river is this, too, running
on its own account, turning aside for
neither Republican nor Democrat.
Maybe it is running the Independent
ticket. Maybe it is for st. John, the
cold water man.
And how few Americans have seen
this. mighty river, or either. source or
mouth. I know plenty oil pretty Eastern
ladies who are willing to be counted we'll.
travelled. Not one Of them in ten ever
saw this greatest natural wonder. of the
world.
Lord Houghton, to whom dedicated
my book about the Amason, gave din.
ner in; celebration Of, the little, circum-
stance, at which many American ladies
were gathered. A pair of these beauties
were diyerting his lordship after dinner
with Che wonders of the Nile, which they
had visited.
Now, Lord Houghton owns about half
a county of land in Florida, and, with a
pretty clear eye to business, Isuppose, it
occurred to him to get some account of
the Mississippi as we'll as of that tiresome
and too familiar Nile.
An Euglishman's knowledge Of Amer
ican geography is not very reliable at best,
and it is no disparagement to imagine
that his lordship in his minds eye located
his own Florida possessions not far from
the banks of the mighty American river.
You guess the sequel2 But. ah, it
would take Henry Irving to depict the
disgust on that old nobleman's face as he
turned and silently waddled away from
these cultured and travelled ladies who
had not seen their own wonder of all the
civilized world-this majestic Mississippi,
which had been all this time flowing in
their back yard, unnoticed and un-
known
I. But it seems like profanity to prattle
on and try to praise and call my country's
attention to this silent majesty of waters.
Ah, De Soto, what tomb is yoursl 1t
was time for you to die. The Mississip-
pi's rushing banks were fitting place for
you to leave the world behind; his bo-
som, his great strong breast a place to
make the gods envious of your rest.
Like Balboa after naming the Pacific,
like Moses, indeed, when looking upon
the promised land and the rivers Of it
and the place of rest for his people, it
was your right to die and remain forever
a part of that which you had discovered
to your people.
1t is hard to escape tie immense asci.
nation of this vast surging, sweeping
river before me here; hard to cease say.
ing things of this tremendous stream,
this artery, the life blood of our broad
republic. And, oh, how the poets of old
the poets when poets we're upon earth
would have loved this river! There is
not poem in the world worth reading
that has not rivers running all through
it, from the Meander and the other little
rivulets around Troy, on down to the
story of the unhappy Arcadians, whose
final place of rest I can almost see from
my household. All such places in the
Bible are made green with running riv-
ers. Paradise, that it might be of
matehless elegance and eternal verdure,
gathered three great rivers in one.
This wonderous river here, like all
things that are great and full of power
and of splendor, is very still, very docile
seemingly, as if it might be easily mar
aged, led or driven anywhere. But con-
template its vast volume as its sweeps
past! Its depth? 100, 200, 300 feet
That is the Mississippi river. And yet,
you American mud.heads, you railroad
makers, you hardly know we have such a
river in the country. Shame on you !!
But, sirs, you may need it, need all Of it,
every drop of it, to-water your stock.
A THOUSAND YEARS HENCE.
The Tiber is, comparatively, a arivulet.
But when the Romans permitted the trees
about its source to be cut down, the roots
of the fallen forests let go their hold
upon the soil. The leaves of the trees
held back the falling rain no more. But
down, down, down, the loosened soil, the
leaves, the decaying rocks that rotted in
the sun, all rolled down the little river
together year after year; gradually at