The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1884-04-12

As long as Ger the heart is young.
And how shall hearts be kept in green
When cheeks ara sunk and eyes are dim,
When age brings on the days of spleen,
And mcnory crowns a funeral hymn?
By finding means of doing good;
| by soothing souls with sorrow stung
Thus age and death are long withstood,
And thus our hearts kept ever young,
| Lake Charles Commercial.
OUR LETTER FROM BROADBRIM.
Reaping the Harvest-Last Act of the Pas
sion Piay-Tammany's Temperance Cru
sade-A Hell's Hollow Tragedy-More
! Pastors in Trouble-Criminal Notes, Etc.
New YORK, April S, 1884.
EDITOR CHIEF:
One of the sweetest of Sankey's hymna
was, "What shall the harvest be?" That
question is ringing through New York to-
day: !" What shall the harvest be?" Two
years ago the seeds were sown. VIII. Van
| derbilt provided the hall; New York city
loaned its police, judges and lawyers, and
bankers and doctors sanctioned the outrage
with their presence. l make no account of
Aldermen and such like officials, for ruff
fanism is their business, and blackguard-
ism their trade. But they were there never
theless to see the slugger, John L. Sullivan,
knock another ruffian out. Now what does
that mean? Why, that with blow that
might fell an OF, he knocked his man in
sensible, 80 that he can not respond to the
call of time. The seed sown on that night
has given forth fruit one hundred fold; and
sluggers, thieves and blacklegs hold high
carnival all over the city, with none to mo-
lest them nor make them afraid. The con-
tests are all with soft gloves, but somehow
Of other the contestants get beaten to q
mummy. In one of these innocent exhi-
lions last week a boxer got his jaw broken;
another had his nose broken; and at an-
other, when the face of one Of the pugilists
was beaten to a jelly, the successful boxers
hands were seized, and underneath his
gloves we're foundHpair of iron knuckles
as capaple of dealing q death blow. as a
slung shot. If the evil ended here, and
the full grown but unhung villains killed
each.other, though the exhibition might be
demoralizing, it would not be improbable;
but unfortunately it does not end here; it
crops ont everywhere; and little boys
scarcely fit to be away from a mothers
care, are organized into bands of highway
men, their highest types of manhood being
John L. Sullivan the slugger, or Jesse
James the bandit. Scarcely day goes by
that the police are not called upon to break
up somG juvenile thieves that have become
the terror of the neighborhood. Only few
nights ago four boys, the eldest scarcely
twelve years of age, stopped another boy
in the street, knocked him down, robbed
him Of silver watch, which they pawned
for 81, and then went off to the theatre on
spree.
At no time in my remembrance has the
condition Of our city been 30 low and de-
moralized; and this can be better under
stood when it is known that our Sheriff is
indicted by the Grand Jury, and several of
the heads of departments have been guilty
of forgery and other crimes, which may
eventually land them in States prison.
Sunday night saw the last act of the
Salmi Morse Passion Play. The old 23d
street armory which had previously been
n Presbyterian church, and which was al
tered into theatre by Salmi Morse to pro-
duoe his Passion Play, was rededicated to
Presbyterian service ON Sunday night in
the presence of 500 people. One year ago
last December, Sallni Morse sent for me to
take q look at the improvements he was
making. Several reporters from the prin-
cipal papers were present, all eager to get
the latest items about the production of
the Passion Play. The place was thronged
with workmen and actors; Mr.. Morse was
busy signing checks, and full of hope; for,
like Col. Sellers, he thought g there we're
millions in il" To-day he lies in suicides
grave. The theatre is a church. The mag
ni6cent wardrobe made for the Passion
Play by Ewes, the costumer, was burnt
while they were dedicating the church; the
loss being between $4,000 and $4,000. AS
l sat listening to the congregation sing
9 Hold the Fort could not help thinking
of poor Salmi. The evidences of his work
were all around me. The scenery, the
stage, the auditorium, the chandeliers, on
which he had expended so many thou
sands, but he failed to hold the fort.
We hardly know what to make of John
Kelly 3 temperance crusade. The memory
Of man runneth not back to the time when
rammany hath not represented the whis-
key interest. If Tammany is not whiskey,
it is nothing. And now John Kelly is |
doing some old time Father Mathew work.
If John should turn Tammany into a tenn. |
oerance legion there would be a triumph |
which should gain his canonization. The |
millennium is not near, however, and of this
'act we are reminded every day.
In an unsavory locality. known as Hells
Hollow, couple of drunken ruffians, two
weeks ago, outraged a poor trunken tramp