Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-04-27
THE RACE OF CREOLES.
A Singing Rebuke of Cable And His
Works.


NEW ORLEANS, April 26.-The lecture en-
titled "The Creoles of Romance and the
Creoles of History" delivered last evening at
Tulane university by Hon. Charles Gayarre,
the historian and jurist, having aroused so
much discussion and become the subject of
SO much comment, and owing also to the
intrinsic merit of the theme, it is believed q
brief synopsis will be of interest Judge
Gayarre, after explaining the origin of the
word Creole from the Spanish criar-to
oreate-and stating that strictly it meant a
person of,pure white blood, went into the
history of the establishment of the Creole
race in Louisiana by Iberville and
Bienville- He quoted history extensive
ly to show that the early co1onists
were of the patrician and proletarian
class and that the wives of the soldiers were
not, as has been generally stated and be-
ieved, house of correction women, but in
dustrious and virtuous girls of the same
rank as their future husbands. In 1871 it
became necessary to define the status of the
white and black races and Governor Bien-
vile promulgated the ''black code" familiar
to Mr.. Cables readers in the story of Bras
Coupe, which remained in force after Louis
lana became one of the sisterhood of States
"a code that placed an impossible barrier
between the races and rendered any rela-
tons between them, except those. of master
and slave, impossible If white master
had child by slave he was heavily fined
and liable to any other arbitrary punish
ments the courts wished to infict, while
~
given to the nearest charity hospital The
Creole horror of misoegenatien was shown by
the severe punishment of any priest who mar
ried persons of different races In 1850
decree was promulgated that stany French
man SO Infamous as to harbor a black slave
for the purpose of inducing him or her to
lead scandalous life shall be whipped by
the public executioner and without mercy be
sentenced to the galleys for life"
These things, said Mr. Gayarre, do not
look like encouraging or allowing the
commingiing of the blood of the two
races. The lecturer paid high compliment
to the Creoles of the early days of Louisiana
and cited the fact that most of the govern
ors and dignitaries of high rank sent out
from Spain married ladies born in the colo
ny, population whose best men, according
to high literary authority, were DULLES
knaves and fools, and whose hast women
were not superior in any respect to the
colored bastard issue of ibertinism.
The natives of Louisiana who for more than
one hundred years showed such hostility to
any assimilation with people of African de-
sent cannot be supposed by intelligent PEG
pie to have had any faint of the despised
blood themselves. Loussat in 1903 in a
dispatch to France described the Creoles as
worthy descendants of the French gentle
and docile, but touchy, proud and
brave" The speaker passed to an
eulogy Of the Creole women since
Louisiana has been a State, referring to their
beauty, grace and intelligence and the al
hances they had formed with distinguished
ally themselves with women of mixed blood
or with minds clouded by superstition. The
fashionable places of the North and West
have been crowded for eighty years by Creole
ladies who never left the impression that they
were inferior to others of their sex
or had any faint in tQeir blood. Creole men
have been distinguished both in this country
and in Europe as statesmen, authors, scien-
lists and artists. Able Viel, Audubon Au-
bert, Dubayet, Bronier de Clouet, Daunery,
Villamel, Delpit, Paul Morphy and Gottschaik
were some of the productions of this proud
race, theancestors of some of whom fouobt
as crusaders the fields of Palestine
Louisiana has always been the most dem
oeratic State in the Union. The Creole has
always lacked sele assertion, not to saw brass
IA the days of his greatest prosperity there
never was displayed on his earriageca coat
q arms, Notwithstanding his undisputed
rght to advertise his noble lineage.
Ahe poorest peddler never was refused a
seat ut the table of the wealthiest planter.