Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-07-12
OLD CREOLE CUSTOMS.
" Orleans society Still Honors the
Tradition. of the Old Regime.

TRADITION. OF the OLA Regime
The social customs of New Orleans
differ widely from those Of any other
city Of the union, derived as they large
" are from the usaees and precedeuts
of the French and Spanish regime,
many of which hold good to-day. The
old French social law, which divided
people into three classes the aristo-
Graf. the bourgeois, and the canaille-
has to u great extent become dead
letter.
The middle class is to-day an unim-
portant factor i'm jciety here. One
misses also that subdivision into cliaues
and sets which exists elsewhere. In q
social sense New Orleans is virtually
dual city, the dividing line being
Canal strcot.i its principal thoroughfare.
Above this dwell the Americans, who
now predominant in the population.
Below it live the creoles, the descend
ants of naughty cavaliers and beau
ties who formed the courts of the
French and Spanish governors of ,he
provinces, and who still hold sacred
the stately manners, the stringent Gus
toms, and the preWdices Of their ances-
tors. They. however, have for the
greater part suffered rcverses of for
tune This prevents their active par
ticipation in society or the lavish mode
of entertainment to which they were
accustomed.
1t has not deprived them, however,
of a certain influence over the social
tone of the city, and i'm no respect is
this more readily manifest than in the
universal observance of the chaperon
system. This system is closely adj
hered TO rs well in American as in Gre
ole circles, and the penalty Of its dis
regard is scandal and gossip, and per-
haps, if the offense be sufficiently seri-
Gus, social ostracism
Young ladies do not attend the the
atre with n gentleman without chap
eron, especially at night, unles, they
be nearly related or betrothcd. Under
no circumstances is il possible for a
young girl to lunch or dine in
n public restaurant unless chap
eron be present, and few New Orleans
girls would enter such a place except
to attend a lunch or dinner party to
which a number of guests were biddcn
and where one or more ehaperons were
present.
As regards horseback exercise, in
which New Orleans girls indulge but
rarely. the rule requiring a ehaperon
is much less rigidly enforced, but upon
driving without the matronly protec-
ton there is virtually an absolute pro-
hibition
Social calls are for the most part con
fined to Sunday evening, when gentle
men present themselves as early as
O'Clock, and are expected to withdraw
not later than II O'clock, good breed
ing, of course rcquiringthc first conner
to Weld to his successor. Formal calls
are paid oulyo on Sunday ron the even
ing of the hostess special reception
days, and do not here much exceed
half an hour.
In creole circles the mother Of the
young lady receiving the caller is in
yauably present, but among Ameri-
cans the custom is observed only ac-
cording to the degree of intimacy be-
tween the parties, Excursions. pic
mic, etc, form no part of the social en-
tertainments of New Orleans. though
occasionally parties are formed to visit
the neighboring plantations when The
cane is being converted into sugar. In
such eases the host makes Il point of
providing at least one, and often sew
eral. chaperons. Invitations to balls,
parties, or receptions are always word
ed to include the chaperon, and sub
scribers to the club, german or cotil-
lion, of which at least one is given
during the season, are furnished with
separate cards for the chapcrons and
partners
In matters of courtship and marriage
the creolcs follow The French plan and
the maternal supervision ends only
with signing of the uuptial registry.
Among the America portion Of the
population the American custom pre-
walls, and the moment an acquaintance
merges himself into suitor he is ac-
corded greater freedom of commune
cation.
WOMAN OF CAPRI