Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-04-17
THE SOUTHERN CARNIVAL.

Customs Imported from Europe and Sus-
tanned with Increased Spiendor.
The Latin significance of the word
carnival farewell to fiesh"-as
matter of fancy is one that has readily
taken hold of the imagination of those
foster-children of La Belle France, the
creoles of Louisiana. Their fashions,
amusements and literature all ema-
mated from Paris, where, too, their
sons were often sent to complete their
education. A taste for the frivolities
of the gay capital was thus quite nat
urally engendered in these youthful
emigres, whose chief aim on their re-
turn seemed the desire to engraft on
society at home the fancies and amuse-
ments of the city on the Seine.
AS early as 1897 the first carnival
masquerade procession was introduced
into New Orleans, followed in 1887 and
1889 by even more ambitious and brill
liant displays As natural sequence
mask balls became feature of these
celebrations. snd Mardi Gras hence
came synonymous with scenes of in
creased splendor and revelry. ''Eat,
drink and be merry, for tomorrow we
fast" seems to have been the inventive
to the joyous abandon of the day.
Little rocked this pleasure-loving
community of the inconsistency
of ushering in the solemnities of
the Lenton season with the glare
and blare of the carnival; its ex-
cesses treading on the heels of the
gray-cowled friar of remuneration SYM
bolized by Ash Wednesday. The GUS
tom is time-honored one, however.
dating as far back and even doubtless
originating in the heather spring time
ious holidays still held in respectful
sommemoration were derived from a
similar source, why is not the merry
carnival equally justifable
From 1910 until 1845 several day
celebrations took place in New Or
Jeans under the auspices of some of
the city's representative men. con-
1ucted on the lavish scale and with the
equally artistic distinction of the festi-
walls of to-day.
Until 1852 the observance of Mardi
Gras suffered temporary extinction, to
rise again in that year into even more
brilliant regeneration.
At that time the flavor of Italy's
nj ~ C+n
4uerading and the like prevailed in
New Orleans as we'll. although the
tougher element Of the populace sub
stituted flour and even the more dam
yerous pleasantly of lime-throwing
ior the daintier confetti of the Roman
usage. With abuse came disuse. As
early as 1881 the ''cow bellions" of
Mobile had inaugurated the process
sion of scenic moving floats, and in
1857 the carnival habit was revived In
New Orleans after the fashion of her
sister city across the bay. That year
lated the origin of the ''Mysticl1 Krew
Of Komus." which. with occasional
ntermission of disaster, war and pesti-
ential epidemic. has fourished and
still survives in mystic form, but un-
Ter more varied names.
1T has been claimed with reason that
this celebration in New Orleans sur
passed the carnivals of the Roman
Corso and Venetian canals in It's ex-
luisite order, system and design. JUS
ice can not be done save by the wit
ness of personal sight. Newspaper
"eports. magazine articles, are but in
different media after all. Once seen,
however, the temptation to return
again, and yet again, is annually re-
current. New Orleans opens wide her
TO spitable gates to stranger guests, a
warm welcome shining in ner blue,
sunny skies, a fragrant charm about
her fowery girdle, fascination in her
quaint originality that lends the added
charm of distinction to this crescent
shaped metropolis of the South. Cor.
Chicago Tribune.