St. Landry democrat., 1892-07-23
OPELOUSAS, LA.
Picturesque Town In A Delightful
Country.

OpclOuSaS. Repeat INC "oiu' W
nouncing it softly, with the final lettel
silenccd and the ga" broadeheu IA
sound. See what musical name IL IS
the yelvcty elasticity, the rhythmic
charm of its cadences! 1t is not only a
musical name ; it is a political ana his,
toric one. Time-long will it last ana
Keen it's charm. Longfellow has EN-
halmcd it in immortal verse ID Ills
Evancclnc. One may even suppose ne
cauoht the measure of his HlaWatha
from the music of the Opelousas, which
fell with such a willowy grace of move
ment. AS sit and listen to the " link
cd sweetness and winding bouts " or
the hooking bird as he "folds the Pill,
ant series Of his slippery song" l feel
sure that such was
The same that found path
Through the sad heart
of Evangeline, when, on her lleart-slck
nucst for Gabriel, she passed long ago
IN the Tcche (near by) III her canoe.
Lovely creature. She hears even sweet
cr music now. This witchcry OF the
past and remote is also outside the e&-
0uisitc music of name, the penslVe
charm Of poetry. 1t is in history. Ope--
lousas is old in fact, as well as endeared
in story. Aud the Imagination Is acted
upon by the name like an lncantatlon::
TO its eye, here is the little village OF
long ago. But there the tall grass,
without a break, rises and tails IN lush
and billowy green, breeZe-sWcpt by the
sea-born wind, and the lovely prairie
swept away north, south, west, clear TO
the horizons verge, without single
house to speak of a living being. And
from this little village, a hundred years
agonc, cavalcade is winding, OF SOL
! dlers, stately Spanish grandecs and
their proud danes, young men and
maidcns on their way maybe to Nat
chitoches. The name, the story the
history of Opelousas, all appeal to the
| heart, imagination and memory, by one
association and another. And the town
itself is no little spur to these. There
is a certain air of repose, sort OF dlSnl-
fled calm, a noble sobriety about the
town itself, that seems to assert its res
probability and consequence. 1t seems
redolent of antiquity. 1t savors OF the
venerable without being senlle. 1t lm-
presses you, much as venerable men OF
great worth and high breeding Go, who
have dignity without arrogance or often
sive self assertion. The deeply shadow
the handsome residences with their halt
park like lawns-all these speak OF age,
durability, taste which time has mel
lowed, as it were, like it does wine OF
painting, and has given certain indie
Unable grace to it SO different from the
raw, the garish and the new. Ii it would
not be offensive, should say the town
looks aristocratic like noble, high
born gentlemen, one of Gods gentle
men not made by kings patent
nor by pocketbook. Let no mau
whose
Life III low estate began
And on a simple village green,
think mean any fling at him. believe
in his rising to be
The pillar of a peoples hope,
breaking his births invldous bar.
And | think that Opelousas has very
elegant and cultured society. There is
no mistake an intellectual atmosphere
here. Her professional men give {
great deal of tone to society, and give
the town high status with the State a
the best men in the world to recognize
= Burns sentiment that,
; The rank is but the guinca's stamp
The mans the Gowd for a that.
think the man showing merit ant
capacity is met and welcomed with tru
~ fraternal cordlality not patrOniZing
ly or with offensive COndescensiOn, anC
that air of suave superiority which net
ties all true men to whom it is offered.
This prefatoriness has a purpose il
moro than mere sentiment, and it lays
the foundation for explaining an limo
walton upon the once all-pervading ant
unbrokcn aspect OF the olden, halfsom
bre, albeit most respectable, want O.
OpelOusaS.
When first arrived, a day or tW ago
did not recognize things. Although
had spent several weeks here in 1886 il
writing about this country then in TIL.
TimesDemOcrat,1 was bewildered at til,
, changeln certain surroundings. DRIVING
up to Austin Lacomb's famous hostelry
the Mecca of drummers, and which Ls
has endeared to all who have ever en-
joyed his lavish and tOOthsOme fare,
found at the corner adjoining the very
handsome courthouse and postotfice
built by the United States, the mos
the town, and building that would b.
an accession to any city. This building
, has been an incentive to development
/ and sort of exemplar in architecture
| Its builder, Washington Cd. CO. archi
tect, Mr.. 6. W. Nanhorn, SO impressed
MIR. Alphonse Levy, president of thu
First National Bank OF Opelousas, tina
he secured Mr.. Vanhorn to build a new
bank for his company. And this is an
other handsome Improvement, the fines
bank building have seen in any towl
in Louisiana, outside of New Orleans
Both these buildings are of st. Loui
pressed brick, of rich dark-r color
and are beautifully finished within
Then Messrs. Roos g. Son have mex
given this architect a contract for build
ing large twO-stOry store, with from
tage of the same pressed brick. | an
not to be beguied into chrOnicling al
the progress of the town, for the size o
@ Opelousas forbids it. But it would b.
: gross oversight, even sheer, WantOl
J neglect, not to notice such improve
!, ments as | have glanced at. Anothe
. street lighting by gasoline. And still
another is Il sewage system through irol
4 pipes emptylng into one of the creek
c which are So cOntributary to the excel
v lent drainage of the town. Opelousa
r. has, ever since knew it, had exception
t. ally wcllkcpt streets. These, with til
IL conformation Of the land, the contigu
It GUS streams and her permeable soil give
IL IL the town superb drainage. Opelousa
i has always been busy centre of trade
d and although other towns divide wit
her now, she still quite holds her OWL
q q if she has not increased it. She used t
It reach tax away, even to Vermillion pal
L ish, away down into Calcasieu, and eve
e have virtual monopoly therein. I'h
!, immense developementt there has give
i birth to Jennings, Crowley and Rayns
but this development has resulted i
e such az increase in products that tlI
a. result is rather the gain of these ne,
=, tnyus thau the loss of Hpalousas Hx