Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-02-28

the heart Of the agricultural region.
1t, too, is largely made up Of north
eners, central Kansas having been the
former home Of many. The citizens
gave their visitors cordial reception
at the opera house and had planned
an elaborate outdoor program with
which the weather interiered. The
residents Of Jennings have ample faith
in the natural resources Of the coun-
try. They have already marked
steady increase in prosperity and are
gathering into their houses the luxur-
les which make life worth living.
They want more people to settle there
and promise exceptional inducements
to all corners.
As the train sped on due east, old
plantations appeared on either side
each with great porticoed dwelling
house and score or two Of white
washed cabins, like a giant white
plumaged bird and its little flock,
resting a moment on the pleasant
plains OF the Creole state. 1t was o
picture from some southern story
book to many who had never been
among such scenes. Spanish moss
hangs still and gray on the trees, the
grass is showing green here and there,
palm leaves spread wide fingers in
reckoning welcome. The train en-
tiers the swamp lands where bayous
and ponds are thickly scattered; it
rattles through long aisles Of pines
standing in the Shiny water. Then
halt, the engine is detached, the cars
transferred to huge ferryboat which
carries them out across the swift flow
ing Mississippi, and as the lights are
twinkling we land at the gate Of the
quaintest, strongest, most fascinating
and unique city in the nation-New
Orleans.
To describe New Orleans in para
graph is hopeless, to see it in two
days is yexation. 1t is really two
cities, an American and a French. A
200 foot avenue, Canal street, divides
them. On one side are modern stores,
residences, grand opera, boulevardes,
electric cars. etc. On the other are
dingy two story dwellings and tiny
shops, streets "a feet wide from curb
to curb and through their winding
courses lonesome mules with jingling |
bells pulling street cars immeasurably |
worse than those Of Shipe's famous
line in its worst days.
Lettering along the odd thorough
fares Of the French quarter one may
stop at the queer bird stores and buy |
parrots or alligators, may wonder ut
the old world architecture, the trellis-
cd verandahs with Creole occupants,
the marble-hagged courts, the mosaic
Of tongues, the concourse ofconvents,
chapels, cemeteries and churches and
imagine himself far beyond the
boundaries OF America. There are
cafes where Delmonico would be out
done, flower stands that win exclama-
lions Of delight. The shopkeepers
know yol for an American and are
profuse in their politeness and broken
French explanations. You are in the
land Of Gable and Gayarre and seem
to be living their pages in reality. In
the cemeteries, the finest on the con-
tinent, are massive tombs, all built
above ground, and many monuments
to the Confederate dead. Statues of
Clay, Lee, Johnston, Jackson and
other southern heroes are seen every
where in the city-but no mention Of
Of Lincoln or Grant or even Washing
ton.
On the American side are homes OF
typical southern luxury. With wide
and stately grounds, with wisteria,
cape jessimines and cloth-of-gold
roses decking the lovely lawns, they
are all that wealth can hope for or
comfort desire. Eight per cent Of the
population Of New Orleans owns 80
per cent OF the wealth and here is
where that Sper cent lives. But the
Others cannot be entirely INDECENT, for
in two days rambling about the city
| did not see beggar. In what
northern metropolis Of 10000 people
could that occurp
Nature provided treat for the
Kansas visitors in o fifteen inch snow
fall, the second in So years and the
heaviest in the memory Of the Oldest
inhabitant We learned how people
to snow act on seeing 1t.
They simply went wild over the nov
city. Thousands Of men and boys
paraded the streets snowballing pass
ers-by and one another. Clerks,
rakooI ,L.tl.o~ -...t.. s....Lal.. |