The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
my grandfather by tho
A CREOLE NEWSPAPER WOMAN.
How One New Orleans Girl OF French
Descent cot Into Newspaper Work.

~ t"EO'H w bh " W.
How One New Orleans Girl OF French
Descent cot Into Newspaper work.
a creole girl In journalism is n rare bird. In
fact, a creole girl In ..nythinR but n convent,
her home, or society, Is about as infrequent. ut
least in Louisiana. as snow storms are. They
have lad one big snow storm In New Orleans.
and they have one newspaper woman who is
u creole. The snow storm has been more
largely advertised. but the newspaper woman Is
just as much of n phenomenon. Her name IL
Marie Louise Points. and she is so thoroughly
creole that she speaks OF the unfortunate poo
pie vino don't happen TO be Of the same descent
rs you Americans"
OH, of course, we are all Americans" she
adds. alphabetically, ''but-' The pause is
expressive.
or course. Miss Points lives on the other side
Of Canal street; that l.. the 'other'' side.
speaking from the American point of view.
Miss Points would say that the Americans
lived on the other" side. At any rate. she
live on the French side of the dividing line,
as all good crcoles do. What Is even more
than that, Miss Points had never crossed Canal
street, except to 10 to tho Jcsuits' church, half
a block from the corner until she was 1s years
old. She hal no idea what kind of Il world lay
sresoles have estabifished., She wondered what
hAliA va bNtllc uNtlb blttcs NlluI I VI
houses they lived in. what they wore, and how
they talked Ike cor,d ,,,.o ,.on ,ro,.,. mt,
more rigidly creole fashion than I was" says
Miss Points, with all that pride of race which
dlSt1ngGisheS ne Der people; II was educated ,s in
without wearing wells! saw no one except
the Sisters, the other pupils, and my own fam
across Canal street except. as / say, to 20 to
the Jesuits' church, until the Cotton Exposi-
ton of 1883. The Sisters thought then that
they ought to take us to see the Exposition rs
n matter OF education. and that gave me my
first GLIMPSE of the American nart OF the city.
1T all sceinci so strange to me. The houses
with open lawns around them were 50 different
from ours, built around courts; The people
dressed differently and spoke another language.
! felt as If | was in n foreign land. We went
TO the Exposition several times. but after that
the city. Finally my father. who was on the
Exchange. lost his money we had already lost
feel n strong desire TO do something to take
caro- of myself. My mother couldn't UNDER
~ can't mako It outl' she used to say.
You're not like anybody else In your family.
Who ever heard Of II creole girl wanting 10 do
AT that time there was n young lady doing
the s2ciety notes for the Pfcdmme, and I was
who, although an American. had a good many
acquaintanccs among the .%creoles. Mrs. B.
came to me one time, and said that this young
two. and asked me If I would write the intro
d%uction TO the society column. did It for two
"NShosh li Nll'h 'bc ana nix III StHU WOTu
To inc to write something else for the paper.
There was an old colored woman who used
| had known her ever since / was a child. Bon
%tiateau.' We used to call her. and all the creoles
S Wsii, her I wrote 4g sis q litt IL s sGet IN @ about Stf BGn way Gay:
teau; and sent 1t to the P~tcavu!c. which sent
m. .S S1S il ,ba .st Wasn End a,i1 Fe S,1ss p for more src,,,m.
at this point when she is telling the expert
enc,e, and she burles her face in her hands
io " %"|YS oS viii tEinsk twas was snnnts'a and I lsnn.
rant when tell YOU about it. A little while
had a letter from Charles Dudley Warner.
praising my, little sketch and encouraging me
TO go on. We'll. you WI scarcely believe IT,
was. You must remember that was a creole
GIRL speaking French as my native Language:
takc n course in American magazines.
My only feeling about the letter" Miss
modification to think of twas OF Indignation
tl.at a man: q strange man; should take the lib.
eriy of writing a sSrs?nql letter to me: Just
hoping to find ont some time the guilty writer.
When I did find out | was too mortified and it
had been too long for mo to take the liberty of
II did go on with my little creole sketches
to come to the Office. would just as soon have
gone into q fiery furnace. |. a creole girl. go
+ " t, nns'" %sst ot an. and 2n a, I Ea woq M4s, B. do ean it,
around one day with her carriage.
r ;"iS erie: shS sa1Ed' 'y9H have been foolish and
You go down there to the office and find out
that il isn't such . %hpghear as you imagine
treaties were vain. She took me Off down to
the office. went up stairs with me. opened the
then she ran down the .tnirs and left mo TO my
fate, Well. | felt as II | should fall through
il | Gould was So weak With ri fright that I
couldn't move or speak. Major Burbank, the
managing editor. locked up from his desk and
looked pretty white. for, whereas he generally |
gives people one indifferent glance; lie got up
could get IN" ANYTHING, and. though | managed
To shake my head, lac brought me IA glass OF
still couldn't do anything but shake my head.
What is your manner Ee asked at last, In
II found my tongue long enough to tell him,
and then Of Gours" he knew who | was; There
were two ladies sitting at another desk Ia the
Mrs. NICHOLSON, tho owner OF the PicGptn',
snd Csth9rine Cole. The one who proved to he
bank was trying to rcnssure me.
WHO X 1t. Maiory' she asked.
" on, Just IL little frightened birdr he said,
Then Mrs. Nicholson came and took my
and made me sit down beside her. and took OFF
some flowers she wal, wearing and pinned them
on my dress, and talked 70 me with such tact
mcnt melted away. Finally she said:
,Now, my dear ] want you TO- go home and
To- morrow to take you home with me for a
while, and show YOU that n newspaper is not so
dreadful n thing, after all
sure enough. the next day her husband
came for me, and they. took me over to Bay ST.
Louis, where Mrs. Nicholson had a beautiful
home on the Gulf. | stayed with her two
months, except when | went home for an coca
stonal SUNDAY. and reckon that sealed my fate
fur. newspaper work, Hut I'm n creole first
and n newspaper woman atterward." Miss
Points added with a flash of her dark eyes. as
she concluded the story Of how one creole girl
got into journalism.
SParrowS Assist "a Stuck-up brother.
lr,m The Philadelphia Times.