The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1897-03-20

The Carnival.

.Ihe carnival season this year has bee,
characterized by unusual brIlancy, sew
era! new organizations having mad
their debut in New Orleans, besid
which many OF the country towns go
up. carnival parades, that of New Iberi;
being quite pretentious. In this cOnnec
ton We cannot refrain from expressing
the hope that next Mardi- Gras will Sc,
an awakening of the original "Sieep,
Hollow" 1T not in the matter Of electri,
lights and water works at least in the
matter OF better streets and carniva
parade. Now, some people are opposed
TO parade in toto; their puritanical
ideas look upon it as so much unwhole-
some diet, dished up in a sinful .evel,
an nbominatinn in the sight of the
Lord" We take no stock in the lug,l-
brlous mornings Of Brother Praise God
bareboDes. 1t is automatic that the
minds or all, particularly the young
need recreation. Now a parade, while
appealing to the sense OF beauty, and to
| OF humor (and, in all conscience, it is
truly no harm to laugh and grow fat,
even if you do beat the doctors out of a
tee). Likewise, it is an object lesson
that Is read by thousands and never for
gotten. Thousands are set to thinking
and wondering and reading; thousands
have since read and studied and enjoyed
the iliiad, the Oayssy, the Eneid, Lalla
Rook, the History of the Crusades, and
other topics selected at different times
by The carnival organizations, who mover
would have dreamed OF reading them
had they not been seduced by the gor-
geous tableaux in which the beauties of
these classics were elaborated. Beside
all This offnpIo
God knows have little enough sunshine
IN their lives, "a free show-one day of
iorgetfulness, and who could have the
heart to grudge it them?
A we'i-t0- do citizen was heard TO say:
1t they would only contribute to the
drouth sufferers the money that was
squandered to make Il Mardi-G Gras holi-
day, what Il good thing it would he! ~
Sure remarked u bystander. And
the following dialogue cnsued:
q. ,,. Bnt. say; do you smoke. or
A. "Both!"
every yeaI?o
A. "Of course
Q. Do you go TO the city cften9"
A. 'Twice year"
Q. Business or pleasure?
A. Both"
@. "How do You live at home9"
A. (smacking his lips) sOn the best
tte market affords |"
40. You do, eh7 Say, pard; I'm Sim
10 James, from Prairie Mampu, and, Of
ts,nrse, it amt my business, but I'd ad-
wise you to quit smoking and chewing,
do your praying at home, eat simple
grub, and contribute what you SAVE to
the poor droutIl sufferers"
However, we're flying the track. What
we started out to say was, that rs n bus
mess Investment it pays IL town the size
OF Opelousas to get up a handsome car
nlVai. New Iberia, the most progressive
town in southwest Louisiana, finds it |
profitable and hundreds stay at home
who otherwise would go to New Or
leans, and every oneTyho goes takes ad-
vantage Of the trip tsklo snmf" shop
ping" Besides, it drasBs -hyIdreds to
toWn; and each one ieavss15S quota.
A thousand dnllnr pay ,, Hld pay |
at least s5 per cent on { "akeaJf1nent,
plus the principal. NewNA ~ .fayJlad ten
thousand people on her -Sp1sets. 1t
would be a ridiculously low AHtimate to
say they left one dollar eacW There is
$4,000. The floats hardfs exceeded
$4,000 in cost; they being hame made
he money remained in the 0pwn and,
.aking everything into consideration,
here is no donbt but New Iberia saved
10000 by the operation and increased
he reputation of the town
What is absolutely killing Dpeiousas
$ the " Dry Rot" Why, even IA prize
ight, bad as they generally are, would
,n better than nothing, for it would
how the outer world that though dy-
ng, we are not dead" and "while there
5 life there is hope"