The Opelousas courier., 1902-04-19
10 Encourage Public Spirit.

'on5 auu unique cefe'
mony- one which is doubtless
destined to have highly bene.
fclal effect upon our great South.
ern metropolis and also probabl,
upon other communities in this
State. and outside of it. This
ceremony was the presentation,
by the Progressive Union, to Mr..
Frank I. Howard, one Of the
wealthiest and most public-spirit-
ed citizens Of New Orleans, of o
beautiful loving cup, donated by
the progressive Picayune, as a
testimonial of appreciation of
that gentleman's benevolence,
philanthropy and patriotism, he
having been adjudged by the
Union to have performed the
most meritorious service for New
Orleans during the year 1901.
That service was the donation to
the city of a fine public school
building, around which thirty
magnificent 25-year-old oak trees
are now being planted.
The Progressive Union is an
association of citizens of New
Orleans, about 1400 in number,
whose object is to bring more
capital there, to encourage, fos-
ter and promote industries of
various characters and kinds, and
generally to labor in collective
capacity for the upbuilding of the
city and the uplifting of its citi-
zenship. Recognizing and appre-
ciating its laudahle aims, the Pic
ayune last July offered to give
annually, through the Union, u
loving cup worth 500 to the citi-
zen who should be adjudged to
have performed the most meritor-
ious service for New Orleans dur
ing the preceding year. Mr.. How
ard having donated fine school
building to the city, was adjudged
by the Union to be that citizen.
In responding to the fattering
addresses of presentation he mod
estly said: 81 am thoroughly con-
vinced that the greatest pleasure
on earth is in doing good to 9TH
ers." He added: II have also
come to the conclusion that man
whose wishes are carried out be-
fore he dies enjoys a happiness
far in excess Of one who simply
lives in anticipation Of the uncer-
tain good he may do after he has
been laid in the tomb" He also
said: "The amount of illiteracy
in our city and State is something
appalling. / attribute our back
wardness in the march of civiliza-
ton to that one fact" Another
speaker uttered this trueisrm: !:
"Civic pride and material growth
are brothers. Divorce them and
you will have stagnation. /"
Occurrences of this kind must
of necessity produce the most
gratifying results in the commu-
nifty in which they take place.
Let us make a beginning here in
ST. Landry along these lines. We
have in Opelousas an organization
which bears to us much the same
relation that the Progressive
Union bears to New .Orleans-the
Board of Trade. That body was
created primarily to advance the
commercial interests of its MEM
bers, but it has given many evil
dences that, over and beyond
mere commercialism, it takes a
very lively interest in every move
ment likely to promote the gen.
eral welfare. We have among us
several gentlemen who in various
ways have recently.manifested the
possession of civic pride, public
spirit and patriotism-the noblest
attributes of good citizenship.
We have in our minds eye one
such, who has already passed the
allotted athree score years and
ten,' and is no longer the robust
gladiator who, for love of coun-
try and in defense of Ia pat,.se,
in the early sixties proudly faced
the iron hail of war on many .
bloody field, and since then has
given numerous proofs OF good
citizenship. Such d demonstra-
ton as greeted Mr.. Howard IN
New Orleans last Saturday would
swarm the cookies Of his old
heart and prove, before it is too
/ late for him TO know it, that his
fellow-citizens are not altogether
unappreciative and ungrateful.
But it would do vastly more than
that. It would tend to arouse
civic pride, to rekindle. public
spirit and patriotism-the noblesi
emotions that sway the human
breast-and its wholesome echoes
would reverberate throughout St
| Landry and throughout the State
Let our thinking men ponder
over these thoughts.
Sand from the old Hoyt sane
bank for sale at 25 cents per bar
val dal;vared Orders left will