The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-03-22

lers' society wakes gayer and gayer in
the onward rush Of mystic balls, open air
parades. dinners, card parties, etc. until
the night of Shrove Tuesday. when at
midnight all the revelry ends abruptly,
and Ash Wednesday finds the city plunged
into state of quetude and repentance.
And one can but wonder where the gay
throng has dispersed to. From Lord By
rons "Beppo" l gather the following ex-
tracts pertaining to Mardi Gras;
IT'S known, at least 1t should be, that
throughout
All countries of the Catholic persuasion,
Some weeks before Shrove Tuesday comes
about.
The people take their fill of recreation,
With fiddling. feasting dancing, drink
ing, masking and other things +s%
This feast is named the Carnival, which
being
Interpreted. implies farewell to
flesh = ,,
But why they usher Lent with so much
glee in,
Is more than can tell, although guess
'Tis as we take a glass with friends at
parting,
In the stage-coach or packet, Just at
starting
For days previous to last Shrove Tues
day, on which night the largest of the
carnival balls took place, the city has
cry hotel and boarding house is filled to
overlooking And many private houses are
turned into boarding houses for the time
being Men walk the streets sachel in
hand, searching for place OF abode. on
Monday before Lent, the principal streets
are filled with a surging mass of people,
who push and crowd and apologize good
naturally. Bands, hand-organs, and ev-
evry conceivable musical instrument are
,,lo a ia n
music. In the serging mass one encoun-
ters many an interesting face, and again
the lines from "Beppo" come to mind.
lone of those forms which fit by us .
And, oh! the loneliness at times we
see 49, tfa
In many nameless being we retrace,
Whose course and home we know not,
shall;
Like the lost Pleiad seen no more below"
Gay colors.
From every balcony and pillar through
out the city float the colors. green,
purple and gold, the colors of the king.
over a third of the seething mass of
people are maskers, dressed in gay cos
tunes of every nation and representing
also harlequins, monkeys. fairies and
other fantastlcal things Queer looking
figures like huge bats dart through the
crowd buzzing and tapping. Great hui
man frogs and birds walk the streets,
arm in arm, chirping and croaking Wag-
ons of negro minstrels. singing melodious
old plantation songs. lumber along. Fans
fiutter from the balconies, for, although
II is the last of February, 1t is sum-
mer weather In New Orleans, warm and
sunny.
At o'clock, the cannons from the war
vessels at the wharf begin booming. At
each defamation the din grows louder and
the crowd goes swaying after the noise
which heralds the approach of the king.
Slowly up the river comes blowing a
United States revenue cutter, followed
by eight or ten other steamers and tugs
gaily decorated with Rex's colors. On
board one can distinguish the king in
his regal robes surrounded by his court,
all mysteriousy masked. At length are
seen the blue coats and brass buttons
of the band corps on the vessel. The
leader is waving his .'baton" with per-
feet motion, but the strains of music
are not heard. Suddenly the we'll
known sound of Dixie floats over the
water, and a yell that rends the air in
twain goes up from thousands of Threats
along the levee. Gray-haired men throw
hats In the air In their frenzy of glad
excitement Every steamer is scream
ing and blowing amid the believing of
the cannons. All. what a glorious sight
1t is! So mystical, mysterious and ex-
hilaratngl One can close his eyes for an
instant and so easily imagine himself In
dreamland. A procession Is formed at
the wharf after the king leaves his
vessel, composed of the mayor and other
city officials. all the state militia, tbs