Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-31
THE CITY OF MOBILE
Modern Enterprise Waking
Up a Delightful Old Place.
A PROVINCIAL CAPITAL
HALF A DOZEN FLAGS HAVE
FLoATED OVER IT.
Some of the Notable People Who Have
Lived There-The Remarkable
Nine Octavia LIE Vert.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
the Chicago Record Herald.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
the Chicago Record Herald
MOBILE, Ala, March 60 1893.
Mobile is delightful old city, serene,
sleepy and full of romance. Its people have
always been proud of their conservatism,
and until recently it would have been an
offense to their refinement to talk about the
growth of trade and the Introduction OF
modern improvements. To the aristocracy
of Mobile the past has been more precious
and more interesting than the future and
they have been satisfied with the present.
There were no pavements or sewers under
the soil, and no waterworks; the wasteage
ran into the streets, and the water supply
was caught from the roofs into cisterns-
but those conditions had satisfied the an
cestors of the Mobile aristocracy and hence
were good enough for the recent gener-
alton.
The city has always been wealthy, but
has never been ostentatious in its dis
plays 1t has always been hospitable, but
society required certificates of respectable
ity from strangers and doubtful people
were not admitted to the homes of Its
families.
the famous patriot, who came here in 1854
by steamer, but nobody paid any attention
to him because he had no introductions,
until Madame -Octavia LIE Vert, a rich,
cultivated and intellectual woman, who
was leader of society here from 1885 to
1865 heard of his presence and, having met
him abroad, drove down to the boat. took
him to her house and introduced him to
society, which gave him tremendous well
come as soon as his identity was suffi-
GENTLY vouched for. The exclusive set of
olden times would not have received the
angel Gabriel without credentials.
Madame I.p Vert remarkable WOrn-
an. She had a career of unexampled social
success, both in Mobile and in Europe,
where she travelled extensively, spent
great deal of time and was received as an
ideal of the American woman. She knew
all languages; had an acquaintance with
all the famous people of her time, and
friendship with many of them; she corre
sponded with queens and duchesses and the
! leaders of social life on both continents,
and wherever she went she established a
salon after the manner of Madame Roland
! Her fate was sad. She was victim of her
exalted ideals of hospitality. After the cap
ture of Mobile she was the only woman in
the city who entertained the yankee m
vaders or even recognized them, but she
opened her house to all officers of the
Union army as soon she was convinced
of their social standing. 1t was not be-
cause she sympathiZed with the northern
cause but because of her instructive sense
of hospitality and her desire to promote
the pleasure of others.
The local society did not approve of her
theories or her practices. They punished
her by ostracism and the woman who
had been the idol of Mobile for century
fed from the condemnation of her neigh
bors and died among strangers of
broken heart.
Mobile Waking UP.
In proportion to population Mobile is
doubtless the richest town in the south.
Charleston only, perhaps, being excepted.
1t was the home of the antebellum planta-
ton aristocracy, who made enormous sums
of money from cotton before the war and
lived here In a species of luxury peculiar
to the south. They lacked what We call
modern improvements, but preserved the
old fashioned colonial customs and preju
dices This, undoubtedly kept the popula-
ton down and prevented the improvements
which are now just beginning. 1t was only
recently that single street in Mobile was
paved, and even now the pavements are
limited to the business section and short
distance on Government street, which has
most of the homes of the ancient aristoc-
racy. 1t is announced with great fervor
that when the present plans for municipal
improvement are completed all of the prin-
cipal streets will have sewers and ten
miles of pavement will be laid!
Mobile is waking up. Half a million dol
lars has been appropriated for public i'm
provements. Tall business blocks be-
ginning to arise downtown; department
stores are being established; there is to be
new hotel costing half a million dollars
ago was one of the famous hotels of Amer
lea, is to be rebuilt upon the ruins in which
it was left by fire a few weeks ago. All
kinds of innovations are talked about. Mo-
bile is being absorbed by twentieth century
notions, and within a few years you will
see the venerable old city transformed into
a modern bustling business center.
This could not have occurred fifteen years
ago. The influence of the Oldest inhabitant
would have been too strong for such 1nno-
DID tho faf hnr md 9th IF
Mobile one after another, are going to
their reward and the conservatism which
they preached and practiced is disappearing
with them and with the sacred landmarks
of antebellum architecture. More than a
million dollars was spent in new buildings
last year Every one of them was of mod
ern design and construction. replacing little,
old ia shioned two-story brick houses with
iron balconies which were occupied as
shops and residences of the proprietors
above.
One Of the Oldest Cities.
Won must remember that Mobile is one of
the Oldest cities in the United States, st.
Augustine and Santa Fe believe. are the
only ones that surpass it in age. The begin
ming of its history dates a hundred years
before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth.
Mobile was commercial metropolis before
New York had any aspiration to that dis
tinction. Over 1t have f1oated the hags of
half dozen different nations. From 1870
to 1922 Mobile was the capltai OF the French
provinces in America and Bienville was
twice its governor before he founded New
Orleans. All this distinction has had its in
fuence, no doubt, upon the atmosphere and
the attitude of its, inhabitants toward
modern improvements; but, as have al
ready suggested, Mobile has awakened from
her stupor, has cut loose from her tradi-
lions, abandoned her exclnsiveness and re-
serve and her people are taking advantage
of her geographical location and the oppor-
tunities 1t offers They are building rail-
roads, operating sawmills and cotton mills.
packing oysters, shipping fish and receiving
bananas, distilling turpentine. canning
shrimps raising garden truck and doing all
sorts of things that used to be considered
vulgar.
Only few of the old families retain their
prejudices against such enterprise, and they
will be compelled to yield eventually.
Mobile has been the home of several
famous people. Mrs. Maybrick, recently re-
leased from an English prison, was born
here. She was the daughter of a, Mr.. Chan
der, q merchant who had big store and q
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