The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-01
+ NEW ORLEANS

OF the most extraordinary incidents
In American hfstory-was defnOilshed
only few months ago. TO make-room
for q new Federal pc~st-off1ce. The
old Royal Hotel, ONE known 81 the
st. Louis. still stands In q state OF
pitiable dilapidation. For a time this
building was the state house and
headquarters OF the Warmoutn-Kel~
logg-Packard government. In 1874
these factions were besieged here for
several months, and ighting went on
in and around the building for days
OIL end. until h starving garrison
ca~pitulated. Before the Civil Wal the
st, Louis Hotel was one of tho show
places of the city. In the dilapfdated
entrance hall may still be seen To-day
the auction hlncks upon which negro
slaves were once set up for sale.
Old customs still exist In New Or
leans. the legacies or .befo' de wah."
as the Negro mHmrnies love to say.
But many of them have passed away
in recent years, and others seem ON
the point Of extinction. The pretty
habit OF giving ~"lagniappe" Is one OF
those which has gone. "Lagnlappe"
Is a French word Of Spanish extrac-
ton, meaning a sort of bonus In kind
given with every purchase. For gem
| erations 1t was the practice In the
@NC1 vi sGdtsS itANa va -
ceries to supplement- every purchase
with a vegetable or two in one case.
or a cookie or some candy In the
| other. The economical Creole honse-
wife, marketing In the old days. eked
out her purchase, say of soup meat.
with "lagniappe' of suet: or at the
fruit stand obtained "iagntappe" OF
pepper or parsley: and in that way
saved many a "picayune." But a few
I ~ o. fLa rafaf1 rrarrra NJ fha
city determined to abolish this pleas
ant custom, and their influence has
now practically caused Its disappear
ance.
SO, too, the "Marchand Rabais' Of
other days has gone. His giass-top-
ped wh~eelbarrow, with its innumera-
bile drawers full of spools of thread,
laces, needles and other small arti-
Giles, was erstwhiles a familiar sight
in the French quarter. The shril
horn of the bottle man" Ii still
heard there. though not ~ often now
as formerly. He IL usually a negro
with a little hand wagon, partly fill
ed with tEumpery iewelry and partly
with old bottles. His business is to
trade the one for the other. and he
executes an ear-splitting fanfare on
his tin horn to summon the children
OF the neighborhood. his chief GUS
toners, to trade their old bottles for
his g~fttterfng hut vafuetess stUrEs.
Few OF the old mulatto vendors OF
j rice cakes and pecan candy s~arvircs
4 and the v0idnffnousfy Tar Old tur-
haned Mammies who used to ST IN
picturesque rows along the sidewalk.
in Canal street near Royal and Bour-
bon. selling boutonieres of vioiets
from vast, odorous hampers, have
disappeared altogether.
One may stiii see, however. the
death notices tackled to the telegraph
poles on the street corners. This Ia
q distinctive New Orleans CUSTOM
Whenever a member of a French
speaking family departs this life, the
fact is printed upon a small square
of black bordered paper and tackled
about the town on poles wherever
friends or acquaintance are sfikeiy to
see 1t. These notices always close
with the announcement of h hour
and place of the funeral. at which
the friends and a~cquaintanccs are
prayed to assist" Mon has New Or
leans lost the pretty, r~everentiai Gus
tom OF lifting the hat whenever a
man of Catholic faith passes a
church. Of his -denomination.A
Tire social feature of the French
opera liz Its chief charm for New Or
leans. There are long intermissions
between the acts. Then the men. In
evening dress, make the circuit OF
the RIittering horseshoe" paying
their respects to the fair occupants
of the boxes. There Is no more at
tractive scene I'm the United states
than this old building on the night
of some important production. When
, the curtain falls after the first act.
) the chatter begins In "baignoire" and
|, .loge d~ecouverte.'' The filmy dresses
of young the sparkle OF jew
!, els, the fragrance of flowers and the
/ charm OF feminine loneliness all com
, bfne to make the hour n Of verita-
I BILE enchantment. To see the Opers
; House on such an occasion liz to sec
New Orleans al Its .best--to see ~
as # likes to be seen--and II leaves
! upon the beholder a lasting impress
: sion OF the charm Of this rare cid