The Republican journal., 1915-12-23

ped in front of the hotel, Whlcn Is d
large building occupying whole square,
we were at once surrounded by crowd
of children; black, white, and several
other varieties (tor this is in poor part
of the city that has been left unmolested
by progress) who told us that the wo-
man what showed the hotel had gone
home, but they would show US" They
started for the hotel in body, pushed
the door open, and babe us ''come in, >"
but | drew back preferrlng daylight to
did not like the company we were in, so
we went again in the morning. A fad
| ed, hopeless looking woman came out of
nearby house and told us she was the
caretaker and for US to 60 right in and
look around all we wished. From the
expression on her face it was plain to be
seen she could not see what we could
| find interesting in that old house. But
fee brought sickly smile to her tired
| face.
The hotel was built in the early thir-
ties, and statesmen, royalty, and other
famous men were entertained here.
Dor Pedro, the Emperor of Brazil, was
| among its guests, and the Grand Duke
Alexander of Russia was a guest in
1872 General Boulanger was visitor
before his famous attempt to overthrow
the French Republic. In 1S43 Henry
CLAY was given a banquet here at cost
of $4,000, the dinner being served on
gold plates.
From the lobby winding to the dome is
a grand staircase. On the ground floor
is where the slave mart had its head
quarters, and the block where the slave
girls were auctioned off is still there.
We wandered through the deserted old
house and could easily imagine what it
was in the height of its fame. 1t has
not been used for many years, and is
fast falling into ruin.
The old register, probably the last one
used in the hotel, was lying on the desk.
1t was interesting to look it over, for
there were names registered from all
| over the world. Several pages had been
| detached, so we took one bearing the
date of 1896 1t was evident that the
hotel was seing it's last days, there were
so few guess registered.
Just few steps down Royal street
we came upon large weather-stained
building occupied by the Sisters of the
Holy Family. This building was built in
1877 and was known for many years as
the Orleans Theater. 1t was the home
OF the French Opera, when New Or
leans was the only city in this country
to maintain permanent Opera COM
pany.
1t may seem odd to you that we would
spend the time to visit cemetery. Per-
haps would not have thought to do SO,
but as l was being fitted to a pair of
gloves the young lady who waited on me
asked if we had been out to the Met
airie, and assured US it would sure be
novelty to US. So we took a car and told
the conductor where we wished to go and
asked would he please tell US where to
make the change of cars. Presently a
conductor who was off duty came in and
took the seat in front of US, and after
bidding us good morning, he said: "Your
conductor has asked me to show you the
Metairie as | pass there on my Wy
home"
He pointed out the places of interest
as we passed them, for the Metairie is
out of the city quite distance. He
called our attention to fine, large build
ing and said, with much feeling: "Tbere
is an elegant school for niggers. You
northerners did that. We wouldn't do
it for them"
That was his view, but later on, in
talking with man whose home is in
Mississippi and whose father had told