The Republican journal., 1916-02-10
MEMORIES OF SOUTHERN CITIES.
New Orleans.

Albany, Niagara Falls, (where a week
was spenD Chicago, and over the Illinois
Central, just built, to Cairo, thence by
steamer Falls City to New Orleans. In
the spring of 1858 was again in New
Orleans en- route from San Antonio,
join the End division Of the Utah army
and cross the Plains; again in December,
1858, to spend the winter; and in Decem-
Der, 1865 sailed from New York in the
steamer Eastern Star for New Orleans,
to take up my residence there. The
previous visits were in the days of slav-
cry and my social relations and environ
ment through relatives were such that l
became thoroughly familiar with the
manners and customs of ante bellum
days, as l did later with the changes
wrought by the Civil war and the bust
ness activity which followed its close.
At the time of my first visit New Or
leans was essentially French city, with
a small American colony in the Garden
district so we'll described by Mrs. Dns-
more in her interesting paper recently
published in The Journal. So also with
what continues to be the French section,
below Canal street, and the streets in
general. | cannot recall now with any
distinctness the Impressions of a youth
in his teens, who had never been beyond
Boston from his home down in Maine, of
this foreign city-a city foreign in Ian
guage, in manners and customs and IN
architecture Subsequent visits, follow
ed by several years residence, obliterated
these early impressions. Living and
having social relations n the French
quarter was yet in toach with business
and journalism and thus became familiar
with all sections of the city; with the
opera at the Theater d'Orleans and later
at the New Opera House, both in the
French quarter; with the Varieties Thea
ire, the home of the legitimate drama,
and the St Charles Theater, both above
Canal street; the water front with its
hundreds of river steamers arriving and
departing daily, the ships moored three
and four abreast loading cotton, the lug
gers from down the CO st with fruit,
vegetables and fish, the broad levee
covered with cotton bales, molasses in
casks and sugar IN barrels, hams and
shoulders stacked up like cordwood the
+ of
the chief attractions TO visitors, the
shore dinners not, however so-called
at the Lake-end and the carnival fes-
tlvities that preceded the beginning of
Lunt
There was then hut one Organization
The Mystic Krene of Comus-that OBJ
served Mardi Gras with spectacular
procession and ball, and its member
ship was kept profound secret Tick
cts to the bah We're highly priced, They
were sent anonymously to the favored
ones and were not otherwise obtainable.
For three successive years these tickets
came,to me, and one year had the honor,
the Plckwick Club to witness the pro-
cession and then to the Varieties Theater
to see the features of the procession
presented on the stage as Three Courses
and a Dessert" before the dancing be-
gan. And, by the way, the words Mardi
Gras and Carnival are strangely used, or
rather misused, by those unfamiliar with
their meaning. Mardi Gras, in English
is Fat Tuesday," preceding Ash Wed
nesday, the first day of Lent, and Carnl-
y is farewell to tesh!'
In the days of slavery ! saw nothing
of the horrors Of this Southern ''institu-
ti0n. ~ of which had heard and read so
much. What we in the North would call
the boss in my uncle's house was the
black nanny who had cared for my
aunt in her childhood and was now
caring for her children. The coored
cook was very important and independ-
ent person, waited upon by the other
servants, and all had a much easier time
than falls to the lot of many in the
north. In the morning, as was the Gus
tom IN those days, my aunt would go to
market attended by one or two of the
servants, who traiied behind her, carry
ing baskets. She went from stall to
stall in the French market making her
purchases, which were placed in the
baskets to be carried home. Poultry
was bought alive and was killed and
dressed by the cook. Practically every
thing used in the house would be bought
each day, as at that time there were no
facilities for keeping perishable food.
The red ants were a great pest, They
would make their way through cork
into a bottle of syrup, find way into
the sugar bowl and seemed to be every
where Cochroaches were numerous,
too, and the house larder was in constant
danger from these insects, as well as
from rats.
While on the subject of housekeeping
perhaps something should be said of the
water supply. Most houses had the
Mississippi river water, undiluted. 1t
was about the color and nearly the con-
z i