The Republican journal., 1916-02-10

COiOIeu COOhe were supreme, ana you
could also have Spanish, Mexican OF
French dishes at their best. l have
never seen or eaten finer beefsteaks thar
were served at New Orleans restaur.
ant. and I still recall my last dinner ir
the Crescent City, which included greer
turtle soup and broiled pompano-t the
daintiest fish that swims. One does moi
care for heavy food for lunch in hot eli
mates, and a big glass of McClusky'
soda water and a hunk of sponge cake
sufficed McClusky, by the way, made 6
fortune selling soda water at 10 cents 6
glass. while everywhere else somewhat
smaller glasses were sold for five cents.
The ice cream places were mostly pat.
ronized in the evening. Some were on
the ground floor-one on Canal street hao
fountain playing in the center of the
room-others we're on the second floor,
with tables arranged on the galleries
built out over the street. Families and
parties would occupy these tables a
whole evening.
The bar room on the ground floor of
the old St. Charles HOTEL use the pre-
fix advisedly as a new and more splendid
structure now occupies the site -was
one of the most notable in the city. 1t
was very large room with tables at
which patrons could sit while partaking
of the liquid refreshments. The story is
told of a countryman who wandered in
one day and on seating himself looked
around and saw others drinking mint
juleps. Calling '7aiter he said: "Boy,
bring me one of them drinks with grass
juleps, the man took sip, and then,
turning to the waiter, said: hoy, keep
bringing EN-" Near by was Santinis
with its tiled floor, walls all marble and
mirrors, frescoed ceiling and bar of
marble and mahogany. Only sterling sill
yer was used, and at noon patrons were
served individually with dainty lunch.
On Carondalet street, where cotton
brokers and buyers had their offices, was
the Dewdrop Inn, Fred Gruber, pro-
prletor. Here at noon a table, daintlly
appointed, would be set, with a round of
beef at one end, ham at the other, and
various delicacies and relishes between,
for the patrons, mostly substantial bust
ness men, to help themselves. Near the
post office was the Sazarac, extending
through a whole block from one street
to the other, and which was said to
yield its proprietor yearly profit of
500. 900 to $l50,000 In the French
quarter the drinking places were more
like club rooms and had their habitues
who spent the time playing chess, cards
or dominoes and slipping eau sucre sugar
and water) light wine or beer, These
places were open on Sunday, as were the
theaters. At the Orleans theater there
were five nights of opera, and French
drama Saturday and Sunday nights.
New Orleans in ante bellum days was
termed the negroes paradise. There
were many free coored men and women
of wealth, who wore fine clothes and
rivaled the white citizens in their display
Of diamonds and other expensive jew
elry. Others hired their time from their
owners in the country and found remun-
erative employment in the city as cooks
or in other lines. Good cooks command
ed wages of from $25 to $3.50 a month.
All labor was dear. An ordinary house
servant was paid $40 month, and it took
two or three to do the work done by one
white man or woman in the north. And
when you take into consideration what
the owners of servants had to do, in
maintaining them in sickness and old
age, the labor was no less expensive and
with greater care and responsibility.
| have by no means exhausted the sub
Ject,,but may have exhausted the reader,
and SO bring these memories of New
Orleans to a close. CA