Evening star., 1936-02-23

Revellers, who open their season on
the twelfth night after Christmas. have
cycles Of revelry until Mardi Gras,
when the greatest Of them all IS
staged. The Jefferson City Buzzards,
the Bourbon Street Bounders. the
Garden City Revellers, the Royal
Street Revelrers, the Gay Fourteen,
the Falstaffans. the Olympians,
Krewe of Nippon, Krewe Of Osiris,
Independent Order Of the Moon and
Phunny Phorty Phellows are few Of
the many groups banded together for
the sole purpose of play and all saw
ing their biggest laugh for Mardi
Gras.
Perhaps in no city in the United
States could such groups gain such
an impetus as in the City Care Forgot.
The reputation of New Orleans for
gaiety-and, in the olden days. wick
edness-was established at an early
date, and even the entrance of earnest
American pioneers into the old French
city was powerless to curb that gaiety.
Instead the Americans themselves
were infested and were largely instru-
mental in giving order and form to
the desultory parading and masked
play.
AN INTERESTING close up Of
those early parades is found
in letter from Col. James r. Creecy
of Washington, who visited New Or
leans at carnival time in 1885.
Human bodies are seen with heads
of beasts and birds; beasts and birds
with human heads; demi-beasts. man
bats from the moon: mermaids, sa-
tyres, beggars, monks and robbers pa
rade and mcrch on foot, on horse
back, in wagons, carts and coaches
in wild confusion. up and down. the
streets, wildly shouting, singing,
laughing drumming. flddling. fifeing
and all throwing -four broadcast as
they wend their reckless way. One
large nondescript car drawn by four
horses uniquely caparisoned and draped
with fiery dragons, serpents and nu-
merous heads, scorpions with singing
tails) was the moving prison Of his
most Satanic majesty. ignominiously
and vulgarly chained securely-heads,
horns, tails and all-blowing from his
volcanic mouth flames of fire and
fumes of sulphur, surrounded with his
femiliars, imps of the most internal
appearance imaginable - whooping,
yelling, groaning, grinning and gibber-
ing in such manner as to occasion
doubts in spectators whether to laugh
or cry, be amused or frightened. This
carnival is permitted by the city au-
thorities, although they have at times
tried to stop it. It is custom to
which the old citizens were, and their
descendants are, much attached, and
it will be difficult to prevent its con-
tinuance"
So difficult, indeed, dear colonel,
that it could never be accomplished,
try as might some of those early con-
scientious American governors Of
French Louisiana.
In 1851 the old New Orleans Bee
commented sadly:
''Mardi Gras was once season Of
striking and memorable peculiarities.
made merry by people who understood,
but today it has fallen into the list of
forgotten things. New people and
religion are changing our customs"
However, fortunately, there were
those among the new people" who.
sensitive to the genius Of the Creole
heart for play and eager to help in
corporate it into the new order Of
things, conceived the idea of a Mardi
Gras organization. Never again was
Mardi Gras to belong entirely to old
New Orleans. Saxon leadership and
organization was to whip the hilarious
carnival into shape while carefully
preserving the spirit and genius Of
the old Creole grande dame.
In 1857, behind closed doors, with
the membership as secret as Scotland
Yard, the Mystick Krewe Of Comus
organized and planned parade with
q central theme-Milton's Paradise
Lost. The spectacle was so brilliant,
so breathtaking as it moved down
Canal street lighted by flaming torches
held high in the hands OF sheeted
colored men, that even street maskers
paused in their wild merriment Of
flour sprinkling, to gaze with bated
breath. ,.
CURIOSITY for what the next
Mardi Gras promised ran riot As
soon as the last magnificent fioat had
passed out Of sight. And 80, there
started o new carnival spirit added to
and mixed up with the old lnirth
making. A spirit that would dwell In
the heart of New Orleans for IL
month and then another.
Following this parade the Pickwick
Club was organized under the guise
of social club SO the Krewe would
continue a myth. but the club would
be recognized as social organization. :"
The mystery of the mask had been
incorporated in the organization and
the social lines so revered by Ia grande
dame held fast, so the revived carnival
was OF to Q good start. Later the
other Mardi Gras organizations came
into existence with more parades and
$4,000. 80 a.kn, - - arrx,vsa a Inoxe