The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-03-16


for The Times goes where he pleases.
when he pleases. in search of odd stor-
les about this and that.
NEW ORLEANS, March To-
IN Some people say of this fabu-
louS spot that it is The City of the
Psychological Souse."
They say that when you get with
in 100 miles you begineto feel little
drunk just on the idea of New Or
leans, and that with every turn of
the wheels you get little drunken.
and that when you get here you're
completely out of control-on spir-
itual binge.
That is true. Anything you may
say about New Orleans, good or
bad, is true. There never was a city
anywhere, I suppose, like it.
1t is fantastic, hypnotic, mystic
sort of place.
The first time I ever came here, I
got" the place in a minute. It was
what I wanted it to be. 1t was
everything had heard about it. But
L
So this time have been pinning
people down. Tell me what it is
about New Orleans" I say to them.
How are the people different? What
is in their hearts? Just exactly
what is the psychology of New Or
leans, or tie spirit. or the mental
state, or whatever you call it?"
DEOPLE scratch their heads, and
Il feel around for words, and
think up examples and tell them,
and then say NO, that isn't it.
Wait a minute now, while 1 think"
So it's like music, or the wind.
You can't see it, you can't put it in
bottle, you can't hang clothes on
it, but it's there all right. It's
there pounding in your temples and
singing in your heart
People care little less in New
Orleans. They're born to a what
the hell' attitude. They grow up
to take a chance. They have a
heritage in them, and they're hard
ly conscious of it,
They have heritage of hot blood
mixtures, of warm weather and
great rainfall, of pirates and buc-
cancers and revolutionists, of great
wealth and great poverty, of bat
ties and heroes and grand ladies.
and balconies and iron lace and
ships from far corners, and
haughtineSS and dignity and carou-
sal.
THE spirit of New Orleans is a
l. spirit of pleasure. And it's
just as strong in the shotgun cot
tages'' of the poor suburbs as in
the shattered homes of the proud
Creoles. Maybe stronger.
The people Of New Orleans be-
lieve devoutly in their rights to
drink, dance, gamble, make love and
worship God.
People grow up drinking. Saloons
are everywhere. A drunk is never
arrested unless he's harming other
people
People grow up dancing. In the
winter there are probably more
dances here than anywhere in the
world.
People grow up to take chance.
New Orleans will fight for its right
to gamble. Every night hundreds
of people, common ordinary peo-
pie, take their dollar or two or three
and go shoot the works.
a ND what is the cause of it all?
IA just circumstances, I guess.
There was the mixture of French
and Spanish, a combination CT
teeming temperaments. New Or
leans was nearly 100 years old be-
fore it had American residents
in it.
There was its location, which
made it rich, which made it the
greatest port in the South, and
which even today keeps it the
second port in America. Whenever
population rises around deep
water and docks and ships from
far away, there is a tang and a
color about it.
It's location did something else,
too-it bred spirit of struggle, d
back-to-the-wall psychology. New
Orleans for 200 years has fought
harder against water than most
cities ever fought in war.
Its location also has made it a
fighting city. 1t fought the In
dians, and the British, and the
North, and the French and Spanish
fought each other. and it has al
ways been an outpost hotbed for
revolutionarieS.
And there is the climate. South
ern Louisiana is warm. Things
grow quickly. Men move slowly. 1t
is hot, and there is time for pleas
ure. After a few generations it gets
in the blood, and becomes part of
you, like getting hungry.
New Orleans hungerS for pleas
ure, and has it, and let him beware
who tries to interfere.