Public Spirit.--Education.--State of Religious Worship.--Public
Entertainments, Theatres, Balls, &c.
Heterogeneous as this population may seem, and as it really is, in
manners, language, and principles, they all agree in one point--the
pursuit after--"money." Americans, English, French, Germans, Spaniards,
all come hither--to make money, and to stay here as long as money is to
be made. Half the inhabitants may be said to be regularly settled; the
rest are half-settlers. Merchants, store-keepers, remain only until
they have amassed a fortune answering their expectations, and then
remove to their former houses. Others reside here during the winter, to
carry on business, and retire to the north in the month of May. That is
the case with all the Yankee commission merchants. This has, of course,
a sensible and an extensive influence upon the public, and may explain
why New Orleans, though one of the wealthiest cities of the Union, is so
backward in mental improvement. Even the better Anglo-American families
disdain to spend their money in the country where they have earned it,
and prefer removing to the north. The institutions for education are
consequently inferior to those of any city of equal extent and less
wealth, such as Richmond, and even Albany. The only literary institution
in the state of Louisiana, the college of New Orleans, is now
established, and is intended to be revived at some distance from the
capital. Free schools are now (1826) formed in the city, after the
manner of the northern states, with a president and professors; and by
and bye they will be extended to the rest of the state. Another college,
still inferior to the above-mentioned, is superintended by the Catholic
clergy. Excepting the elements of reading, writing, mathematics, and
latin, it affords no intellectual information. The best of these
schools is kept by Mr. Shute, rector of the Episcopalian church, an
enlightened and clever man, who fully deserves the popularity he has
acquired. Reading, writing, geography, particular and universal history,
are taught under his tuition, and in his own rectory. This school, and
other private ones where the rudiments are taught, comprehend all the
establishments for education in the state.
With respect to the female sex, the creoles are educated by the nuns;
the Protestant young ladies by some boarding-school mistresses, partly
French, partly Americans, who come from the north. The better classes of
the Anglo-Americans, however, prefer sending their daughters to a
northern establishment, where they remain for two years, and then return
to their homes. Among the charitable institutions must be mentioned the
Poydras Asylum for young orphan girls, founded in 1804, by Mr. Poydras.
The legislature voted 4000 dollars towards it. Sixty girls are now
educating in this asylum. Upon the same plan, is a second asylum for
boys, where, in 1825, forty were admitted. These, besides the hospital,
are the only public institutions for the benefit of the poor. New
Orleans has eight newspapers; among these the State, and two other
papers, are published in English and French, a fourth in the Spanish,
and the rest in the English. The best of them is the Louisiana
Advertiser.
There is not a place in the Union where religion is so little attended
to as in New Orleans. For a population of 40,000 inhabitants, it has
only four churches; Philadelphia, with 120,000 inhabitants, reckons
upwards of eighty; New York upwards of sixty. The city of Pittsburgh,
with a population of 10,000 souls, has ten churches, far superior to
those in New Orleans. Among the Protestant churches, the high church is
best provided for, and the members of this congregation are said to be
liberal, which they are generally found to be. They have recently
finished a rectory for their minister, and show that liberality which so
eminently distinguishes them. Of the Presbyterians we have spoken
before. Though they would run ten times on a Sunday to church, and hear
even as many sermons, yet they neither pay their minister, who by the
bye is far from being an amiable character, nor redeem their church out
of the hands of Israel, but prefer keeping their money to contributing
towards such objects.
The creoles, who are Catholics, seldom visit their church, and when they
do, it is only at Easter. They have a very learned bishop, named
Dubourgh, a Frenchman, who is not however very popular, and is spoken of
for his gallantries, though a man of sixty. It is whispered about that
there is a living proof of this. A more religious character is Pere
Antoine, a highly distinguished old Capuchin friar, enjoying universal
love and popularity. The manner in which I saw the Governor and the city
authorities, with the most respectable persons of the county, behave
towards him, does as much credit to them as to the object of their
consideration.
Of the two theatres, the American is open during five, and the French
during eight months in the year. The American theatre has the advantage
of becoming more and more national and popular, although at present it
is only resorted to by the lower class of the American population;
boatmen, Kentuckians, Mississippi traders, and backwoods-men of every
description. The pieces are execrably performed. The late Charles Von
Weber would not have been much delighted at witnessing the performance
of his Der Freyshutz, here metamorphosed into the wild huntsmen of
Bohemia. Six violins, which played any thing but music, and some voices
far from being human, performed the opera, which was applauded; the
Kentuckians expressed their satisfaction in a hurrah, which made the
very walls tremble. The interior of the theatre has still a mean
appearance. The curtain consists of two sail cloths, and the horrible
smell of whiskey and tobacco is a sufficient drawback for any person who
would attempt to frequent this place of amusement. The French theatre
performs the old classic productions of Corneille, Racine, Voltaire,
with the addition of some new ones, such as Regulus, Marie Stuart, and
William Tell. The best performer of this theatre, is Madame Clauzel.
Towards the close of December, the carnival commences; society balls,
masquerades, or routs, besides a number of private balls, are then the
order of the day. The first, the third, and the last masquerade, and the
society balls, are the most splendid. They are regularly attended by the
daughters of the merchants and planters, who at this time come to the
city. There is, however, nothing more tiresome than a masked ball in New
Orleans. Some young merchants, and sons of planters, took it into their
heads to assume the character of poor paddies, and they dressed
themselves accordingly. This would have been for the most unaccomplished
American or English Miss, a fair opportunity for displaying at least
some wit. But the creole Demoiselles, when addressed by their lovers,
had not a word to say, except, "Oh, we know that you are no Paddies--You
are very respectable--You are the wealthy C." Another would say, "Oh, I
know that you are not an Irishman--You are the rich Y." This was the
conversation all round. Still more tedious are the public balls given
in commemoration of the eighth of January, on the anniversary of the
birth-day of Washington, &c. Until last year, and owing to the shyness
of the creoles towards their new brothers, the Americans and creoles
stood with their ladies apart, neither speaking nor dancing with one
another. Last year both parties seemed willing to draw nearer to each
other. Even these entertainments, as well as more important affairs, are
very subordinate to the all-powerful desire of "making money." This is
the final object of every one, and on every occasion. Any pursuit of a
different tendency than that of gaining money, is neglected, and deemed
unworthy of consideration. That which every town of 2000 inhabitants is
now provided with, a reading-room and circulating library, you would
seek in vain at New Orleans. Though the Anglo-Americans attempted to
establish such an institution, which is indispensable in a great
commercial city, it failed through the unwillingness of the creoles to
trouble their heads with reading. Churches or theatres are not more
patronised. To improve the moral condition is far from their thoughts,
every one being bent upon--making money, as quickly as possible, in
order the sooner to leave the place. New Orleans, considering its
situation, should again be what it was lately, were it not for the
detestable selfishness which pervades all classes, and has established a
dominion over the mind, as painful as it is disgusting. The complaints
about luxury are unfounded. The wealthy inhabitants live by no means in
such high style as they do at New York, Boston, and even Richmond, upon
a less income. There is no cause for finding fault with their
extravagance, or their dissolute manners, not because they have better
moral principles, but because they are too selfish to indulge in
pleasures that would cost "money," and would mar their principal object,
which is to amass it. The American from the north, whilst he inhabits
New Orleans, lives in a style far inferior to that in which he indulges
at home; and even if he be a permanent settler, he chooses rather to go
to the north in order to spend his money there. Only three American
houses can be said to receive good company, the rest are creoles. The
living in New Orleans, however, is good, though expensive. Board and
lodging in a respectable house, will cost sixty dollars a month; in an
inferior one, forty. The proper season of business for strangers, and
those not accustomed to the climate, is the winter. In the summer, every
one retires to the north, or across the lake, only such persons
remaining as are compelled from circumstances to do so.