In New Orleans

Three influences have long dominated New Orleans--the French Quarter, the colleges and the Times-Picayune.*

The French Quarter, the Vieux Carre, was originally the city itself. Its dignity, its gayety and especially its Mardi Gras carnival have made New Orleans one of the storied cities of the U.S. Hither came adventurers from Latin Europe, from Latin America. Here endured an Old World culture exotic and attractive. The old quarter still persists between Canal Street and the river--its narrow streets, its weather-beaten, balconied homes and stores. But the oldtimers, the French and Spanish, have been-crowded out of late. Other Latins have replaced them, the Italians who have gone into trade and commission marketing.

Tulane University was founded in 1834. For a long time it was the only important school of the South. In 1886 came Newcomb Memorial College for Girls; in 1911 Catholic Loyola University. These schools lie on pleasant adjacent campuses on the city's outskirts, opposite splendid Audubon Park, which in turn stretches between St. Charles Street and the Mississippi.

In 1837 a little newspaper was founded by big minds. It was the Picayune. Always this paper has been honest and upright in its reporting. Always it has been respected by pressmen, which is a sharp criterion. To work on its staff was a pleasure and an education, as realized by such famed personages as George Wilkins Kendall (one of its founders and a Texan pioneer), Lafcadio Hearn, Walt Whitman, Irwin Russell, Page M. Baker, Pearl Rivers (Mrs. Nicholson, mother of Leonard K. Nicholson, President of the Times-Picayune Publishing Co.), Stephen Crane, George W. Cable, Brander Matthews, Henry Rightor, Catherine Cole.

Over these institutions of recent years has spread a boom spirit. This was given impetus by the completion shortly after the War of the War-built industrial canal, between the Mississippi and Lake Pontchartrain. Ocean-going vessels could come up the lake instead of up the 100-odd miles of winding river, gaining thereby some 60 miles of traverse. New wharves and new residence districts got under way. But the Industrial Canal, although available to the city remains unused. The city wants the Government to dredge a shipway through Lake Pontchartrain to the Canal. But the Federal authorities for one reason or another feel that the municipality itself should do so. Nevertheless solid business improvement, propelled by the promise of the Canal, has continued. A Florida-like boom seems impending at New Orleans as well as along the entire Gulf Coast. But the local people have proceeded slowly, have waited for more normal progress.

Last week the Times-Picayune (the Picayune absorbed the Times-Democrat a few years ago) joined with Tulane University for further regional cooperation. The newspaper, to celebrate its 90th anniversary next year, offered the University $6,000 annually for ten years to establish a Chair of Journalism. The journalistic instruction is to be correlated with that in economics, literature, history, languages and possibly commercial law, so that students will have a well-rounded social learning no matter into what profession they eventually go. President A. B. Dinwiddie of Tulane accepted in the name of the University Board of Administration.

*Circulation daily 77,831, Sunday 113,549. Other potent journals are the Item and its morning edition the Tribune, with combined daily circulations of 92,940, Sunday 83,916: and the States, daily 51,269, Sunday 79,345.