St. Landry democrat., 1889-11-09
Old Memories.

OF the American people. we are said to
be made up of ''all the babbling tribes OF
EARTH" but it was reserved for this South
western portion of our great republic to
have been settled mainly by the French
First in 1865 by those from Canada, whose
common origin attracted the French ele-
ment from other parts of the State, as well
as emigrants from 'tla belle France" So
that at the coming into the Union in 1912,
what are now called the Attakapas parishes
were mainly inhabited by French popu-
lation called Creoles. This term was orig
inally applied to the offspring of different
white nationalities, but has come to be
only another name for native-as Creole
girl, Creole horse, Creole cane.
They spoke common language, in
purity in proportion to their educational
advantages. Those from Canada, called
Acad.ans, without the benefit of schools
for generations of time, could not be ex-
pected to speak their mother tongue as
perfectly as their more fortunate fellow
citizens. 1t has long been the fashion
among certain set to speak contemptu-
ously of the language spoken by the Creoles
of Louisiana, and call it "patois" almost
as unintelllgible as the Congo. We have
often heard this foolish assertion made by
those who spoke nothing but English, and
that imperfectly. If they would say that
Lneducated people in Louisiana spoke very
bad French, they would not be far wrong,
but to include Creoles in general, is as un-
Just as untrue. The educated Creoles of
our section include fair proportion of Its
white population, who have had the ad-
vantages of schools generally, and many Of
them the best of our own and foreign lands.
They use the same text books, write the
same language every day, and it would be
very strange if they spoke an unintelligi-
bic jargon. The most that can be truth
fully said of this is, that provincialisms
are always confined to the uneducated, but
the uneducated are not confined to Louis
lana.
In general, it was not of their French we
complained, but of their English, and our
wonder has always been to see how slow
and difficult it was for them to acquire a
knowledge of our language. 1t did not
seem possible that it could be want of
desire, for to make themselves understood
in English was often apparently excruciat-
ing pain to them, which called out all our
sympathies. We noticed, however, that
the men generally learn to swear in
English pretty well, and we often thought
they used the profane words of our Ian
guage because they come easiest to them.
Social intercourse between American and
Creole families was rendered well nigh
impossible on account of this insurmounta-
BILE tongue barrier. In all such attempts,
house servants were called in as interpre-
ters, for the negro, who, though famous
butcher of all languages, somehow man
ages to make himself understood in any,
on very short acquaintance. But as we
expect to pay our respects to the negro in
general elsewhere, will dismiss him here
as an interpreter and linquist.
As society appeared to us when first
coming among it, there seemed to be but
little sociable intercourse between the
French Creoles and American families.
They were separated by religion, language
and q general incompatibility of tastes,
habits and amusements. It was long be-
fore the time of public schools, so we did
not mingle there or often in the sanctuary.
Each neighborhood had its own private pay
school, but the requirements In teacher
desi ed by Creole family were generally
different from those sought after by the
Americans. One l attended where the
teacher had great faith in the efficacy OF
holy water about the.schooi house floor of q
morning, and the Protestant boys not b-ing
able to see it in that light, were often the
cause of great annoyance and poor MIR.
Gettigen long, long since gone, we hope,
to where the weary are at rest, and where
no sprink1ing is needed on the golden
streets" Among themselves there was NO
end to their sociability and amusements,
with private entertainments and diversions
In all conceivable forms except the cock
pst. that charming recreation of towering
American character. They were generally
in easy circumstances, good livers AND
could well afford to give full scope to their
innate fondness for gaysty. No thoughts Of