The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1891-02-13
EVANGELINB'S STORY.
THE SAD LOVE ROMANCE OF LONG,
FELLOWS "TiLE OF ACaDIi."

Harry Perrin III Coorer-journal.
"Give us the lands where the runs are
spread.
Ard the living tread light on the graves
of the dead.
Give us the land that hath legends and
lays,
That tell OF the memories of long vanish
ed days.
Give us land with a grave in each spot,
And names on the graves that .shall ne'or
be forgot;
Give us the land of the wreck and the
tomb,
There's grandeur in there's glory
in gloom"
The thousands who have been
thrilled by the beautiful poem of
Longiellow, "A Tale Of Acadia"
know but little perhaps, of the
subject OF it, and the circumstances
that lead to its production. The
story here is that the son OF a
wealthy Acadian, who was a class
mate of Longfellow, gave the le-
gend 10 him, aud in after years he
used il as the subject Of the poem.
The tir,t time | read the poem. en-
tranced by its beauty, but sadden-
ed by the mournful story of Evan
geline. | little thought | should
ever visit the land and stand upon
the ground where her sacred ashes
mingle with the parent dust. In
the quiet, quaint old French town
Of Martlnsville, on the banks oi
the Teche, where Evangeline met
her 10 lover, after her long, weary
Journey, under the shadow of The
| walls of st. Martins church, the
unfortunate girl sleeps the last
long, unbroken sleep.
The Acadians came to the new
world before the landing of the
Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock, and
before the settlement at James
town, Virginia. They settled in
the peninsular of Nova Scotia, and
as all readers of colonial history
know, Nova Scotia was ceded by
France to England in 1913. The
inhabitants refused TO acknowl-
edge the English Monach, and be-
lieved they would again be re-
united with France. An expedi,
| ton was fitted out by the English
IN ITS, which sailed from Massa
sachuse,ls on the 20lh of May, OF
I hat year, under the command OF
Gen. Moneton. They soon con-
quered the whole of the peninsu.
lar. The English required the Ac-
adams, who sympathized with
their countrymen of French de-
scent, 10 take the oath of allegi-
ance who refused were driven on
board he:English ships, and with
out knowing their fate or des'ina-
ton were transported TO Louisia-
sa, then province Of France, and
landed upon the marshy shores, in.
babited only by the most barbar-
Gus savages and wild beasts.
Among these was Louis Arceneaux
the legedary lover of Evangeline,
of st. Gabriel, the native place of
the unfortunate lovers. Decend-
ants from these exiles from Aca-
dia, in Nova Scotia, are still TO be
found in Southwest Louisiana,
and more quiet, and hospitable
people exist nowhere | have been.
So much Tor the historical facts
upon which the poem of Longfel.
low was founded.
And now for the legend of Evan
geline:
1t was told by Col Voorhees,, OF
st. Martinsville-hy the way, a
second cousin to The Tall Syca-
more of the Wabash" and who
visit each other occasionally. Col.
Voorhees, had the story from his
mother, and she from her grand
mother, Mrs. Bordat, who accom-
prnied Evangeline in her wander
ing to that land, described TO her
bv Father Fellcien:
"Reautiful Is the land with its pralrles,
! and forest Of fruit trees
Under the feet a garden of flowers, aud
the blurst Of heavens
Bending above, and resting its dome on
the walls of the forest,
They who dwell there have named it the
Eden Of Louisiana
/ give the legend in my own
words instead of those of Mrs. Bor.
dat, which is interspersed with
French words and phrases:
Evangeline is no mythical char
acter. Though considerable poet
ical license is used by Longiellew
the poem is founded on facts which
in great measure, are as follows
The true name of Eyangelint
was Emeline Labiche. Her pa
irents had died when she was ;