Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-09-18

was done TO satisfy New England: and
it was carried out by New Englanders.
Terrible as was the measure. it is hard
to see how it could be avoided, unless
at the cost of Nova Scotia herself, If
Nova Scotia was to remain in English
hands-and New England said this
was essential to her safety-then the
Acadians had to be removed The
Acadians had suffered themselves to
be made the tools of French intrigue.
Through them France hoped to retain
her hold on the peninsula. For forty
years they had been treated by Eng
land with patience which had long
since ceased to be virtue. Every eff
fort had been made to conciliate them.
But they refused to take the oath of al
legiance, which they were legally
bound to do, or to allow themselves to
be considered otherwise than as enc
mics. Allied with the Indians and dis
guised as Indians, some of their holder
spirits INDUCED in bloody raids on the
English settlements; and English set.
tlement became impossible in an
English province. At the same time
England-which then meant the thir-
teen colonies as well-was engaged in
a life and death struggle with her
greatest rival, France; and the Acad-
ians were her enemies within the gate,
They were warned, eXhorted, threat.
ened, but they obstinately and blindly
closed their ears So it came that this
unhappy people was ground to powder
between the upper and neither mill
stone. They We're removed from their
homes with such humanity as was pos.
sible under the piteous circumstances
and We're scattered abroad among the
nations. AS one reads Longfellow
these facts should be borne in mind
not to lessen ones admiration for the
poets genius or ones response to the
pathos of the Evangeline story, but to
keep ones view of history undistorted
The traveller who comes to the land OF
Evangeline should read not Longfellow
only but also Parkman-eSpecially the
first volume of "Montcalm and Wolfe
Certain it is that the great American
poet in his "Evangeline" has recorded
in immortal verse this sad and tragic
page in the history of Nova Scotia. He
has thrown about this spot the glow
and glamour of love and romance, and
has incidentally been the means Of
bringing into this section annually
many thousands of more or less senti
mental tourists, who leave behind
them golden train of shining, shekels
Great is the power of advertising
whether in the columns of first-class
newspaper like the Courier, or by
means of poem of love and romance
In this hard and practical age ever
sentiment has to give way before cold
everyday fact. 1t is decidedly disap
pointing to learn, after having alb
sorbed Longfellow's poem, that the
poet himself never visited the site O
Grand Pre-, and that the opening sen
tence of the prelude, This is the for
est primeval, etc." is anything but &C
curate. But in the main the poem i:
true to both the facts of history ant
nature.
Present Conditions.
Today the village of Grand Pre- is lit
| tie more than memory, but the thriv
| ing town of Wolfville, only three mile
distant, is not only a trading point TO
| the farmers in all this fertile section
| but is also an educational center 0
much Importance. Here are locate,
| the academy, seminary and college
of the Baptist organization in Now
Scotia Hundreds of students of boil
a more healthful or picturesque spo
could not have been selected for a col
| lege town.
Wolfville, as headquarters for tour
! lists who desire to see the "Evange
| line" country, offers enjoyment to tn
| visitor that can only be appreciate
| by actual experience. Mountain an
| valley, river, forest and sea combin
| to render the scenery a constan
source of enjoyment even to the mos
commonplace individual, while to tn
! person of artistic temperament it be
comes matter of positive delight. TIL
air is truly glorious, with bracin
qualities that quickly become NANTES
to the person from malarial district.
and joy unspeakable to theeone al
/ flicted with hay fever for the latter
unknown here. Our guide book say
the thing to do. in Wolfville is t
Drive, drive, drive" and in this il
stance the guide book is certainly co
rect. Such drives along the moul
tain tops, such drives in the valley
and along the river banks, such drive
across the marshlands to the beach {
Minas Basin-well, this typewritin
machine seems to be deficient in a,
jectives, and we will forbear. On
thing is certain, we came to Wolfvil
expecting to stay twenty-four hours
now at the close of week we are tea
ing ourselves away with the creates
reluctance.
BIomidon.
i The great promitory of Blomidol
r famed in verse and Indian tradition,
!, the extreme end of North" mountain
i separating the Bay of Fundy froI
Minas basin. Here are found amt
Y thysts of rare beauty, one of whic
! decorated the crown of Empress E.
f genie of France. The mythic hero {
: this region is Gluskap, the demi-go