The Holly chieftain., 1924-01-24

ine" like much her.historcal liter
ature. including Shakespeare is distorted history.
He declares that he knows no poem with u more
subtle Influence to create wrong yet indellbe
impression OF British Justice. chivnlry and admin
istration.
DR.. Codys indictment of "Evangelne" is stated
to rest principally on three counts: That 1t rep
resents the Acadans as notoriously dslOyal and
abusing the indulgence Of the British authorities;
that 1t exaggerates the severity and cruelties OF
the deportation that the expulsion was largely due
to the insstence of the New Englanders.
r. H. Crowley. chief school Inspector of Toronto
says: Il understand Evangene' is very popular
poem In American schools and Is used to portray
what they like to believe the character Of the
British of those days Those Americans forget that
the people who acted In that way were their own
ancestors. They got such scare from the French
that 1t at their instance that the Acadans were
taken away"
good deal of this is sheer nonsense, especially
that about the purpose Of the POEMS use in Ameri-
can schools Canadians that themselves
The Toronto Telegram tells the absotruth when
It says: -l. e,35 ~
Common respectfully offers its dissent from
the conclusions of tho scholars who insist that
traced to the misuse of Longfelows Evan
Eeline" In the schools of the United States Anti
British Sc mt has its chief citadel among Amer
leans who never heard Of Longfeilow and do
not know and do not care whether 'Evangene'
is chewing gum. burlesque show. or a ladies
baseball team.
AS to 'Evangeline's" being distorted history"
the Canadian historians may fight 1t out among
themselves. Dr. George Fl. Locke. chief librarian
of Toronto. defends Longfellow, If not "Evangel-
ine, and says the poet got his facts from An
Historical and Statistical Account of Nova Scotia"
by Chief Justice T. c. Halliburton, published in
1929 in Halifax. Halliburton was born in Nova
Scotia, rose to the supreme court. retired settled
in England and was elected conservative to
the British parliament. He was an ardent loyal
ist and his name Is English not French And here's
a sample of Halliburton:
Four hundred and cighty-three men and sa7
women finally collected at Grand Pre-. With
them were 527 sons and SIS daughters boys girls
and young children
AS of these wretched Inhabitants escaped
force them back into captivity. The country
laid waste to their subsistence. In tho
houses, 27s barns. 1856 outbuildinss. mills and
one church. and the friends of those who refused
their obstinacy.
In short so operative were the terrors that
rounded them that of "a young who deserted
from the transport 20 glad to return of them
selves. the others being shot by sentinela
The crowning absurdity of all this foollshness
Is an attack upon the reputation of "Evangeline"
as a great poem. One Canadian writer scathngly
crtlczes Its tedious hexameters." W. J. Alex
ander. professor of English In Toronto university
declares that he does not regard the poem as
very good literature" In the language Of Mr.
Average Man, How do these Canadians get that
way?'
In the first place. It the worldwide popu-
larity Of "Evangene" that secured for the dac-
tylic hexameter recognized place among Eng
lish meters.
In the second place. "Evangene" has nm hon.
ored place among the great poems OF the English
speaking peoples 1t is the story of great trag-
edy, full OF heart throbs and pathos, with hero.
ine Of the worlds most perfect types of won.
anhood Every generation in America and Canada
reads It, recites 1t and weeps 1t.
Not longer than twenty years ago in the United
States critics had the same old idea that 1t was