The Dolores star., 1924-02-01

ature, including Shakespeare is distorted history
he declares that he knows no poem with more
subtle influence to create u wrong yet indellble
Impression Of British justice. chivalry and admin
IStration
Dr. Cody's Indictment of "Evanceine" is stated
to rest principally three counts That II rep
resents the Acadians notoriously disloyal and
ABUSING the indulgence of the British authorities;
that II exaggerates the severity and cruees OF
the deportation that the expulsion was largely due
to the insistence of the New Englanders
4. II. Crowley, chief school inspector of Toronto
says Il understand Evangene' Is a 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 from the French
that it was ut their instance that the Acadans
taken away"
A good deal OF this is sheer nonsense especially
that about the purpose of the POEMS in Ameri-
can schools. Canadians that themselves
The Toronto Telegram tells the abso-truth when
II says:
the conclusions of the scholars who insist that
large quantities of anti British sentiment can be
traced to the use misuse of Longfellow's Evan
Eeline in the schools Of the United States. Anti
British sentiment has its chief citadel Amer
leans who heard of Longfeliow and do
not know and do not care whether 'Evangeline'
baseball team.
AS to "Evangeline's" being distorted history"
the Canadian historians may fight It out among
themselves. DR.. George II. Locke. chief librarian
of Toronto defends Longfellow. II not 'Evangel-
inc" 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 a conservative to
the British parliament. He an ardent loyal
ist and his name is English not French And here's
sample Of Halliburton:
Four hundred and e,ehty-three men and ss7
them were 627 and 57s daughters boys girls
and young children.
AS of these wretched inhabitants escaped
to the woods all possible measures adopted
to force them back into captivity. The country
laid waste to prevent their subsistence In the
District Of Minas alone there destroyed 22b
houses. 27s barns l55 outbundings. IL mills
one church. and the friends of those who refused
to surrender were threatened the victims of
their obstinacy.
In short, so operative were the terrors that sur
rounded them that of rs young men who deserted
from the transport 22 glad return of them.
selves. the others being shot by sentinels
The crowning absurdty Of all this fooshness
is an attack upon the reputation Of "Evangeline"
as great poem. One Canadian writer scathingIy
criticizes Its tedious hexameters" W. J. AIex2
ander professor of English in Toronto university
declares that he does not regard the poem ms
very good literature" In the language of Mr.
Average Man, How do these Canadians GET that
way?
In the first place, II the world wide popu-
lartty of "Evangeline" that secured for the dnc.
tylic hexameter recognized place among Eng.
lish meters.
In the second place, "Evangeliner has an hon.
ored place among the great poems of the English.
speaking peoples. 1t Is the story of a great trag.
edy full of heart throbs and pathos, with hero
Inc one of the worlds most perfect types Of wom-
anhood. Every generation in America and Canada
reads 1t, reites II and weeps over IT,
Not longer than twenty years ago In tho United
States critics had the same old Idea that II was