The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-06-05

Ill pages of history to events
IL that took place more than
l-}I 175 years ago. The cere-
mony was the unwilling Of
statue and when it stood revealed
there was recalled once more a great
tragedy in American colonial history,
and one Of the tendereSt love stories
in American literature, the story of
the quest Of Evangeline for her lover.
Gabriel, immortalized in a poem by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. For the
statue was a life-siZe image Of the
famous Maid Of Grand Pre-" and most
of those who had gathered there to
pay her honor were her own people
Louisiana descendants Of the Eight
eenth century Acadians and a delega-
ton of several hundred AcadianS from
Moncton, Grand Pre-, Montreal and
other Canadian cities and towns who
made a pilgrimage to this shrine for
paying a visit made by the Louisiana
Acadians to Canada last year.
Erecting the statue over the spot
near the left wing of the old st. Mar
tin Catholic church in st. Martinville
where the real Evangeline lies buried
Is one Of the steps in the project Of
establishing a national reservation
there to be known as the Longfellow-
Evangeline National Memorial park,
public recreation center which will
perpetuate the memory of the Amer
lean poet and the Acadian girl, in
particular, and the Acadians, their
sufferingS, their romance and their
faith, in general.
The name Of the real ''Evangeline"
was Emmerline Labiche, the faithless
"Gabriel' was Louis Arceneaux, and
their life story is part of the tragic
tale Of the simple folk of Acadia who
were deported by British soldiery from
their homes away back in 1155. The
Acadians were French colonists who
had settled in what is now Nova SEQ
tia in 1907, and who lived a happy,
contented existence in their homes in
the New world until caught II the
maelstrom of world politics, stirred
up by the contest between England
and France to decide which nation
was to dominate the North American
continent. In the series of wars be-
tween the two countries VIII ch began
in 1859 Acadia was a pawn on the
international cheSs-board, now held
by the French and now by the British.
he
they were in the main neutral. In
fact they were often referred to in the
official papers Of the time as the ''Neu-
trail French" While the sympathies
of most Of them no doubt leaned to-
ward their own countrymen and some
of them supported the French cause,
for the most part they wished to be
left alone in their peaceful pursuits
as farmers and fishermen. The ques-
ton Of their allegiance was never
definitely settled after any of the
treaties of peace, but in 1905, with
France and England girding for the
final decisive struggle, the Acadians
found themselves caught between the
upper and neither millstones of British
and French demands for their loyalty.
In that year the British, who then
held Acadia, decided that the AGA
dams were IAN enemy encamped in
the heart Of the province" and deter
mined to get rid Of them. According
~ this was done by methods which
seem to have been unnecessarily
harsh.
The principal responsibility for this
rests upon the acknowledgement of
Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, who
was acting governor until the lords
Of trade in London should pick a sue
cessor to Gov. Peregrine HopsoH, who
had resigned.
II am determined to bring the in
habitants to compliance or rid the
province Of such perfdious subjects"
Lawrence wrote the lords Of trade.
Since he held neither a commission
as governor nor instructions from his
superiors how to act. Lawrence asked
the chief justice Of Nova Scotia, JON
athan Belcher, for an opinion. He
wanted to fortify himself with legal
authority for the drastic action that
he planned.
The chief Justices opinion" was
all that Lawrence could desire It is
now definitely. established that Law
renee, Belcher and the Halifax council
acted contrary to the policy of the
BONE government. Lawrence previous
y had been cautioned not to "create
Q diffidence in their (the Acadians)